# Primetime exposes the ego behind predator hunting

> A24's new film reveals how vigilante sting operations, inspired by To Catch a Predator, are driven by fame and money rather than justice.
- Title: Primetime exposes the ego behind predator hunting · WIRED
- Summary: A24's new film reveals how vigilante sting operations, inspired by To Catch a Predator, are driven by fame and money rather than justice. Lance Oppenheim's…
- Keywords: chris hansen, to catch a predator, primetime, lance oppenheim, vigilante predator hunting, a24, robert pattinson, dateline, perverted justice, law enforcement, exposes, ego
- Source: WIRED — https://wired.com/story/primetime-exposes-the-ego-driven-core-of-vigilante-pedophile-hunting
- Author: Manisha Krishnan
- Published: 2026-09-25T10:45:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: chris hansen, to catch a predator, primetime, lance oppenheim, vigilante predator hunting, a24, robert pattinson, dateline, perverted justice, law enforcement
## To Catch a Predator launched in 2004
Chris Hansen's NBC Dateline show paired with civilian watchdog group Perverted Justice. Adult decoys posed as minors online, and when conversations became sexual, Hansen confronted the men with his catchphrase, "Have a seat."

> Have a seat.
## The show developed intense fandom
NBC stopped airing the original series in 2007, but the show developed an intense fandom that remains active to this day in subreddits like r slash tcap, which has fifty-two thousand weekly visitors.
## Primetime reveals Hansen's ego
In A24's Primetime, a character study in theaters September twenty-five, Hansen, played by Robert Pattinson, clearly enjoys praise and seems desperate for more accolades. He complains the show has "never won an Emmy or any of the significance it deserves."

> never won an Emmy or any of the significance it deserves
## Hansen's work inspired copycats
Hansen cofounded streaming service Trublu in November two thousand twenty-two. His work inspired copycats who thrive on social media and streaming platforms like YouTube, Kick, and Facebook. A two thousand twenty-two Washington Post investigation identified at least one hundred sixty in the US.
## Vigilante hunters make serious mistakes
YouTuber and Kick streamer Vitaly Zdorovetskiy apologized after publicly and wrongly accosting a man of Indian descent. In March two thousand twenty-five, The New York Times reported that Zdorovetskiy's tactics included beating some suspects up, and there have been more than one hundred seventy violent vigilante attacks since two thousand twenty-three.
## Law enforcement opposes vigilante operations
Law enforcement groups have repeatedly denounced vigilantes, noting that their evidence often cannot be used within the criminal justice system and that confronting alleged pedophiles can allow the targeted person to escape before police can step in. Some hunters have been charged with child-porn offenses themselves.
## A sting ends in tragedy
In Primetime, a sting targets Louis William Bill Conradt Junior, a chief felony assistant district attorney in Rockwall County, Texas. When Conradt does not agree to come to a decoy house, both the TV crew and police show up at his home, where he shoots and kills himself.
## The film leaves questions unanswered
There are no heroes in Primetime, and the movie does not wrap up any threads neatly. Hansen's character repeats the phrase "What would have happened if I wasn't here?" to suspected predators throughout the film, leaving the audience to grapple with that question. The answers are far from black and white.

> What would have happened if I wasn't here?
## Key takeaway

Lance Oppenheim's Primetime shows how vigilante predator hunting, inspired by Chris Hansen's To Catch a Predator, prioritizes entertainment and personal gain over justice, with serious ethical and legal consequences.