To Catch a Predator

A 2004-2007 spin-off of Dateline featuring Chris Hansen with the group Perverted Justice that started off as just a segment. Catching men attempting to arrange sexual encounters with underage teenagers, To Catch a Predator garnered a huge amount of publicity. This led to a spin-off, To Catch A Predator: The Raw Tapes, which shows longer versions of the confrontations between Chris Hansen and the predators.

Controversy was sparked, mostly by accusations of entrapment by lawyers for the accused predators and a high profile suicide of one man caught in the sting (but who did not appear on the show, having discovered prior to his death that he had been nailed in a sting operation). The show and Chris Hansen ultimately achieved Memetic Mutation, with parodies appearing on different shows like South Park, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Boondocks, Squidbillies, etc. Whether because of the legal controversy, the increased popularity making it harder[1] to lure men to the houses, or because the "demographics" of the alleged predators had declined,[2] no new TCAP segments were produced after 2007.

Why don't you use these tropes over there?
  • Blatant Lies: The potential predators, when they try to talk their way out. Chris always has a field day with them, especially when they say they were invited in by hot older women.
  • Catch Phrase: Why don't you have a seat over there...
  • Deadpan Snarker: Chris Hansen, whenever predators attempt to justify themselves when the chat logs say otherwise.
  • Did Not Do the Research: Many of these predators seem to have prepared excuses based on their understanding of how the law works.
    • The classic "If undercover law enforcement is asked "are you a cop", they must tell the truth. Otherwise it's entrapment." False.
    • The bait was actually an actress or Perverted Justice agent over 18 (if not, then police would be guilty of child endangerment). This is often interpreted by a suspect to mean that he didn't break the law since no child was truly involved. Sorry, all that matters in the eyes of the law is that you "believed" they were 13 or 14 and acted accordingly.
    • One predator directed Chris Hanson to a sealed envelope in his car containing a letter stating his good intentions for coming to the house. He believed a child was in danger and that he could also be in danger for coming. The police explained this as an "alibi letter" and that it gave absolutely no credence to the suspect's claims.
    • "I'm assuming you need my permission to air this." The news doesn't need your permission. You choose to be there and to "have a seat over there".
    • One busted Catholic School teacher, attempted to fight the charges and elected to have an evidence suppression hearing where it was his lawyer who was clueless about the methods used. "In fact, as far as you know, this has never been tested before, has it?" Actually yes, many times. Sting operations for illegal sex acts predate the internet. Fortunately for him, our school teacher ended up pleading guilty.
  • Driven to Suicide: One of the men they captured with To Catch a Predator killed himself when he realized the cops were closing in. NBC "amicably resolved" his sister's lawsuit..
    • Another arrested man (this one from Turkey), kept threatening "You show this, I keel myself". It remains to be seen as to whether he knows that regardless of what actually appeared in the broadcast (if any of it made the cut), his whole affair is on Youtube uncut.
    • This was parodied ruthlessly on the South Park episode "La Petite Tourette," where Hansen is an Faux Affably Evil sadist who wants disgraced pedophiles to kill themselves.
  • Irony: Chris has gotta be feeling pretty foolish after this
    • This is even better.
      • Considering the source of that story, its authenticity is questionable. What's more, considering we haven't heard any more developments after Chris's denial, it's shaping up to be false.
  • Karma Houdini: Most of the predators on the show before Dateline began working with law enforcement - even though some of them ended up getting arrested later anyway, some even returning a repeat time.
  • Oh Crap: Pretty much every guy when Chris Hansen steps in.
  • Older Than They Look: The decoys.
  • Product Placement: Somewhat unintentional since these are not dramatizations. It's somewhat disturbing how many predators enter the house with a case of Mike's Hard Lemonade. Is this the official drink of pedophiles?
  1. ↑ (the last sting only caught 7 men, where earlier ones had ensnared dozens)
  2. ↑ (earlier stings caught doctors, teachers, programmers, a rabbi, etc., but later ones nabbed unemployed or menial laborers)
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