America's Most Wanted (Fox, Lifetime Television)

AMERICA'S MOST WANTED offers viewers the opportunity to catch criminals, locate missing children, and help federal and state police solve and prevent crimes. It's been on the air since 1988 and continues to enjoy great popularity. Created by host John Walsh, whose young son was kidnapped and murdered in 1981, the program seeks to empower everyday people who want to stop crime.

While the show offers a valuable service (to date nearly 1000 criminals have been caught due to viewer tips), it's too frightening for kids (and some adults). The descriptions, re-enactments, and crime-scene photos are graphic, and the close-up photographs of the criminals are potentially nightmare-inducing. The show instills a fear that the criminal in question could be lurking right outside your door.

Need an example? One episode profiled a man who brutally murdered his wife then went on a crime spree in which he sexually molested several young girls. The whole sordid tale was re-enacted to drive home the horror of these crimes. Bottom line: Kids shouldn't be watching this show. Even adults who tune in may be left feeling unsettled -- and checking to make sure the door is locked.