Fox is reviving America's Most Wanted because actually, crime does pay
Screenshot: Fox (YouTube)
We're all friends here, so let's be honest for a second: Most TV revivals kinda suck. But Fox is finally giving us a revival we can all get behind: America's Most Wanted. The news was confirmed to Deadline at TCA by Fox Alternative president Rob Wade, who revealed that the network is currently looking for someone to host the new iteration of the classic series. America's Most Wanted was created and hosted by John Walsh, who developed the series following the kidnapping and murder of his young son, Adam Walsh, in 1981. The series, which ran on Fox from 1988 until its cancellation in 2001, mixed reenactments with narration from John Walsh to reexamine crime cases in which the perpetrator evaded capture and remained at large. At the end of each episode, Walsh encouraged viewers to call a designated hotline if and when they came across the fugitive in question. As of 2008, the official website for America's Most Wanted revealed that the series had helped capture 1,000 suspects.
In the years since America's Most Wanted ended its run, true crime has grown increasingly popular, while the internet has made it easier for civilians to contribute to open cases. Internet sleuths helped capture both the Golden State Killer and Luka Magnotta, the Canadian murderer featured in the recent Netflix documentary series Don't F**k With Cats. It only seems logical—from both a creative and a financial standpoint—for Fox to revive a series that seriously contributed to the current true crime landscape. Wade says the new series will take a more "global" approach since "a lot of the fugitives these days travel."
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