In a new trailer, below, “Primetime” puts a suspenseful spin on the heyday of NBC's cultural phenomenon “To Catch a Predator.”
The trailer for A24's upcoming thriller just dropped, offering audiences a chance to catch a glimpse of Robert Pattinson as he ominously dons the sports jacket of “Dateline NBC” correspondent and “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen. Pattinson's voice is almost unrecognizable as he delivers some of Hansen's trademark quips, including “What would have happened if I wasn't here?” and “You see what this looks like, right?”
The show, which aired from 2004 to 2007 on NBC, was emblematic of the true-crime-obsessed, tabloid-fueled zeitgeist. During a typical episode, Hansen, the show's producers, and the watchdog group Perverted-Justice would orchestrate a sting operation in which decoys would pose as minors to lure predatory men to a home with the intention of engaging in sexual acts.
Hansen would then make a dramatic entrance and question the men, who often stammered and stammered during the encounter before leaving. Outside, police would be waiting to make an arrest, often attacking the men as cameras followed them.
The show was eventually canceled after the highly publicized suicide of Louis William Conradt Jr., a Texas prosecutor who was caught talking and exchanging photographs with a decoy posing as a 13-year-old boy. When Conradt failed to show up at the undercover house, NBC and police went to his home in an attempt to serve a search warrant. Conradt committed suicide as the camera crew was heading to the house.
The incident was featured in a segment of “To Catch a Predator” that aired on “Dateline” in February 2007.
Last year, the documentary “Predators” examined the tactics of the investigative series, exploring what “To Catch a Predator” intended to do, what it actually did and why people, including the documentary's director, David Osit, were so obsessed.
“Primetime,” also starring Phoebe Bridgers in her film debut, will hit theaters this fall. Watch the trailer below.
