Common Sense Media Review
By Beth Pratt
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Offers a valuable service, but it's awfully scary.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
What's the Story?
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.
Is It Any Good?
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.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether the value of catching criminals outweighs the fear the show inherently creates. How does the program use the anxiety it evokes to its advantage? Would people be as likely to call in tips if the show's tone wasn't so alarmist? Are the re-creations of the crimes necessary, or do they serve merely to titillate the audience?
TV Details
- Premiere date : February 7, 1988
- Cast : Don LaFontaine , John Walsh , Wes Johnson
- Networks : Fox , Lifetime Television
- Genre : Reality TV
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 19, 2019
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