Why Was To Catch A Predator Canceled? The Full Story, Explained

To Catch a Predator only lasted for two seasons and 20 episodes and yet remains a piece of American pop culture, which may make some people wonder why the show was canceled at all. To Catch a Predator premiered on NBC as a part of the Dateline NBC programming lineup in November 2004. Hosted by Chris Hansen, To Catch a Predator was a reality series that followed sting operations conducted across the United States in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement, the watchdog group Perverted-Justice, and the Dateline news crew.

The stings specifically involved cases of adult men attempting to solicit sex from minors, through online chat rooms. The minors were actually adults posing as children, usually as 12 or 13-year-olds, who would set up a meeting with the men they 'met' online. Once the individuals arrived at the sting house, Chris Hansen stepped out to interrogate the men as to why they were there, with the men typically being arrested on the scene. Naturally, To Catch a Predator courted a significant amount of controversy, with critics deriding it as entrapment, exploitative, and even unethical. The claims would gain a strong footing when the show ended.

To Catch A Predator Was Canceled After A Death Linked To The Show

Bill Conradt Took His Own Life After A Sting Operation

The last sting operation for To Catch a Predator took place in November 2006 in Murphy, Texas. Mr. Louis "Bill" Conradt Jr. was an assistant district attorney in Rockwall County, Texas (via NYT). Reportedly, Conradt sent sexually explicit messages to a person he knew to be underage. That "minor" was actually an adult member of Perverted Justice, which was an activist group and paid consultant for NBC's To Catch a Predator series. Unlike the other 25 men who were captured in the sting, Conradt never ended up coming to the bait house.

A $105 million lawsuit filed by Conradt's family alleged that NBC then urged law enforcement to go to Conradt's home and arrest him there. When Conradt did not open the door, police entered on their own, followed closely by NBC cameras. Conradt was seen at the end of a hallway brandishing a firearm but promising he would not hurt anyone. He then used his firearm to take his own life (via CaseText). NBC cameras caught the immediate aftermath and obtained photographs of Conradt's body, the gun, deathscene, and an audiotape of Conradt's last words.

Some believe that Conradt's death and the fallout from it were the main reasons for the show's cancelation.

The $105 million lawsuit ended up being settled out of court before it went to trial with the judge, Denny Chin, saying that a jury,

"...could find that NBC crossed the line from responsible journalism to irresponsible and reckless intrusion into law enforcement."

The series was officially canceled in 2008, with Hansen saying the show had simply run its course, but the timing of the lawsuit and the cancelation is suspicious. Some believe that Conradt's death and the fallout from it were the main reasons for the show's cancelation.

Where To Catch A Predator Host Chris Hansen Is Now

Hansen Is Currently Hosting Takedown With Chris Hansen

Chris Hansen talking to someone in To Catch A Predator: — To Catch A Predator:

After the end of To Catch a Predator, Chris Hansen continued working for NBC and Dateline, hosting similar shows like To Catch a Con Man and To Catch and I.D. Thief. In August 2013, NBC did not renew Hansen's contract, ending his 20-year career with the network (via Yahoo). He continued working on series similar to To Catch a Predator, including Killer Instinct, Crime Watch Daily, Have a Seat with Chris Hansen, and Unseamly: The Investigation of Peter Nygard.

Most recently, Hansen has produced and hosted Takedown with Chris Hansen, which sees him investigating and interviewing online predators. When it came to To Catch a Predator, Hansen said (via Time),