Primetime is here, and The Film Board is spoiling all of it. Pete Wright, Tommy Metz III, Steve Sarmento, and Ocean Murff have a seat in Lance Oppenheim’s sting house to ask who the predator really is: Robert Pattinson’s ego-cracking Chris Hansen, Merritt Wever’s unapologetic producer, the Perverted-Justice volunteer at the keyboard, or everyone watching. The panel splits hard on whether Decoy Dan’s SAG card is a happy ending, whether Alex Winter’s DA earns any sympathy, and whether a movie built to look like TV belongs on a theater screen at all.
Content note: this episode discusses suicide and crimes against children.
Where the story comes from. Luke Dittrich’s 2007 Esquire piece “Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die”, the account of the Texas sting that Ajon Singh adapted for the screenplay.
The documentary we kept bringing up. Predators (2025), David Osit’s documentary about To Catch a Predator. It’s where Tommy and Steve met the real Decoy Dan, Dan Schrack, and it’s now on Ocean’s watchlist.
The ad before the movie. The real Chris Hansen bought pre-show ads in front of every screening to plug his streaming service, TruBlu. Pete was late and missed it, so he watched it on YouTube instead.
Referenced on the show. Booksmart and Vacation (2015), Tommy’s proof of Skyler Gisondo’s comedy range. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, a reminder of what else Alex Winter has done. Lost, the polar bears beating Hansen in the ratings. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the time slot Hansen inherits. Severance, which, with this film, has Merritt Wever ready for a comedy.
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