Best Episodes
Television's most popular true-crime series, investigating shocking cases and compelling real-life dramas with journalistic integrity and cutting-edge style. This in-depth approach has earned the program and its teams numerous awards including three Peabodys, 17 Emmys and five RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Awards.The program was revamped in 2002 when Lesley Stahl took over hosting duties from Dan Rather, and its name was changed to 48 Hours Investigates. The name was changed again to 48 Hours Mystery in 2004, and with its single-topic format, it does not use a single host but is narrated by the reporter assigned to the story.The current format of the documentary primarily deals with real life mysteries and crime stories, again with just one mystery per episode, owing to its single topic per show heritage.The program is not confined to reporting mysteries; CBS often uses the 48 Hours title or timeslot to present special reports on events, such as a 2006 report on the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, or coverage of the Virginia Tech massacre in April 2007. However, the relationship between these special programs and the rest of the series is essentially limited to the program's title.
Written by Sophie and last updated on feb 08, 2023.
PS: The following content contains spoilers!
PPS: I will admit that parts of this page was written with the help of AI - it makes my work so much easier to not start from a blank page!
Three friends walk into a studio apartment, and only two come out alive. At least one of them is a killer, but which one? Richard Schlesinger investigates.
The episode was rated 7.33 from 21 votes.
A beautiful mom is murdered while her West Point grad husband was at work. Was someone stalking women in Las Vegas? "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant investigates.
The episode was rated 7.33 from 24 votes.
A young wife shot dead -- her soldier husband pulled the trigger. Was it an accident or was it murder?
The episode was rated 7.40 from 10 votes.
A lawyer shot -- his girlfriend admits she pulled the trigger and then dances in a strange police video -- was it self-defense or love gone bad? "48 Hours"' Peter Van Sant investigates.
The episode was rated 7.48 from 23 votes.
An Aspen "true original" is found brutally slain in her mountain home. She had enemies - who wanted her dead? 48 Hours updates its story on the 2014 murder of heiress Nancy Pfister in Aspen, Colorado.
The episode was rated 7.50 from 10 votes.
Hearing her father's screams for help, Jenna Neulander dialed 9-1-1 and summoned first responders to her home. Her father, Dr. Robert Neulander, a prominent obstetrician, was trying to help her mother, Leslie, who was unresponsive in the shower. Eighteen months after Leslie Neulander died, her husband was charged with her murder. One of the key witnesses in the case? Their daughter, Jenna. But does her 9-1-1 call help the prosecution or the defense?
The episode was rated 7.50 from 32 votes.
"48 Hours" goes inside the investigation of the death of the UVA student and the evidence that links the alleged killer to other crimes spanning a decade. Susan Spencer reports.
The episode was rated 7.52 from 21 votes.
An investigation into whether a New York woman killed her fiancé during a kayaking trip on the Hudson River.
The episode was rated 7.53 from 32 votes.
In her only interview, a mother convicted of murder by poisoning her son with salt claims it was the hospital's mistake. Is she right?
The episode was rated 7.54 from 13 votes.
Part 1: All 12 living CIA directors share their passionate disagreements about the agency's past, its current mission, and its future
The episode was rated 7.64 from 11 votes.
48 Hours re-examines and updates the case of Harold Henthorn whose wives Lynn and Toni died 17 years apart in what were supposedly freak accidents. Police investigators, however, believe that Harold murdered them. Eventually, Harold is arrested and convicted of first-degree murder.
The episode was rated 7.64 from 14 votes.
Two teens killed on the same California beach six years apart. DNA on one of the victims leads to two suspects -- one of them worked for the police. Richard Schlesinger investigates.
The episode was rated 7.67 from 18 votes.
A man wanted in the murder of his wife makes an outrageous claim – the U.S. wants to silence him for what he saw at Ground Zero
The episode was rated 7.71 from 17 votes.
A popular football coach is serving life for killing his pregnant wife -- was evidence hidden that could set him free? "48 Hours" correspondent Richard Schlesinger investigates.
The episode was rated 8.06 from 18 votes.
Did a cartoon play a part in the death of a California man? "48 Hours" correspondent Richard Schlesinger investigates.
The episode was rated 8.06 from 17 votes.
