EXCLUSIVE: An exclusive Fox show, America’s Most Wanted, is back on the network with a new season, scheduled for release in March.
Emmy-winning journalist Elizabeth Vargas will succeed John Walsh as the magazine’s presenter America’s Most Wanted, which is being produced in-house by Fox Alternative Entertainment.
While AMWThe goal remains the same – getting public help to track down some of the country’s most dangerous fugitives – the program will now employ a number of technologically advanced tools to aid in the search, including the power of social media.
“It’s about bringing people together, unifying the country in the pursuit of these criminals,” said Rob Wade, president, Alternative Entertainment & Specials, Fox Entertainment. “The show has the ability to create a great impact on society and resonate with the public. I think it represents the heart of America in many ways ”.
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The new AMW it is done with the blessing of Walsh, who may appear on the program if his current commitments permit.
“Capturing dangerous fugitives, doing justice to victims and finding missing children is my life’s work,” said Walsh. “I’m so excited to hear America’s most wanted is coming back and I support your return. God bless.”
Each week, Vargas will review cases from the program’s new headquarters, consulting with a team of experts representing law enforcement units like the FBI, the US Marshall’s Office and the Secret Service.
The revival is based on its original format using crime reenactments that will use new state-of-the-art crime-fighting technologies, such as augmented reality and life-size 3-D avatars that will illustrate what suspects might look like now. map tracking that will lead the public to traces of suspects and social media that will give viewers an instant connection to the AMW team.
In addition to the FBI, the program also has access to the Interpol archives and could use international police forces to assist in the search, which is important in today’s global society, where more and more fugitives are traveling abroad.
The revival will feature some high-profile cases in which the alleged perpetrators were never captured, including archived cases from the original AMW. Profiled fugitives will be linked to a wide variety of crimes, including murder, fraud, kidnapping, sex crimes and theft.
In addition to great cases, AMW it will also feature minor crimes of the week to help law enforcement in current cases, such as an assault on a gas station captured by a CCTV camera.
Fox plans to keep AMW very current, with each episode being filmed 2-3 days before the broadcast and after the execution of the previous episode to include an update on the cases presented in the previous week. The network will be receiving news about the profiled cases before their broadcast, including them in episode promotions so viewers can start sending tips in advance that could result in an update to the premiere broadcast.
“This is what is at the heart of the show, crowdsourcing using social media and approved communication systems to track down some of the most brutal criminals,” said Wade.
Fox was excited about the prospects for the new AMW from the beginning. The original proof of concept addressed two cases, investigated, reenacted with a trip to the crime scene. The producers talked to local police departments and Interpol. Through this process, the show rekindled interest in one of the cases, the police accompanied and arrested the fugitive.
After America’s most wanted linear streaming on Fox, will be available on Fox Entertainment’s streaming platform, Tubi, as well as On Demand, FOX Now and Hulu. On-demand episodes are available to customers of AT&T TV, Cox, DirecTV, Dish, Hulu Live, Optimum, Spectrum, Verizon FiOS, Xfinity, YouTube TV and many more.
AMW is produced by Fox Alternative Entertainment. John Ferracane will act as a showrunner and executive producer. Jim Clemente, Tim Clemente and James Bruce of XG Productions and the former president of CBS Entertainment who became producer Glenn Geller also serve as executive producers.
America’s most wanted was the oldest program in Fox’s history when it was canceled by the network in 2011, after 25 seasons, a mark that has already been surpassed by The Simpsons. After the cancellation by Fox, the program was chosen that same year by the Lifetime cable network, where it aired until March 2013.
Presented by Walsh, the original series featured reenactments of dangerous fugitives portrayed by actors, interspersed with interviews for the cameras, with an off-the-record narration by Walsh. Each episode also featured photos of dangerous fugitives, as well as a toll-free hotline number where viewers could give information. To date, the program has helped catch more than 1,186 criminals, including 17 on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list. It also brought together 43 missing children with their families.
Fox Entertainment acquired the rights to AMW corporate sister Fox Television Stations, who produced the original series, and opted to produce the series in-house through their alternate studio.
“It made a lot of sense to have creative control of the program and the ability to put it on any platform,” said Wade.
Vargas presented ABC News magazine 20/20 for 15 years. Before that, she was the anchor of ABC World News Tonight and the ABC news anchor Good morning America. She won an Emmy for her live coverage of the Elian Gonzales attack, a Peabody Award as part of the ABC team covering the Millennium and an Edward R. Murrow Award for breaking news coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Prior to ABC, Vargas worked at NBC News as a correspondent for Dateline and as an anchor for NBC’s Weekend news. More recently, she hosted A&E investigates. She is best-selling author and podcast host Crux of the matter.