This NBC anthology of crime stories aired on alternate weeks with Dragneton Thursday nights. It developed from a popular radio series which ran for 21 years (1936 – 1957) and was one of the highest-rated television shows at the time NBC decided to cancel it so they could broadcast Dragnet weekly.
The format was the same as in the radio version: Action-packed stories on the apprehension of major criminals, taken from “actual police and FBI files,” were presented in semi-documentary style. There was no continuing cast, but Phillips H. Lord, creator and writer of the show, appeared each week as narrator.
Episodes also featured a spot informing viewers of real-life criminals on the loose, encouraging the public to contact the police, the FBI or the show with any information.
New first-run episodes were released in syndication by General Teleradio under the title Captured in 1955.
