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!
The murder of four young girls leads to two murder convictions -- but then everything fell apart; 25 years later, there's new DNA evidence. "48 Hours"' Erin Moriarty has the latest on the case she says she can't forget.
The episode was rated 7.29 from 24 votes.
Two double murders five years apart in quiet Omaha neighborhoods -- the trail would lead police to a local hospital and an unlikely suspect.
The episode was rated 7.30 from 20 votes.
A popular football coach convicted of murder gets a chance at freedom -- can evidence withheld from his trial prove him innocent? "48 Hours" correspondent Richard Schlesinger investigates.
The episode was rated 7.32 from 25 votes.
It was one of the most notorious cases in Texas history -- an ambush in a mansion that killed two and wounded two others -- and to this day, no one has been held accountable. Correspondent Maureen Maher investigates
The episode was rated 7.32 from 37 votes.
Help solve a murder case: a former model brutally killed in her Georgia home. Someone out there knows something ... is it you? "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty investigates.
The episode was rated 7.35 from 17 votes.
A Texas-sized case of love, infidelity, road rage and possibly murder. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant investigates.
The episode was rated 7.44 from 39 votes.
A verdict in a groundbreaking case and a mom speaks out about the friend charged with leading her son to suicide through text messages
The episode was rated 7.44 from 16 votes.
A young woman is murdered, police thought her killer was on the run ... or was he? Correspondent Tracy Smith investigates.
The episode was rated 7.44 from 45 votes.
"48 Hours" Live to Tell: A teen attacked by her abusive ex-boyfriend -- held at knifepoint, her room set on fire -- reveals her emotional story of survival to Tracy Smith.
The episode was rated 7.48 from 42 votes.
Noriella Santos is a young woman from New York who seemed to have everything going for her. But her life changed when she was charged with second-degree murder in connection with an execution-style slaying. Noriella had an explanation: an abusive boyfriend. Did he make her an unwitting accomplice to murder? CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod investigates a complex tale of fear, love and murder.
The episode was rated 7.50 from 24 votes.
Allegations of stolen children, drugs, abuse and a leader who claimed to be the second coming of Jesus Christ -- "48 Hours" follows the trail of a cult that began in Australia and led the FBI to New York
The episode was rated 7.57 from 23 votes.
A day care worker says she loved kids, yet she's in prison for killing one. If she didn't do it, why did she confess? "48 Hours"' Erin Moriarty has the latest in the Melissa Calusinski case.
The episode was rated 7.60 from 20 votes.
A kidnapper tried to kill an 8-year-old girl, but he could not silence her. One woman's lifelong search for answers. Correspondent Michelle Miller reports.
The episode was rated 7.64 from 22 votes.
Singer Christina Grimmie was killed by a stalker and Ivanka Trump has been stalked, too; now, an "NCIS" star is trying to change stalking laws. "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty investigates.
The episode was rated 7.76 from 21 votes.
Comedian Patton Oswalt discusses his late wife's obession with finding the so-called "Golden State Killer," before she suddenly died on April 21, 2016.
The episode was rated 7.79 from 42 votes.
