America's Most Wanted

This article is about the Fox TV show. For other uses, see America's Most Wanted (disambiguation).
For the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation list, see FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.

America's Most Wanted
GenreReality legal programming
Created by
Starring
Voices of
Opening theme
Ending theme
  • Michael H. Shamberg (1988–1996)
  • TBD (2021)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons28
No. of episodes
  • 1,101
  • Captures
  • 1,192
Production
Executive producers
  • John Walsh (1988–2012, 2024)
  • Michael Linder (1988–1990)
  • Lance Heflin (1990–2012)
  • John Ferracane (2021–)
  • James Bruce (2021)
  • Jim Clemente (2021)
  • Tim Clemente (2021)
  • Glenn Geller (2021)
Running time
  • 30 minutes (1988–1990, 1995–1996)
  • 60 minutes (1990–1995, 1996–2012, 2021–)
Production companies
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseFebruary 7, 1988 (1988-02-07) –
June 18, 2011 (2011-06-18)
NetworkLifetime
ReleaseDecember 2, 2011 (2011-12-02) –
October 12, 2012 (2012-10-12)
NetworkFox
ReleaseMarch 15, 2021 (2021-03-15) –
present
Related
The Hunt with John Walsh
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

America's Most Wanted (often abbreviated as AMW) is an American television program[1][2] whose first run was produced by 20th Television, and second run is under the Fox Alternative Entertainment division of Fox Corporation. At the time of its cancellation by the Fox television network in June 2011, it was the longest-running program in the network's history (24 seasons), a mark since surpassed by The Simpsons, although the program was revived ten years later. The show started off as a half-hour program on February 7, 1988. In 1990, the show's format was changed from 30 minutes to 60 minutes. The show's format was reverted to 30 minutes in 1995, and then back to 60 minutes in 1996. A short-lived syndicated spinoff titled America's Most Wanted: Final Justice aired during the 1995–96 season.

The September following the initial 2011 cancellation, the show's host, John Walsh, announced that it would resume later that year on the cable network Lifetime,[3] where it ran until its March 28, 2013, cancellation.[4] This was reportedly due to low ratings and the level of royalty payments to Fox which holds the trademark and copyright. It was succeeded by John Walsh Investigates, a one-off special on Lifetime.

The show featured reenactments of dangerous fugitives that are portrayed by actors, interspersed with on-camera interviews, with Walsh in a voiceover narration. Each episode also featured photographs of dangerous fugitives, as well as a toll-free hotline number where viewers could give information at 1-800-CRIME-TV (1-800-274-6388), and they were allowed to remain anonymous. On May 2, 2008, the program's website announced its 1,000th capture. Many of the series' cases have some connection outside the United States or have not taken place in the United States at all. The series' first international capture was in Nova Scotia in 1989. With Walsh at the helm, America's Most Wanted began to broaden its scope. In addition to the regular segments narrated by Walsh, the show expanded its segments and correspondents.

The first two-hour quarterly special aired on Saturday, October 29, 2011, on Fox.[5] The second two-hour special aired on Saturday, December 17, 2011, the third two-hour special aired on Saturday, February 11, 2012, and the fourth and final two-hour special aired on Saturday, April 21, 2012.

On July 13, 2014, a successor premiered on CNN called The Hunt with John Walsh, which added more international stories to its predecessor.[6] The series ran until the end of its fourth season on November 19, 2017. From 2019 to 2022, Walsh hosted the Investigation Discovery series In Pursuit with John Walsh.[7]

In January 2020, Fox announced plans to revive America's Most Wanted.[8] The revival premiered on March 15, 2021, and was hosted by Elizabeth Vargas.[9][10] In November 2023, Fox announced a second season. The next month, it was announced that Walsh was returning as host, along with his son Callahan. The second season premiered on January 22, 2024.[11]

  1. ^ Mcgrath, Charles. "America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back". The New York Times. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  2. ^ Semple, Kirk (January 10, 2011). "Human-Trafficking Suspect Is Arrested While Gambling". The New York Times.
  3. ^ 'America's Most Wanted' To Live Again... On Lifetime, TVNewser, September 7, 2011
  4. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 28, 2013). "'America's Most Wanted' Cancelled By Lifetime". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
  5. ^ FOX Announces 2011 Fall TV Premiere Dates TV By the Numbers
  6. ^ "The Hunt With John Walsh Premieres Sunday, July 13". cnn.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2014.
  7. ^ "'In Pursuit with John Walsh': Why It's the Most Important Show on TV". March 17, 2019.
  8. ^ Nellie Andreeva (January 7, 2020). "America's Most Wanted Revival With Global Reach In Works At Fox". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2021 Revival was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Revival Premiere Date was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Peter White (November 21, 2023). "'America's Most Wanted' Revival Returns To Fox For Season 2; John Walsh & Son Callahan To Host – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 14, 2023.