AMERICA’S MOST WANTED: John Walsh continues to host the series on Lifetime. Photo Credit: Jamie Horton/FOX
Good news for those of us who were miffed when FOX unceremoniously dropped their Saturday night staple, America’s Most Wanted. Lifetime has picked the show up for its 25th season.
Why the network dumped the series in the first place is a bit of a mystery. The ratings were impressive for a Saturday night, hovering right around the 5-million mark each week. That was considerably higher than most of the programming each episode. That, plus the fact that AMW had facilitated the capture of over 1100 fugitives should have been enough to keep the series pumping for years to come.
Still, FOX’s loss is Lifetime and AMW fans’ gain. Starting Friday, December 2nd, 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, the series, which most diehard audience members consider to be a public service, will begin its silver anniversary.
Lifetime has ordered 20 episodes and John Walsh will, of course, continue to host the show.
“I am excited to be back in the saddle and working with Lifetime. We are the court of last resort and with the show getting back to our weekly airing, we’ll have the capability of getting more fugitives off the streets and behind bars where they belong. We hope our observant fans continue the mission with us, on our new night – Friday — and keep our capture number climbing while helping those crime victims that need us,” said Walsh in a statement.
This past September, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences presented Walsh with its Governors Award, which “salutes an individual, company or organization that has made a substantial impact and demonstrated the extraordinary use of television.”
Nice to know Lifetime recognized AMW’s worth.