Back in the early 2000s, To Catch a Predator was everywhere. As a show about a crack team of journalists hunting down and arresting online sexual predators, host Chris Hansen was seen as something of a hero...at least, for a while.
As the investigations continued, allegations of entrapment and influencing the justice system for ratings gains crippled the show - after just 12 investigations, To Catch a Predator was cancelled.
That was back in 2007, meaning it's been eight long years since Chris Hansen has fought against Internet perversion. The host has stayed relatively quiet since To Catch a Predator was cancelled, though he continued to reassure fans that - when the time was right - the show would make a return.
Apparently, 2015 is the right time, as rumors have surfaced that the spiritual successor of To Catch a Predator will launch a crowdfunding campaign later this week.
According to the LA Times, To Catch a Predator will be reborn as Hansen vs. Predator. By using Kickstarter, Hansen hopes to raise the $400,000 required to get the show back up and running - instead of receiving the funds from an established network, the investigations will be funded by Kickstarter funds. It gives Hansen complete creative control over the project, and while Hansen vs. Predator will debut online, Hansen plans to sell it to networks after it debuts. Of course, the campaign comes with the usual rewards of free T-shirts, mugs and personalized voice messages.
While many questioned the show's legitimacy during its initial run (To Catch a Predator itself was the subject of numerous investigations), Hansen believes that there's still a desire for the program:
"There is a pent-up demand from viewers for another investigation...And from a technology standpoint, the landscape has really changed since we did the last one."
Let's be honest: if Hansen vs. Predator sees half of the success that projects like Veronica Mars did, the show is going to happen. Regardless of any personal feelings on Hansen's investigative process, the same fear that kickstarted the original show still exists today - hopefully, if the show does get made, it won't succumb to the same pitfalls as its predecessor.
The Kickstarter for Hansen vs. Predator is set to go live on Wednesday, April 15.
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