The First 48

10 Best Episodes of The First 48 - Season 10

The First 48 is a hit true crime docu-series that follows detectives during the hours immediately following a homicide. It is available to watch on A&E and first aired back in 2004. After 24 seasons, The First 48 has created some unforgettable episodes. Below, we’ll be ranking the best episodes of The First 48 and why they have earned their spots on the list.

From the shocking twists and turns of the case, to the heartbreaking stories of the victims and their families, the show has created some truly moving and captivating episodes. Each episode is filled with intense moments that keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

So, without further ado, let’s jump right into the ranking and see which episodes made the cut as the best of the best of The First 48.

Written by Sophie and last updated on feb 13, 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!

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The First 48 - S10E9

#15 - Left to Burn/Trigger Happy (Season 10 - Episode 9)

When fire fighters in Detroit respond to a house fire and discover a 63-year-old woman stabbed and bound, Sergeant Kenny Gardner and Investigator Barbara Simon must investigate the brutal murder. With no witnesses, they have to rely on the local community to help them find her killer. In Charlotte, Detective Phil Rainwater and the homicide team are called out to a restaurant parking lot littered with shell casings, where a 20-year-old father was shot dead. Surveillance video shows their potential suspects fleeing the scene in a white SUV. If they can track down the car, they may find the shooters.

The episode was rated 7.22 from 46 votes.

The First 48 - S10E12

#14 - Insider/Paradise Lost/Bad Debt (Season 10 - Episode 12)

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In Charlotte, rookie Detective Norma McKee gets her first double-murder: a young couple shot in their car by a backseat passenger. Inside the vehicle, detectives find what may be a vital clue, a baseball hat that might contain the suspect’s DNA. Meanwhile, seasoned Miami detective, Emiliano Tamayo has two cases in two days. First he responds to a call reporting a foul smell, only to find a family of three found dead in their home; later that night he is called to the scene of a young man killed over a fifty-dollar bet. With four deaths in forty-eight hours, Tamayo calls on his years of experience to solve the cases.

The episode was rated 7.23 from 13 votes.

The First 48 - S10E13

#13 - Waterworld (Season 10 - Episode 13)

Miami detectives investigate the murder of a man found floating in Biscayne Bay, and a second homicide that may be connected to the first case.

The episode was rated 7.30 from 20 votes.

The First 48 - S10E16

#12 - Final Call/Fatal Fury (Season 10 - Episode 16)

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In Charlotte, rookie homicide Det. Brian Whitworth is assigned his first case when a woman is discovered on her bedroom floor, stabbed to death. Hampered by false leads and a lack of eyewitnesses, Whitworth must rely on the physical evidence to bring the killer to justice. Meanwhile, in Louisville, Det. Jon Lesher investigates the homicide of a 43-year-old father, gunned down in front of his house for telling a rowdy group of men next door to quiet down. The case comes to a standstill when an eyewitness steadfastly upholds the street's code of silence. Lesher must use his veteran-interview techniques to break the code and get the witness to talk.

The episode was rated 7.31 from 13 votes.

The First 48 - S10E3

#11 - Winter Games (Season 10 - Episode 3)

In Detroit, Sergeant Matthew Gnatek and Officer Nancy Foster are investigating the murder of a soon-to-be father, found shot to death in a deserted field during a snowstorm. With no witnesses and potential evidence disappearing under the blanketing snow, the Crime Scene Unit works quickly with metal detectors, to uncover an item that will put Gnatek and Foster on the trail to meet three young women who each hold a piece of the homicide puzzle.

The episode was rated 7.33 from 43 votes.

The First 48 - S10E7

#10 - Gimme Shelter/Misstep (Season 10 - Episode 7)

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In Birmingham, lead Detective Mike Allison is working the murder of a man found shot in the basement stairwell of a house. Allison and his team quickly find an eyewitness and then the suspect. The case seems closed, when suddenly it unravels after the eyewitness disappears and Allison is forced to set his suspect free. A year passes, when out of the blue, the case takes a surprising turn. And in Charlotte, Lead Detective Bo McSwain and his team are trying to find the killers of a man shot behind his girlfriend's house. On scene, McSwain gets a break when four men come forward, claiming their innocence. The team believes these men are their suspects, but when they all refuse to talk, the case hits a wall. With nothing to hold them, the suspects start to leave homicide, but then McSwain makes a discovery at the crime scene, stopping one suspect in his tracks.

The episode was rated 7.34 from 44 votes.

The First 48 - S10E4

#9 - Off the Tracks (Season 10 - Episode 4)

For homicide detectives, the clock starts ticking the moment they are called. Their chance of solving a case is cut in half if they don't get a lead in "The First 48". Each passing hour gives suspects more time to flee, witnesses more time to forget what they saw, and crucial evidence more time to be lost forever. Follow detectives from around the country during these critical hours as they race against time to find the suspect.

The episode was rated 7.35 from 40 votes.

The First 48 - S10E5

#8 - Underworld (Season 10 - Episode 5)

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In Miami, Detective Anthony Reyes and the homicide team are investigating the murder of a man found brutally beaten to death below a major interstate. Reyes must navigate through false leads and dead ends, until an eyewitness comes forward and ignites the case. When detectives discover that their eyewitness is leaving out one major detail in his story, the case is turned on its head.

The episode was rated 7.44 from 48 votes.

The First 48 - S10E14

#7 - The Slip/Pure Victim (Season 10 - Episode 14)

Detroit detectives investigate a double homicide; an elderly woman is murdered while taking groceries out of her car in Harris County, Texas.

The episode was rated 7.45 from 22 votes.

The First 48 - S10E10

#6 - Thicker Than Water (Season 10 - Episode 10)

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For homicide detectives, the clock starts ticking the moment they are called. Their chance of solving a case is cut in half if they don’t get a lead in “The First 48″. Each passing hour gives suspects more time to flee, witnesses more time to forget what they saw, and crucial evidence more time to be lost forever. Follow detectives from around the country during these critical hours as they race against time to find the suspect.

The episode was rated 7.49 from 37 votes.

The First 48 - S10E8

#5 - What Lies Beneath/Back for Blood (Season 10 - Episode 8)

When a man arrested for a domestic dispute claims his boyfriend killed someone seven months earlier and buried the body in the basement, Louisville Detectives Jon Lesher and Collin King are launched into one of the strangest cases of their career. Detectives are initially skeptical of the man's claim, but after hours of digging in a hot, humid basement, they discover the truth: buried five feet below the dirt floor is a large plastic storage box containing human remains. Detectives must now determine if the man accused of the murder is a cold-blooded killer, or if a vindictive lover is out to frame him. And in Charlotte, a 55-year-old father of three is stabbed to death and left for dead in the middle of a residential street. Det. Susan Sarvis and the homicide team initiate a citywide hunt for the last man seen with the victim to find out if he is a witness or if he's responsible for the homicide.

The episode was rated 7.52 from 25 votes.

The First 48 - S10E2

#4 - Marked for Death (Season 10 - Episode 2)

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In Harris County, Dep. Abraham Alanis and his team investigate the murder of a man, married with four young children, who was found robbed and shot to death outside an abandoned house. With no other leads to go on, investigators discover that their victim held a secret that could lead to his killer.

The episode was rated 7.54 from 46 votes.

The First 48 - S10E11

#3 - Rules of the Game/Outgunned (Season 10 - Episode 11)

A Louisville celebrity is murdered; and a deadly shootout is investigated in Miami.

The episode was rated 7.65 from 37 votes.

The First 48 - S10E1

#2 - Carjacked/Roll of the Dice (Season 10 - Episode 1)

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In Harris County, Deputy Russell Gonzales races the clock to track down the killer of an unidentified man found dead in a desolate field on the side of the road. It's an uphill battle for the team until a couple appears on scene and breaks the case wide open. In Miami, Detective Rolando Garcia and his team investigates the murder of an innocent bystander caught in a hail of gunfire. As detectives delve deeper, they discover that the killer's motives may not be what they think.

The episode was rated 7.66 from 56 votes.

The First 48 - S10E15

#1 - Terribly Wrong/Settling the Score (Season 10 - Episode 15)

In Charlotte, when a store clerk and father of three young children is shot in a robbery by a masked man, lead Detective David Osorio and his team interview witnesses and find that no one knows the shooter. With little to go on, Osorio must find a way to identify his suspect before he can hope to track him down. And in Miami, lead Detective Kevin Ruggiero and his team head to Overtown to investigate the murder of a young father shot in the street. When Ruggiero learns that the victim’s friends are out to retaliate, he must race to find the shooter before there’s another killing.

The episode was rated 7.69 from 13 votes.

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