‘Predators’ Review: David Osit’s Quietly Trenchant Documentary Asks What Truth Came Out of a True-Crime Phenomenon
The concept behind “To Catch a Predator” was surprisingly effective, given its basic and perhaps naive nature. Working alongside a civilian organization called Perverted Justice, the show’s producers would locate men who were attempting to meet minors for sexual purposes through online chat rooms. They would use fictional characters to entice these individuals, leading them to a house equipped with hidden cameras where they would eventually be confronted by Chris Hansen and subsequently local law enforcement. This formula, though inexpensive, has led to numerous imitations on television and the internet, fueling an ongoing public interest in criminal behavior that deviates from norms, an interest that seems undiminished despite the abundance of true-crime content across all media platforms.