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The Worst Episodes of Cold Case

Every episode of Cold Case ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Cold Case!

The Worst Episodes of Cold Case

The Philadelphia homicide squad's lone female detective finds her calling when she is assigned cases that have never been solved. Detective Lilly Rush combines her...

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  1. 7.2/10(550 votes)

    #1 - The Hitchhiker

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    S1:E10

    Rush and Valens investigate the case of a cold-blooded killer who shot a young man trying to hitchhike his way home to Philly from Atlanta.

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  2. 7.2/10(427 votes)

    #2 - Kensington

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    S2:E20

    The murder case of a young mill worker is re-opened when Rush learns that a recent parolee admitted to stealing money off the victim's body.

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  3. 7.2/10(399 votes)

    #3 - Baby Blues

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    S4:E4

    A 6-month-old girl's 1982 death, originally ruled to be a result of sudden-infant-death syndrome, is investigated when new evidence reveals the baby may have drowned. Also, Lilly learns that Ray is in the hospital after apparently being beaten.

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  4. 7.2/10(293 votes)

    #4 - Stealing Home

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    S6:E20

    The team re-opens the 1999 murder of a Cuban baseball star who fled to the U.S. after being fired from his team.

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  5. 7.2/10(264 votes)

    #5 - Dead Heat

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    S7:E6

    The 1986 murder of a jockey is investigated after his body is discovered in a mass grave for horses. The victim disappeared shortly after losing a race that he had planned to be his finale before retiring.

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    Director:Nathan Hope
    Writer:Adam Glass
  6. 7.3/10(493 votes)

    #6 - Late Returns

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    S1:E19

    The shooting death of a man in his driveway is connected to the unsolved 1992 murder of a Democratic campaign worker whose lifeless body was thrown into a nearby river on election night. The investigation centers on the relationship the dead woman had with a present-day congressman. Apparently, the victim in the current homicide probed into the earlier slaying and discovered damning new evidence. Elsewhere, Lilly spies Kite flirting with a new ADA and gets jealous.

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  8. 7.3/10(469 votes)

    #7 - Yo, Adrian

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    S2:E12

    When a dying boxing referee makes a confession about a 1976 fight, the team re-opens the case in which an underdog fighter, arranged to fight against a much more qualified boxer, took a heavy beating in the match and died only moments afterwards.

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  9. 7.3/10(485 votes)

    #8 - 8 Years

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    S3:E11

    Four close high school friends each went their separate ways in 1980. Eight years later, in 1988, one of them was murdered. The homicide team receives a tip about the murder, prompting a re-investigation of the case and an examination of the friends' lives, hopes and dreams after high school.

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  10. 7.3/10(433 votes)

    #9 - Willkommen

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    S3:E18

    The team re-opens the 2002 case of a murdered amateur actor when the owner of a local community theater finds a gun hidden inside prop furniture.

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  11. 7.3/10(424 votes)

    #10 - Sandhogs

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    S4:E3

    When the remains of a sandhog miner who disappeared in 1947 are found in a subway service tunnel, the team is prompted to re-open the case when they suspect the victim might have been murdered for being a union activist.

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  12. 7.3/10(328 votes)

    #11 - Glory Days

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    S6:E1

    The 1973 murder of a college-football star's on the eve of a championship game. The unsolved case is reopened when new evidence suggests he was killed earlier than previously assumed and the victim may have been involved with steroids.

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  13. 7.3/10(302 votes)

    #12 - Breaking News

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    S6:E13

    The team re-investigates the 1988 murder of a young TV reporter. Previously unseen news footage suggests she was on the verge of breaking a huge story about the unethical practices of a plastics company.

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  14. 7.3/10(306 votes)

    #13 - Witness Protection

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    S6:E15

    When the mother of a missing team storms into station. The case of a witness protection member is reopened when his body is identified by the missing teen.

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  15. 7.3/10(330 votes)

    #14 - Jackals

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    S6:E16

    The 1976 murder of a teen-aged girl is reopened when her father produces a photo of her and a vicious biker gang.

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  16. 7.3/10(291 votes)

    #15 - Mind Games

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    S6:E18

    The team suspect a 2004 arson that killed a psychiatrist may have been caused by her former patient.

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  17. 7.4/10(643 votes)

    #16 - The Runner

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    S1:E5

    After a drug addict brings in an audio tape she found on which a fatal shooting is heard, Lilly reopens a 1973 murder case involving the death of a twenty-one-year-old rookie cop. The young officer was shot three times in the chest while responding to a call at a drug-infested housing project.

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    Writer:Veena Sud
  18. 7.4/10(504 votes)

    #17 - The Lost Soul of Herman Lester

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    S1:E17

    When the son of a murdered high-school basketball star receives a death threat, Rush and Valens reopen the 1987 case of Herman Lester who was stabbed to death only hours after leading his team to win the state championship.

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  19. 7.4/10(499 votes)

    #18 - Greed

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    S1:E20

    The team reopens the 1985 case of a wealthy stock broker. At the time it was deemed that Charles Danville was killed when someone attempted to steal his car, but new evidence suggests that he may, in fact, have been murdered.

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  20. 7.4/10(473 votes)

    #19 - Red Glare

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    S2:E8

    The 1953 murder of a white school teacher, a communist sympathizer who was involved in civil-rights issues, is reopened after the victim's youngest son asks for it to be reinvestigated. The probe reveals that the slain man was killed on the same day that the Rosenbergs were executed and was set to testify the next day before the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

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  21. 7.4/10(441 votes)

    #20 - Schadenfreude

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    S2:E17

    A man claims that he was wrongfully convicted of the 1982 murder of his rich wife. The case is reopened when the victim's rare ring is discovered worn by a recently deceased junkie.

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  22. 7.4/10(423 votes)

    #21 - Start-Up

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    S3:E7

    Lilly re-opens the 1999 case of a young, healthy woman who nevertheless died of a heart attack. In the late 1990's, she was briefly an Internet millionaire, but due to bad business decisions, her dot.com company eventually went bust.

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  23. 7.4/10(451 votes)

    #22 - Debut

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    S3:E13

    Lilly re-opens the 1968 case of an 18-year-old girl who died -- apparently accidentally -- at the night of her debutante ball. Now her mother comes forth with new evidence when a local art dealer is accused of murdering his wife in the same manner the girl died.

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    Director:Tim Hunter
  24. 7.4/10(408 votes)

    #23 - Superstar

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    S3:E17

    When a poison-soaked towel turns up at the station, Lilly re-opens the 1973 case of a murdered female college tennis star.

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  25. 7.4/10(434 votes)

    #24 - The Red and the Blue

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    S4:E11

    Lilly and Valens travel to Nashville and Knoxville to investigate the 2000 murder of a country-music singer who was gunned down outside of a Philadelphia bar where he and his band had recently played. The unsolved case is reopened when the gun used in the homicide turns up.

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  26. 7.4/10(409 votes)

    #25 - Torn

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    S4:E21

    The team re-investigates their oldest cold case yet, the 1919 murder of a young woman who was a passionate advocate for women's right to vote.

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Worst Episodes Summary

"The Hitchhiker" is the worst rated episode of "Cold Case". It scored 7.2/10 based on 550 votes. Directed by Marita Grabiak and written by Sean Whitesell, it aired on 12/21/2003. This episode scored 0.0 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Kensington".