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The Best Seasons of 48 Hours

Every season of 48 Hours ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best seasons of 48 Hours!

Top season
Season 16
9.0avg
Best episode
S35E11 What Happened to the Perfect Child?
8.650 votes
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes
#1

Season 16

43 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2002

9.0/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE7 · Investigators 9.0
#2

Season 22

26 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2008

7.6/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE1 · Kidnapped - Shawn Hornbeck's Incredible Story 8.4
#3

Season 13

43 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 1999

7.5/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE17 · Justice For Sheila? aka Murder For Hire? - Revisited 7.5

Other Seasons

#4

Season 32

30 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2018

7.4/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE7 · What Happened in Apartment 4C? 8.3
#5

Season 20

29 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2006

7.4/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE20 · Caught in the Crossfire 8.7
#6

Season 33

33 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2019

7.3/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE25 · Lizzie Borden Took an Axe... 8.1
#7

Season 39

30 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2025

7.3/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE2 · Murder in the Parking Garage 7.7
#8

Season 36

31 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2022

7.3/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE20 · What Angelina Saw 7.8
#9

Season 35

31 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2021

7.2/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE11 · What Happened to the Perfect Child? 8.6
#10

Season 19

30 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2005

7.2/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE30 · Deadly Obsession 8.8
#11

Season 3

1 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1990

7.2/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE1 · Don't Touch My Child 7.2
#12

Season 37

33 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2023

7.2/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE21 · The Menendez Brothers' Fight for Freedom 7.7
#13

Season 34

37 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2020

7.2/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE34 · The Fenn Treasure 7.7
#14

Season 23

26 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2009

7.1/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE21 · My Mother's Murder 7.2
#15

Season 24

27 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2010

7.1/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE1 · The Killing Game 7.0
#16

Season 38

33 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2024

7.1/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE9 · Tracking the Killer of Mary Catherine Edwards 7.4
#17

Season 29

38 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2015

7.1/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE31 · The Soldier's Wife 7.4
#18

Season 31

32 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2017

7.0/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE25 · Secrets of Waco: Update 7.5
#19

Season 14

42 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2000

7.0/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE18 · The Boston Strangler 7.5
#20

Season 21

27 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2007

7.0/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE19 · A Long Way From Home 7.7
#21

Season 26

27 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2012

6.9/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE3 · Collision Course 7.8
#22

Season 28

68 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2014

6.8/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE12 · Murder in Pinyon Pines 7.8
#23

Season 12

53 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 1998

6.8/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE21 · My Daughter's Killer 8.2
#24

Season 27

34 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2013

6.8/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE8 · The Devils Twin 7.5
#25

Season 25

27 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2011

6.8/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE2 · Amanda Knox: The Untold Story 6.5
#26

Season 30

33 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2016

6.8/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE13 · Crime and Punishment 7.0
#27

Season 40

5 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2026

6.7/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE1 · The Corn Rake Witness 7.1
#28

Season 18

30 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2004

6.6/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE2 · The Ghosts of El Segundo 7.9
#29

Season 1

27 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1988

N/A/ 10
Average Rating
#30

Season 2

61 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 1988

N/A/ 10
Average Rating
#31

Season 4

1 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 1991

N/A/ 10
Average Rating
#32

Season 5

1 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 1992

N/A/ 10
Average Rating
#33

Season 6

1 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 1993

N/A/ 10
Average Rating
#34

Season 7

1 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 1994

N/A/ 10
Average Rating
#35

Season 8

1 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 1995

N/A/ 10
Average Rating
#36

Season 9

30 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 1996

N/A/ 10
Average Rating
#37

Season 10

52 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 1997

N/A/ 10
Average Rating
#38

Season 11

16 Episodes

First Aired: Apr 1998

N/A/ 10
Average Rating
#39

Season 15

45 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2001

N/A/ 10
Average Rating
#40

Season 17

35 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2003

N/A/ 10
Average Rating

Keep going

Top-rated 48 Hours episodes

  1. #1What Happened to the Perfect Child? S35E118.6
  2. #2What Happened in Apartment 4C? S32E78.3
  3. #3The Murder of Kelsey Berreth S33E49.0
  4. #4One Last Hug S27E308.7
  5. #5In the Name of Hate S32E68.4

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