Line #8 YMMV/Dateline


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2	* BrokenBase: Although these tropes likely existed as early as the whole "exploding GM cars" thing, they didn't really kick off until the whole "To Catch a Predator" bit got started. Proponents of the segment either feel that the predators deserved the humiliation, that the segment was necessary to scare pedophiles from soliciting sex from children, or both. Those who disapprove believe that the predators' crimes didn't justify Dateline humiliating them, that the segment enabled the pedophiles to get away with it (several cases were thrown out due to the show giving defendants an entrapment defense and insufficient evidence because Dateline did the investigating, not the police[[note]]It didn't help that the group assisting Dateline with the stings refused to give police unedited chat logs with the suspects[[/note]]), or both.
3	* CatharsisFactor: The stings in their entirety, from the point Chris Hansen reveals himself, can be considered this to those who want to see the predators pay for their actions.
4	* CultClassic: After the mainstream popularity of ''To Catch a Predator'' died down, it became this. Thanks to the big personalities of many of the predators as well as the existence of their chat logs for anyone to read, the show is often viewed as a precursor to the more psychology-focused TrueCrime media that became popular in the 2010's, and the show maintains a following dedicated to picking apart the actions of people featured on it.
5	* EnsembleDarkhorse: The segment and Chris Hansen are this to Dateline as a whole.
6	* FridgeHorror: [[http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2008/may/31/features16.theguide6 Beautifully explained]] by Creator/CharlieBrooker:
7	-->And that "attractive young actress" who greets them by the door: make no mistake, she's hot. And at 18, she's US legal. Presumably, someone at ''Series/ToCatchAPredator'' HQ sat down with a bunch of audition tapes and spooled through it, trying to find a sexy 18-year-old who could pass for 13. They'll have stared at girl after girl, umming and ahhing over their chest sizes, until they found just the right one. And like I say, she's hot. But if you fancy her, you're a paedophile.
8	* HamAndCheese: Despite the grisly content, the voiceover actors are clearly having a lot of fun reading out the predator chatlogs.
9	* JustHereForGodzilla: Alright, this show has been running in some form for at least 20 years. ''TCAP'' lasted as a few standalone segments for four years. Hansen's career has covered a wide range of topics and crime reports, but he's mostly only known for the ''TCAP'' stings.
10	* LoveToHate: The sex offenders are horrible pervs but they are so pathetic and weedy that much of the entertainment comes from watching Chris Hansen tear them to shreds.
11	* MemeticBadass: No sex offender is safe from Chris Hansen. ''Ever.''
12	* MemeticMutation:
13	** "Why don't you have a seat right over there?"
14	** [[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1045264-chris-hansen Jokes pop up a lot]] about Chris Hansen facing off against a [[Film/{{Predator}} different type of Predator.]]
15	** Brian Gosselin's incredibly creepy delivery of ''"Yeah..."''
16	** One notable pedo, Jeff Stacey, along with his very funny voice: "It's a question!"
17	** Anything to do with the mythical "John Pedersen". Along with the numerous other elements of the related particular predator's bizarre but amusing non-sequitur dialogue ("...My problem was I was walking.")
18	** Almost everything predator Anthony Palumbo said has become a meme. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ou9vsmRflk See him here]]
19	** The [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/pmrp/images/4/49/Chris_Hansen.png/revision/latest?cb=20170121221005 iconic PNG]] of Chris staring right into your soul.
20	** "That would be the cleanest, best pleasure", [[PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy Cody Green]]'s... [[{{Squick}} brutally honest]] reasoning for why he is seeking an intimate relationship with a 13 year old girl, is easily one of the show's most famous moments. Describing something as "the cleanest, best pleasure" is something of a running joke among the show's fans as a result.
21	** Predator Lorne Armstrong's [[HollywoodNewEngland "CAWD!"]] exclamation is arguably one of the most quoted lines within the fandom, even spinning off into other such phrases as "The Church of Cawd".
22	** Predator Lee Greer, particularly when he gets slammed to the ground during his arrest and all he can do is whine "Aw, Lord!" in a voice that sounds almost exactly like Goofy from Disney.
23	* MemeticTroll: "Kevin", the (almost certainly fictional) person who Ernest Timmons claimed sent him to the sting house as some kind of prank, is jokingly treated by fans as a real person who trolls innocent people into getting themselves arrested for kicks.
24	** Many in the TCAP community like to think "Kevin from the 'Base" is Kevin "Molesterbeck" Westerbeck, another predator from the show.
25	* MorePopularSpinoff: ''To Catch a Predator'', to the point where half the things on this page and on the main page are about it (you could count the tropes listed for the things that weren't ''To Catch a Predator'' on one hand).
26	* {{Narm}}: While it's true that pedophilia is never funny, the way that John Dupee goes from scary to pathetic can qualify as this. At first, he appears to be one of the most menacing predators on the show, with his tall, spindly appearance and meth-rotted teeth among other things. While the decoy is required to act nervous, she is genuinely creeped out by him. And eventually, he tries to hug her in a way that just screams rape, understandably scaring her away. And then he tries to follow her, only to run into Chris. At that point, John loses all his smugness. As the questioning goes on, he blurts out one flimsy excuse after another. And by the time he's in police custody, he's reduced to a blubbering mess. To date, John has been the only predator shown ''crying'' in his mugshot.
27	* OneSceneWonder:
28	** During the Fort Myers, Florida sting, one of the police officers is inexplicably wearing a ghillie suit, which is only used for Marvin's arrest. A lot of viewers found this unintentionally silly given that Marvin was already surrendering when the ghillie suit officer ran out to make the arrest, leading him to becoming popular among fans.
29	** As the vast majority of the predators only get one scene, the more infamous ones tend to be this.
30	*** Michael "genericwhitemale" Wilusz only got about two minutes of screentime, as he decided to leave before the "I'm Chris Hansen..." spiel, but about half of the things he said became memes.
31	--->''[[BlatantLies I'm cute though... built good]]''\
32	''younger girls like you don't come along often... I'd want you again and again''\
33	[in an obviously pantomimed tone of voice] "What? No way!"\
34	"You know what, I don't want this cookie, I just wanna get to the beach."
35	*** David Demers is in a similar boat, with his chatlog (which takes up about half of his segment) being a FountainOfMemes.
36	--->''just usin my noodle...I'll use this noodle so that you can use my other noodle''
37	* OvershadowedByControversy: While ''To Catch A Predator'' certainly still has a cult following, its mainstream popularity in the mid-2000s was gradually eclipsed by growing concerns about the ethics of how Hansen and co. were going about actually investigating these people (with there in particular being concerns that the crew was basically [[VigilanteInjustice acting like they were the law]], were [[OnlyInItForTheMoney largely motivated by profits and ratings over actually saving kids from danger]], and might even have unwittingly helped child predators evade justice due to Dateline's freelance investigations essentially giving the predators' defense attorneys more to work with). This culminated when a failed sting by Hansen resulted in the suicide of Dallas assistant district attorney Bill Conradt, and his sister subsequently suing NBC for $105 million over his death. While the lawsuit was settled out of court, the damage to the segment was done.
38	* ParanoiaFuel:
39	** "To Catch A Predator" definitely makes people think twice about soliciting sex online.
40	** NewMediaAreEvil -- letting their kids use online chatrooms.
41	* SpiritualAdaptation: ''Creep Catchers'' in Canada which spawned its own spiritual adaptation, ''Predator Poachers'' in the U.S. These groups tend to be more confrontational (thus overall, less professional in their handling of the situation) than Chris Hansen, often to the point of crossing legal lines. Apparently, some of them actually do have criminal records themselves, having been arrested for direct assault on some of the creeps that they encounter.
42	* SpoiledByTheFormat: If you see a prime suspect to a murder being interviewed by one of the ''Dateline'' correspondents (especially if they're dressed in casual clothes, and speaking from the comfort of their own home), then you don't get any points for predicting that they won't be convicted.
43	* UnintentionallySympathetic: This is constantly discussed in ''TCAP'', as you will see the predators in a sympathetic light. They may be very genuine. However, Chris Hansen, or the narrator, will remind themselves AND the audience that these are the same men who were soliciting sex from a minor who clearly had perverted intentions in mind (and that is at best; some had ''much worse'' intentions).
44	-->'''Creator/CharlieBrooker''': "When a TV show makes you feel sorry for potential child rapists, you know it's doing something wrong."

Context YMMV / Dateline