How absurd has Dateline NBC’s exploitation of the “To Catch a…” genre become? It sounds like a Dateline Hollywood parody, but they are hunting iPod thiefs:

Perhaps hoping to capitalize on the distinctive “To Catch a Predator” format while softening the show’s unpleasant edge, “Dateline” producers are applying the show’s hidden camera style to a variety of other topics. In March, Mr. Hansen investigated e-mail swindles in “To Catch a Con Man.” In April and again in July, he hunted for criminals who exploit personal data in “To Catch an ID Thief.” The most recent iteration, titled “To Catch an iJacker” and broadcast Aug. 1, tracked down missing iPods.

Any chance of filming “To Catch a Desperate Network Executive”? We’ll pitch an sensationalized new show (stoning the child molesters to death when they show up at the house? put them in a real version of The Running Man?), and then see which networks show up to hear it.