It Takes a Thief (2005 TV series)

It Takes a Thief
Genre	Reality Crime Mystery
Written by	Matt Johnston
Presented by	Matt Johnston Jon Douglas Rainey
Starring	Matt Johnston Jon Douglas Rainey
Narrated by	Matt Johnston
Theme music composer	Tammany Hall NYC
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	80
Production
Executive producers	Allison Corn Nick Catliff
Production locations	Connecticut New Jersey New York
Camera setup	Multiple
Running time	46 minutes
Production company	Lion Television
Original release
Network	Discovery Channel
Release	February 2, 2005 (2005-02-02) – April 13, 2007 (2007-04-13)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

It Takes a Thief is an American reality television series that originally aired on the Discovery Channel from February 2, 2005, to April 13, 2007.^[1] The program stars and is hosted by Matt Johnston and Jon Douglas Rainey, two former thieves who use their unique expertise to teach people in an unusual way to protect their properties.

With the owners' permission, the hosts stage a full-fledged burglary as their victims watch on closed-circuit television (CCTV), either live during the break-in (for season 1) or in real time with pre-recorded video playback (for season 2). Rainey assumes the burglar role and plans and executes the break-ins while Johnston acts as mentor to the security-challenged owners. Immediately following the burglary, Johnston and Rainey meet with the residents to return their stolen goods and explain to them what they have been doing wrong. Johnston then organizes a complete security makeover and provides additional safety tips. Weeks later, Johnston and Rainey return and attempt another break-in to test whether the homeowners are using their new security system properly. Although most thefts on the show occur in suburban homes, some places such as businesses, college houses, and even a police station have also been burglarized.