Network: FOX, Lifetime
Episodes: 1,095 (hour)
Seasons: 26

TV show dates: February 7, 1988 — April 12, 2021
Series status: Cancelled, Revived, Cancelled again

Performers include: John Walsh (host 1988-2012), Elizabeth Vargas (2021)

TV show description:      
This series profiles actual fugitives hoping to have the public aid in finding them and leading to their capture; “watch television, catch criminals.”

John Walsh initially hosted the show. Following the abduction and murder of his young son, Adam, Walsh created the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

In most episodes, Walsh to introduces a case and it is then serialized in dramatized segments. When fugitives are caught with the public’s help, Walsh highlights it on a subsequent program, along with a running total count of how many fugitives have been caught.

Along with fugitives, the show also profiles missing persons, especially children. After 9/11, it also expanded to profile War on Terrorism criminals, including the twenty-two most wanted al-Qaeda operatives, at the request of President George W. Bush. Walsh ends each episode with the catchphrase, “…and remember, you can make a difference.”

What do you think? Do you like the America’s Most Wanted TV series? Do you think this series should have been cancelled or renewed for a 27th season?

Image courtesy FOX.