Elizabeth Vargas to Host Syndicated Crime Show

Rick Porter
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Elizabeth Vargas is headed to daytime TV.

The former ABC News anchor will host and executive produce a syndicated series, iCrime With Elizabeth Vargas, that’s set to premiere in September. The half-hour show has clearance in 95 percent of the country, with station groups including Nexstar, Gray Media Group, Scripps, Cox Media, Tegna, CBS Television Stations, Fox Television Stations and Weigel Broadcasting carrying the program.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

iCrime will feature clips of crimes captured on witnesses’ smart phones along with interviews between Vargas and victims, law enforcement, and the videographers. A panel of experts will also offer their opinions on the footage.

“Cell phone videos have completely changed the social landscape,” said Vargas in a statement. “Anyone, anywhere, with a cell phone can record crimes as they happen, and those videos can have a huge impact. iCrime will cull the most powerful of these videos, while providing important insight on the law and how to keep safe. I could not be more excited to host this new show.”

The series comes from Scott Sternberg Productions (ID’s On the Case With Paula Zahn) and Trifecta Entertainment & Media. Sternberg and Trifecta’s Hank Cohen co-created iCrime and executive produce with Vargas.

“The emergent widespread use of smartphones to immediately record everything as it happens gave us the idea to produce iCrime,” said Sternberg. “Video from anywhere and everywhere of real situations shot by all of us is a natural way to give viewers a daily dive into the unbelievable realism of crime videos. Having a host like Elizabeth Vargas brings iCrime to another level.”

Added Cohen, “We’re so gratified that stations have responded to this show in such a big way.  This new form of Everyman recordings has become an important new social media tool in helping law enforcement gain truth in crimes committed across the country.”

Vargas hosted Fox’s America’s Most Wanted reboot in 2021. She hosted ABC’s long-running 20/20 newsmagazine for 15 years and co-anchored World News Tonight before signing a development and production deal with A+E Networks in 2018.

iCrime is one of a handful of syndicated shows debuting in the fall, joining talk shows hosted by Sherri Shepherd and Jennifer Hudson.

Best of The Hollywood Reporter

Click here to read the full article.