20/20

"We're in touch so you'll be in touch."

This Prime Time News series on ABC began in 1978. Longtime anchors Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters previously worked together on NBC's Today. Reporters on 20/20 have included John Stossel, Geraldo Rivera, Lynn Sherr, Bob Brown and the ever-popular Sylvia Chase. Began as a hard-news program but slowly devolved until it is now mainly a purveyor of Missing White Woman Syndrome stories, fawning celebrity profiles, and Barbara Walters interviews.

By the 2010s, the show only aired a handful of times a year.


 * Face Heel Turn: John Stossel. He started as the show's consumer advocate and evolved into a champion of corporations' rights. He went to Fox News when 20/20 went all-True Crime, all the time.
 * Long Runner
 * Missing White Woman Syndrome
 * True Crime
 * The World Is Just Awesome: Those shows that are all celebrity profiles, and the People of the Year episodes.
 * Yet Another Baby Panda: The real specialty of latter-day 20/20.