America's Most Wanted and John Walsh Return in Trailer for New Reboot

Fox has released the first trailer for the revival of America's Most Wanted, and this trailer leans into two things: the return of series co-creator and original host John Walsh, and the idea that America's Most Wanted essentially invented the true crime genre as we know it today. Walsh, the activist and media personality best known for creating and hosting the original  America's Most Wanted, is returning to host the show -- this time with his son Callahan at his side. Making America's Most Wanted a family affair makes perfect sense when you consider that Walsh began his life of activism after his son Adam was kidnapped and murdered in 1981. Walsh popularized the true crime format like never before, and hoped that by doing so, he would provide closure to other families.

It was just last month that the network revealed Walsh would return to the show that made him famous. Callahan Walsh previously starred with his father in In Pursuit With John Walsh on Discovery's ID network.

"It's an incredible time for America's Most Wanted to return to Fox, especially in partnership with my son Callahan, to continue my lifetime's work," Walsh told Variety, who first reported the story. "I'm in constant awe over how instrumental our loyal viewers are in ensuring we get justice for victims and their loved ones, and today, they have entirely new tools at their disposal to help us fight back and quickly solve even more crimes."

You can see it below.

"John Walsh is a singular voice in a life-long crusade to bring justice to victims and their families," Allison Wallach, Fox's president of unscripted programming, FOX Entertainment, told Variety. "It's an honor to have America's Most Wanted and John, along with Callahan, return to his original home at Fox, to continue this important work by empowering viewers to help capture some of the country's most dangerous fugitives."

The format of the show combined documentary footage with re-enactments of crimes, with actors depicting dangerous fugitives and their victims. In some cases, America's Most Wanted would know who the suspect was, while in others, they presented just the story of the crime. In any case, viewers were encouraged to call a toll-free number with any tips they had for law enforcement. The series is directly credited with bringing at least 25 fugitives to justice, and reuniting eight kidnap victims with their families. Walsh has said that his various shows have played a role in over 1,000 arrests.

The original series ran from 1988 until 1996, and has come back a few times since then. Until 2012, Walsh hosted America's Most Wanted and, after it was cancelled seemingly for good, moved on to similar shows like The Hunt With John Walsh on CNN and the Investigation Discovery series In Pursuit with John Walsh. In 2021, Fox brought back America's Most Wanted, returning the storied franchise to its original home for the first time since 2012. Elizabeth Vargas, an investigative journalist and TV anchor, hosted the first season in 2021, but after the show's return was delayed, she has seemingly parted ways with the show.

The new season of America's Most Wanted debuts on January 23.