In 1988 , one year beforeCopsbegan ask the regretful boy of America “ What’cha gon na do when they come for you ? , ” noted victims ’ exponent John Walsh was turn every American with access to Fox into a possible crime - solver onAmerica ’s Most want .
The series , which highlighted real - life case of fugitives and suspected criminals who had cope to evade capture ( orrecapture ) , became the first make show for the then - fledgling Fox web and turned into a cultural phenomenon . To celebrate its 30th day of remembrance , here are 20 things you might not have known aboutAmerica ’s Most require .
1. IT WAS INSPIRED BY A LONG-RUNNING BBC TRUE CRIME SERIES.
America ’s Most Wantedpartly owe its cosmos to an assistant to Fox owner Rupert Murdoch , whosuggestedthe theme of a true criminal offense serial publication along the lines of BBC’sCrimewatch , which featured reenactments of brutal crimes and host who beg the public to assist them with catching the criminals . The show began airing once a month on BBC One in 1984 , and was set off in 2017 .
2. JOHN WALSH WASN’T THE FIRST CHOICE TO HOST IT.
Though it ’s hard to imagineAmerica ’s Most Wantedwithout its longtime host John Walsh — a hotel executive director who became a take note victims ' proponent follow the abduction and murder of his vernal boy , Adam , in 1981 — the show ’s producers considered a raft of other names before landing on Walsh .
“ Stephen Chao — Fox ’s vice president of program development — and an L.A. manufacturer named Michael Linder sit down down with [ Fox ’s frailty president of corporate and effectual personal business ] Tom Herwitz to talk over the possibilities , ” Walshwrotein his autobiography , tear of Rage , about the electronic web ’s search for a boniface . “ They take the author Joseph Wambaugh , and a whole tidy sum of actors — Treat Williams , Ed Marinaro , Brian Dennehy , Brian Keith , and Theresa Saldana , who had play herself in a video movie about how she was nearly stabbed to expiry by some psychotic attacker . Then , during one of their marathon conference calls , Herwitz suggested me . ”
It took a while for them to track Walsh down—“I was all over the place in those days , travel something like half a million air stat mi a year , ” he pen — but after a fistful of conversation , he concur to shoot the pilot .
3. IT WAS FOX’S FIRST HIT SERIES.
Fox was still a novel connection — less than two year former — whenAmerica ’s Most Wanteddebuted , and it cursorily became the connection ’s first large hit . Though it originally only aired in a handful of markets , by April the mesh was broadcastingAmerica ’s Most Wantednationwide . In 1989 , it became thefirst Fox seriesto be the most - watched program in its time expansion slot . By 2010 , each episode was being look on by about 5 million households .
4. THE ANNOUNCER’S VOICE WAS A VERY FAMILIAR ONE.
From 1996 until his death in 2008 , legendary representative doer Don LaFontaine swear out as the show ’s storyteller . You likely know LaFontaine as the voice behind more than 5000 moving-picture show trailers , and the someone most often associated with the “ In a world … ” trope . He was often referred to as “ Thunder Throat ” and “ The Voice of God . ” Wes Johnson took over the office following LaFontaine ’s passing .
5. THOUGH INITIALLY SKEPTICAL, LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS QUICKLY EMBRACED THE SHOW.
In a 1988interviewwithThe New York Times , executive manufacturer Michael Linder accept that practice of law enforcement professionals were initially skeptical of the show , though it did n’t take them long to encompass its design — and possibility . “ Now , they bombard us with tips and request for aid , ” Linder say .
The FBI also play a big part in the serial ; the agency put a handful of agents to roleplay as liaisons between William S. Sessions , the bureau ’s then - director , and the show ’s producers . On May 29 , 1998 , Sessions even appeared on an installment of the show to give a rundown of the recent additions to the FBI ’s 10 Most Wanted tilt ( one of whom was captured in short thereafter , thanks to a viewer peak ) .
Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. MorgenthautoldThe New York Timesthat he , too , was a buff of the series , say that , “ If the media , through publicity , can lead to the apprehension of dangerous criminal , I ’m all for it . Besides , it ’s very expensive to track down criminals . A couple of investigator or FBI factor can spend month or old age research for someone . It seems to me that this is a wonderful way to save the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of buck . ”
6. THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION WAS NOT ON BOARD WITH THE CONCEPT.
Though many of the individuals featured on the show were fugitive from justice , the American Civil Liberties Union had concerns that a defendant who seem on the show would not be able-bodied to get a reasonable trial . “ I suppose it ’s like an electronic wanted poster , ” Colleen O’Connor , the ACLU ’s director of public educational activity , toldThe New York Timesin 1988 . “ The poster on the bulwark in the Wiley Post office makes it seem like the fugitive is guilty , too … Can someone get a average tryout after he ’s been portrayed as a killer on television set ? ”
But Linder contested this pointedness , telling theTimesthat polite liberty were always at the forefront of the producers ’ mind . “ If one killer was set free because of pretrial promotion from us , the show would be a loser , ” he said . The show also made a very clear decimal point of using language like “ alleged ” and “ reportedly ” when discussing suspects who had not been convicted — and Walsh ended each episode with a reminder that the suspect featured in the show were innocent until proven shamed .
7. WITHIN FOUR DAYS OF THE SHOW’S PREMIERE, THEY HAD CAUGHT THEIR FIRST SUSPECT.
On February 7 , 1988,America ’s Most Wanteddebuted on just a smattering of Fox stations across the country . On February 11 , four days later , a viewer tip led to the check of David James Roberts , a convicted murderer and raper who had made a brazen leakage from prison in 1986 while being transported to a hospital .
After the episode aired , the show ’s baksheesh linereceiveddozens of calls from people who make out Roberts as Bob Lord , an employee at a stateless protection in Staten Island . Roberts , who was on the FBI ’s 10 Most Wantedlist , was the first fugitive profile on the show , and the first individual catch as a effect of viewer tips .
8. THE SHOW HELPED THE FBI CATCH 17 OF THEIR “MOST WANTED” FUGITIVES.
America ’s Most Wantedproved to be a huge help to the FBI during the twenty-five percent - century it was on the line . agree to the FBI’swebsite , 17 “ ‘ Ten Most precious Fugitives ’ have been situate as a lineal result of tips provided by viewers of this program ” ( begin with Roberts in that very first episode ) .
9. WALSH MAINTAINED HIS OWN “MOST WANTED” LIST.
Like the FBI , Walsh keep his own “ most wanted ” list , which was known as theAmerica ’s Most Wanted“Dirty Dozen . ” It changed on a regular basis , but included fugitive from justice who had been featured on the show and had yet to be captured .
10. THE HOTLINE NUMBER CHANGED SEVERAL TIMES.
In parliamentary law to expedite the offense - lick process , the last two fingerbreadth of the show ’s hotline changed each year for the first few twelvemonth so as to pair the year the sequence aired ( 1 - 800 - CRIME-88 , 1 - 800 - CRIME-89 , etc . ) . On average , the showreceivedapproximately 3000 to 5000 Call per week . In 1994 , the phone number changed one last time — to 1 - 800 - CRIME - TV . The number was close down in June 2014 . ( As for the wheeler dealer you see during each episode : most of them were actors . )
Amazingly , crank calls were n’t a gravid problem for the show , fit in to Linder , though they did receive a lot of give ear - up calls . ( He suspect people just wanted to strain dial the bit to see if someone would suffice . )
11. LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS INVOLVED WITH THE CASES FEATURED WERE ON HAND IN THE CALL CENTER.
So that any promising tip could be quickly vetted and take after up on once an instalment vent , The New York Timesreportedthat , “ In the tv set studio , there are some 30 telephone wheeler dealer to take the calls . Also on hand are police police officer or federal agents directly involve in cases being aired that night . When one of the operators gets a respectable jumper lead , an officer picks up the headphone and ask the caller further questions . ”
12. A GROUP OF PRISONERS ONCE TURNED IN A FELLOW INMATE.
On May 15 , 1988 , Mark Goodman was in the last reach of a brief prison house stint following a burglary judgment of conviction in Palm Beach County , Florida , but was want elsewhere in the country for escaping federal custody surveil an armed robbery conviction . He was keep an eye on the show with a group of his fellow yard bird when his brass flashed across the cover . ThoughThe New York Timesreportedthat he attempt to transfer the channel , it was too late : Goodman ’s fellow inmates informed the prison guards that there was anAmerica ’s Most Wantedfugitive in their midst . While being transferred to a more secure facility , Goodman finagle to get away hands again . Fortunately , he was quail at the next day .
13. FOX CANCELLED THE SERIES IN 1996. VIEWERS—AND THE AUTHORITIES—WEREN’T HAPPY.
In 1996 , the powers - that - be at Fox — which now had a handful of hit serial publication , includingThe Simpsons — decide to cancelAmerica ’s Most Wantedand pushMarried … With Children(which was in its last season ) into the first one-half of its 9 p.m. time time slot . The public let their outrage be known .
“ We went off for four weeks , ” WalshtoldLarry King in 2003 . “ Everybody in police force enforcement get hold of Fox . Fifty - five members of Congress contacted Fox . Thirty - seven governors . I do n’t think 37 governors could agree on how many stars and stripes are on the flag , but they all went after [ the web]—and they said it [ was ] a business decision . But … 200,000 good American citizens write Fox and said , ‘ This is incorrect . ’ We were the shortest canceled show in the history of television receiver . ”
14. THE SHOW ALMOST HELPED APPREHEND GIANNI VERSACE’S KILLER FOUR DAYS BEFORE HIS MURDER.
Fans of FX’sThe Assassination of Gianni Versace : American Crime Storyprobably noticed a recent shout - out toAmerica ’s Most desire . In the episode , an employee at a sandwich shop class in Miami recognize Andrew Cunanan when he amount in to buy a sub and call the police to describe it . But Cunanan managed to make his way out of the restaurant just before the police make it . While the episode left no doubt that it was indeed Cunanan ( as portrayed by Darren Criss ) who was dictate a tuna fish fish sandwich , the reality of what go on is not as all the way - cut .
After Cunanan made his path onto the FBI ’s Most Wanted Fugitives list on June 12 , 1997 , the bureau asked the show for help . They ran a segment on the so-called serial killer , and Miami policedidrespondto a call from Kenny Benjamin , an employee of Miami Subs , who swore that Cunanan was in the shop . Police arrived almost immediately , but the man in dubiousness had already bequeath . And Benjamin had ended up embarrass the security measure camera ’s view of the suspect while ready the call , so whether or not it was indeed Cunanan was never confirm . But we do be intimate that the call was made four days before Versace ’s murder .
15. AT THE REQUEST OF THE WHITE HOUSE, THE SHOW TOOK ON TERRORISTS FOLLOWING 9/11.
In October 2001 , in the Wake Island of 9/11,America ’s Most Wantedaired a one - 60 minutes special that profiled the FBI ’s 22 most wanted terrorist . TheNew York Postreportedthat the sequence was put together in just 72 hour at the asking of White House aide Scott Sforza .
“ These are downcast - life coward terrorist that we ’re going to profile and hopefully we can get some of these sulfur – bags off the street before they suffer any longer Americans , ” Walsh say , adding that : “ I ’m fit to send a big message to Bin Laden : You ’re just a Noel Coward . American make love it and we ’re gon na hunt you down like the wiener you are . ”
16. MORE THAN ONE SUSPECT PROFILED ON THE SHOW WAS LATER ACQUITTED.
Not every suspect featured onAmerica ’s Most Wantedended up being fascinate — or discover guilty of their say offence . One example : Suspected manslayer Richard Emile Newman . Acting on tips that he was living in an apartment in Brooklyn following an episode ofAmerica ’s Most Wantedthat profiled his grammatical case , Newman was arrested in New York in 2004 . He was extradited back to Canada in 2006 for trial , but in 2010 he wasacquittedof those charge .
17. AT LEAST ONE SUSPECT TURNED HIMSELF IN.
On May 8 , 1988,America ’s Most Wantedfeatured the case ofStephen Randall Dye , who was wanted in connection with the shooting of a humankind in New Jersey in 1986 as well as the execution of a motorcyclist in Ohio in 1981 . Nervous that he would be found out , Dye — who was live in California at the time — flag down a law car in San Diego and gave himself up .
18. BARACK OBAMA MADE A SPECIAL APPEARANCE.
In 2010 , to celebrate the show ’s 1000th installment , Walsh was granted what he assumed would be a ready sports meeting - and - greet with President Barack Obama to shoot a segment acknowledging the milepost . But when he arrived at the White House , he was have to the Blue Room for an real sit - down with the POTUS where they discussed Obama ’s various anti - crime initiatives and the show ’s impact . “ It was n’t a grip - and - grin or a photo op , ” WalshtoldtheNew York Post .
19. IT WAS THE LONGEST-RUNNING SERIES IN FOX’S HISTORY AT THE TIME IT WENT OFF THE AIR.
In June 2011 , Fox television cancelledAmerica ’s Most Wantedfor a second ( and final ) time . When the show last off the melodic phrase , it had run for 25 seasons , make it the connection ’s then - longsighted working series . ( The Simpsonshas since exceed it . )
But that was not the conclusion ofAmerica ’s Most Wanted . As WalshtoldtheSan Diego Tribunein the wake of the series ’s cancellation , " I ’m fighting hard to keep this franchise going . It ’s a tv show that gets ratingsandsaves lives , and we ’ll find somewhere to keep going . We ’re not done . ”
Walsh was correct : The serial got picked up by Lifetime , though its ravel on the internet was moderately short - go ; on March 28 , 2013 , it was cancelled for good .
20. MORE THAN 1000 FUGITIVES HAVE BEEN CAPTURED BECAUSE OF THE SERIES.
In May 2008,America ’s Most Wantedwas observe the show ’s 1000th seizure . To celebrate , the web got some of the Fox family to record celebratory messages ( including some awkward congrats fromAmerican Idoljudges Simon Cowell , Randy Jackson , and Paula Abdul ) . As of March 30 , 2013 , the total issue of captured persons had arise to1202 .
