Chris Hansen’s New Television Series Successfully Secures Funding Goal During the Final Days on Kickstarter

Chris Hansen’s Kickstarter project Hansen vs. Predator raced through its initial funding goal with 7 days left on the campaign clock.

Nearly 1,000 backers have pledged over $77,000 in show of support for the new investigation to bring sexual predators to justice.  Clearing this goal means that a new investigation and digital series will be shot and distributed in the coming year.

As previously reported, the new funding initiative was to help bring Hansen’s famous television show To Catch a Predator back to the small screen under the new name, Hansen vs. Predator. Per its synopsis, To Catch a Predator followed a perverted-justice team that works with Dateline to catch predators over the internet seeking young children. The show ran for over three years and, according to The Verge, drew plenty of controversy during its run, with claims of entrapment, conflicts of interest, and public shaming.

During a recent interview with LA Times, Hansen stated:

“There is a pent-up demand from viewers for another investigation. And from a technology standpoint, the landscape has really changed since we did the last one.”

The series will be presented on a digital Web channel before it’s sold to a TV network. Although he has pitched the new show to various outlets and syndicators, Hansen shared that “the best way to do this is shoot the next investigation and show that we have it.” This will also give him both creative control and ownership of the program.

Sharing his appreciation for the Kickstarter backers, Hansen noted:

“I cannot express enough gratitude to everyone who has committed to make Hansen vs. Predator a reality, and I welcome others who want to be a part of this critical venture.  It’s all about creating awareness and a dialogue through enterprise investigations.”

With the remaining days on the Kickstarter calendar, Hansen and his team plan to continue outreach and meet stretch goals that include new rewards for backers and would ultimately lead to a second investigation.