Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime (2026) kicks off in the year 2006. In the dim room of a Florida home, Dateline NBC correspondent Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson) sits muttering to himself, “I will undress you as you undress me.” He is reading from chatroom transcripts provided by his colleagues from the watchdog organization Peverted Justice, who solicit adults seeking out sexual conversations with minors online. To Catch a Predator, the show Hansen is preparing to host, boasts no script or certainties for that matter, rendering these chat logs his scripture. The show’s producer Andie Bender (Merritt Wever) knocks at the door. The suspect will arrive in a matter of minutes, earlier than expected.
From the video village inside another room in the home, Del Harvey (singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers) is dispatched to get into position. She is a chameleon-like decoy, adjusting her appearance and demeanor to whichever pervert or pedophile To Catch a Predator is trying to entice. Cameras and microphones have been rigged to monitor every corner of the home’s coral-drenched living room. Last but not least, freshly baked cookies perch on the counter like worms on the tip of a fish hook. It’s showtime.
“You see how this looks, right?“
In an audition room across the country, Dan Plumb (Skyler Gisondo) stands before a camcorder and two casting agents. Oblivious to what he’s auditioning for, the rosy-cheeked twenty-something belts out “Seasons of Love” from Rent, but lands the role of a fresh decoy for To Catch a Predator, ostensibly for his nubile appearance and infectious enthusiasm. Shaken by his first sting, Andie fears “Decoy Dan” won’t last long. However, with a SAG union card at stake, the young aspiring actor digs deep to get into character and make the most of this peculiar opportunity.
Broadcasting as a segment on Dateline NBC, the show’s fusion of justice and entertainment quickly became a hit with audiences in the mid-2000s. With other networks hot on their heels, trying to replicate the distinctive format and its success, NBCUniversal TV Group CEO Jeff Zucker (who actually plays himself here) moves Chris Hansen’s slot up to the film’s namesake: Wednesday at 9 pm. Primetime. In the ruthlessly competitive landscape of television programming, the team’s comparatively smaller show is pitted against a titan of the time, ABC’s Lost.
By this point, Hansen is already a disconcerting figure, his fixation on the sensationalism of his job having birthed a persona so deeply ingrained that it threatens to consume the man beneath it. As his hunger for commercial success grows, the original pursuit of justice recedes further from view, and he goes over Andie’s head to reel in their most high-profile target yet. Of course, nothing in the entertainment industry is done for the sheer betterment of society. But as melodramatized humiliation rises to the top of their mission statement, To Catch a Predator finds itself on the other side of the scandal.
Director Lance Oppenheim and Writer Ajon Singh Deliver a Pair of Exceptional Feature Debuts
Primetime marks director Lance Oppenheim’s foray into narrative filmmaking. With three acclaimed documentary projects in his back catalog —Some Kind of Heaven (2020), Spermworld (2024), and Ren Faire (2024) — the mythological quality of Primetime feels well suited to Oppenheim’s instinctual eye for intimate portraiture. In tandem with his frequent cinematographer David Bolen, Oppenheim skillfully blurs the boundaries between diegesis and reality, conjuring an aesthetic that encapsulates the era to which this story so fiercely belongs. The film’s grainy yet richly saturated frames and dynamic visual techniques are as compelling as the intricate subjects they explore.
Debut screenwriter Ajon Singh, who adapts his script from the 2007 Esquire article, Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die, and is next set to co-write an animated Spider-Punk movie with star Daniel Kaluuya, deserves just as much credit here. He transforms a true story riddled with moral missteps by multiple parties into a nail-biting narrative that strategically lets the characters’ own choices become their undoing, rather than artificially forcing their downfall. Singh’s penmanship carries the astuteness of a seasoned writer. Every ounce of humor is counterbalanced by thrilling tension, sustaining a rhythm of exhilaration until the credits roll.
Perfect Cast, Daunting Task
With the stage set, all that remains is a cast capable of fully embracing the chaos of it all, and this ensemble is up to the task. The core trio of Primetime each deliver elite performances. As one of the most dynamic movie stars of his generation, Robert Pattinson (The Odyssey, The Batman) channels Chris Hansen in a way that is both stirringly honest and intimidating. He surrenders himself wholeheartedly to the erratic impulses of Hansen’s persona in a fiery performance that feels as instinctive as it is intent.
When Merritt Wever (Nurse Jackie, Severance) appears in a project, the promise of a masterclass in character acting is almost guaranteed. As Andie, the genius producer behind it all, Wever balances vicious ambition with an unlikely voice of reason. Her performance remains impeccably restrained beneath the crushing weight of expectation. However, Skyler Gisondo (Superman, The Righteous Gemstones) is the true backbone of this story. Coerced into the role of a decoy, Dan becomes a human shield of sorts, his presence absorbing the fallout of Hansen’s aspirations. Gisondo imbues Dan with an endearing gentleness, making him a natural foil to Hansen’s insatiable nature. He possesses the same hunger for success, but none of the ego or selfishness that ultimately corrupts it.
The Price of Ambition
Primetime boils down to a commentary on the crooked methodology behind justice becoming a form of entertainment for viewers, and how far humans can stray from a sense of order in pursuit of personal gain. For a story so steeped in sensationalism, Lance Oppenheim’s engrossing feature film debut proves remarkably perceptive about the psychology beneath it. When the guns are reholstered and fates have been sealed, one of Chris Hansen’s signature lines, “What would have happened if I wasn’t here?” rings out with a new, warped significance. After all, there is perhaps no greater irony in entertainment than becoming part of the spectacle you forged.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
‘Primetime’ premiered at the 2026 Venice Film Festival and hits theaters on September 25!
Release Date: September 25, 2026.
Directed by Lance Oppenheim.
Screenplay by Ajon Singh.
Based on Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die written by Luke Dittrich.
Produced by Robert Pattinson, Lars Knudsen, Ari Aster, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Fred Berger, William Iannaccone, & Brighton McCloskey.
Executive Producers: Lance Oppenheim, Ajon Singh, Abigail Rowe, AJ Bourscheid, & Harrison Huffman.
Main Cast: Robert Pattinson, Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Matthew Maher, Bokeem Woodbine, Anna Faris, Jonathan Lipnicki, Tony Revolori, Alex Winter, Eric Rahill, Sean Bridgers, Jeff Zucker, & Creed Bratton.
Cinematographer: David Bolen.
Composer: Ari Balouzian.
Editor: Daniel Garber.
Production Companies: A24, Square Peg, Icki Eneo Arlo, & Range Media Partners.
Distributor: A24.
Runtime: 110 minutes.
Rated R.
