Robert Pattinson's Primetime Gets Brutal Review From To Catch A Predator's Chris Hansen

Published Sep 26, 2026, 8:53 PM EDT

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Chris Hansen's official verdict is out for Primetime.

Primetime was directed by Lance Oppenheim and released in theaters on September 25, 2026. The film is set in 2006, when To Catch a Predator became a major TV phenomenon. Pattinson plays a fictionalized version of Hansen during the period when the Dateline NBC investigations were drawing in a lot of attention.

Hansen has now seen A24’s Primetime, which was inspired by his work on To Catch a Predator. Prior to the movie's release, Hansen had already been very critical based on the project's promotional material alone. Now that the longtime TV journalist has finally watched the film, he has made it clear that he strongly disagrees with its portrayal of both himself and the investigations that defined his impressive career.

The creator shared his reaction after watching the Pattinson-led film. He later discussed the movie on his podcast, Have a Seat with Chris Hansen, where he reviewed the movie. He stated that the project was a heavily dramatized and incredibly inaccurate depiction of his career and personal life.

The original To Catch a Predator segments involved undercover operations in which adults were confronted after they arranged meetups online with people whom they believed to be minors. The program also involved law enforcement agencies and the organization Perverted Justice. The series became an overnight sensation while also generating criticism and viewers questioning the tactics that were used to catch the predators.

Hansen said his experience watching Primetime was almost surreal due to how little he recognized from his own life. According to the journalist, Pattinson's character doesn't even resemble him in the slightest. From his actual personality to his experiences conducting while working on the show, the inaccuracies were impossible to ignore.

Hansen also understandably criticized the studio's decision to make a movie about him without running the specific details by him or the people who had worked closely with him during the original series. He said the creative team appeared more interested in creating darker versions of him and what happened behind the scenes than accurately telling his story.

Primetime is playing in theaters now.