Elizabeth Vargas was recently announced as the host for the half-an-hour crime show entitled iCrime. The new series is expected to launch in the fall of 2022. Vargas announced the news on Twitter, captioning the tweet, “Some news…,” a reference to her journalist background.
The host of the revival of America’s Most Wanted on Fox, Vargas is not new to the world of crime. The show will consist of authentic footage shot on smartphones by actual witnesses to the events. Vargas is known for a variety of hosting gigs, having been the longtime news anchor at ABC News, co-anchor of World News Tonight, and previously stood in on Good Morning America. However, America’s living rooms may be most familiar with Vargas from her 15-year placement as the host of ABC’s news magazine show 20/20. Her work on the nighttime broadcast earned her the Emmy Award for Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a News Magazine. Additionally, she received a Peabody Award for her work covering the events of Hurricane Sandy on ABC News.
The syndicated crime will be broadcast in over 95% of the U.S., allowing viewers an inside look at the events that occur during a criminal offense. iCrime will capture genuine crimes and show videos from the incidents. Vargas’ reality series will feature the longtime news anchor interviewing witnesses, victims, law officers, and those who recorded the footage. A team of criminal specialists will also share commentary about what transpired during that particular crime. Viewers will get a fresh look at true crime through the point of view of a smartphone camera.
Vargas herself will produce the true-crime documentary series with Scott Sternberg, also a co-creator, and Hank Cohen. The 30-minute show will air weekdays Monday-Friday, beginning on September 12. Two production teams will serve as producing companies, as Scott Sternberg Productions and Trifecta Entertainment & Media will team up to bring the show on air.
Commenting on the modern edge of the new series, Vargas told Deadline, “Cell phone videos have completely changed the social landscape. Anyone, anywhere, with a cell phone can record crimes as they happen, and those videos can have a huge impact.” She went on to say that iCrime will spotlight “the most powerful of these videos, while providing important insight on the law and how to keep safe.” Sternberg also added that “The emergent widespread use of smartphones to immediately record everything as it happens gave us the idea to produce iCrime.”
Vargas has a new storyline to tell and, this time, it’s from a cell phone. The documentary crime series premieres September 12 on a variety of stations including those from the Sinclair Broadcast Group, CBS, and Fox.
