Robert Pattinson’s “Primetime” draws on Chris Hansen’s “To Catch a Predator” era and a 2006 Texas sting in which Bill Conradt died by suicide as officers tried to serve a warrant. Hansen says he was not consulted and accuses A24 of exploiting his name.
Conradt, a 56-year-old assistant district attorney, had exchanged sexually explicit messages with an adult volunteer posing as a 13-year-old boy but did not attend their agreed meeting; the operation then moved to his home. The film is partly based on a 2007 Esquire article about the case, though Hansen says its timeline, scenario and conversations were made up.
Conradt’s sister sued NBC for $105 million, arguing the network crossed the line from journalism into television spectacle. A federal judge in 2008 allowed key claims to proceed, saying a jury could find NBC had become central to the operation rather than merely reporting on police work; NBC disputed the claims, and the case settled out of court that year.
