We’ve seen plenty of formidable matchups play out on film over the years: There was Joe Vs. The Volcano, followed by The People Vs. Larry Flynt and Freddy Vs. Jason, among others. But TV once offered one of the most satisfying takedowns—that of NBC’s Chris Hansen against the many creeps online (specifically, the ones soliciting sex with minors). It’s been nearly ten years since To Catch A Predator ended, but Hansen never really gave up his crusade, in part because no one would really let him—the reporter says he’s constantly asked when he’ll get back to his sting operations. So he launched a Kickstarter campaign to get back on the air in April, which Complex now reports was successful.
Hansen’s campaign initially sought $400,000 (according to the Los Angeles Times), but it now appears he was able to make do with just under $90,000. The new show, Hansen Vs. Predator—which, sadly, is not affiliated with the Archie or Alien crossovers—set up production in a Fairfield, Connecticut home and worked with local law enforcement on the investigations. Once again, Hansen’s team of adults and underage decoys interacted with potential sexual offenders online, which led to Hansen confronting the men once they entered the house for their reprehensible rendezvous. But this time, the crew had to enter the darkest corners of all the new social media platforms that have sprung up since 2008; also, Hansen ran into a fellow commuter who recognized him from the Metro North train.
Hansen wasn’t able to develop the show with any network, so he decided to finish production before attempting to market the thing. It will air on some web channel before being shopped around for the bigger screen.