Former ‘To Catch A Predator’ Host Looking For a Second Chance

By Brian Flood 

Former “To Catch A Predator” host Chris Hansen is featured in Time, where his return to television, why he left in the first place, and everything in between is detailed.

The former NBC newser’s career derailed back in 2013 when his personal life became tabloid fodder. Before the alleged cheating scandal, Hansen’s “Predator” was canceled after a Texas man committed suicide when confronted by NBC cameras. A $105 million lawsuit was settled out of court, but many consider it the first event that eventually led to Hansen’s downfall.

Hansen is set to make his return to TV, according to the following excerpt from Time:

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Then a breakthrough came last summer. Hansen met with executives at the true-crime cable channel Investigation Discovery, and by the fall an original show, “Killer Instinct with Chris Hansen,” had been greenlit. The show will begin its 10-episode run later this year (five episodes have already been shot). Staying relevant during the move from network to cable is no small order—ask Dan Rather or Conan O’Brien about it—but for Hansen it will be a shot at redemption.

Hansen’s new show will look at true-crime stories that are not widely investigated or reported. This is familiar territory for Hansen:

The [Hansen] family picked up and settled in the exclusive Bloomfield Township near Detroit. It was there, in the summer of 1975, that the infamous labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa went missing. It was widely believed that Hoffa had been the victim of a mob hit, and his disappearance became a sensational news story. Network reporters arrived from New York City, and Hansen would ride his bike to the crime scene a mile-and-a-half from home to watch the FBI comb for clues. It was then journalism struck him.

The eight-time Emmy Award winning journalist is looking for a second chance. Something another NBC Newser will be doing in, about… five and a half months.

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