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The Best Episodes of Dateline

Every episode of Dateline ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Dateline!

Dateline NBC, or simply Dateline, is a weekly American television newsmagazine series. It was previously the network's flagship newsmagazine, but now focuses mainly on true...
Genres:NewsDocumentary
Network:NBC

Best Episodes Summary

"The Necklace" is the best rated episode of "Dateline". It scored 8.8/10 based on 28 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 4/23/2021. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "True Confession".

  • The Necklace
    8.8/1028 votes
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    #1 - The Necklace

    Season 29 Episode 43 - Aired 4/23/2021

    When a private investigator and former police officer vanishes, detectives think there may be more to the story when strange text messages start to appear... Keith Morrison reports.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • True Confession
    8.8/1034 votes
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    #2 - True Confession

    Season 32 Episode 29 - Aired 2/23/2024

    After more than 20 years, the real killer of Idaho teen Angie Dodge is caught; a chilling twist in the story of Chris Tapp who had been wrongfully convicted in the case. Keith Morrison reports.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • To Catch a Predator: Behind the Scenes
    8.7/1050 votes
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    #3 - To Catch a Predator: Behind the Scenes

    Season 15 Episode 40 - Aired 3/13/2007

    Tonight we follow Chris Hansen behind the scenes of this remarkably popular series. Whether you love it or hate it, it's hard to look away. The personal accounts and some very memorable confrontations are equally riveting in this episode.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Body of Evidence (a.k.a. Bigamy Murder)
    8.5/10164 votes
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    #4 - Body of Evidence (a.k.a. Bigamy Murder)

    Season 15 Episode 23 - Aired 1/9/2007

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Honey, You're on Hidden Camera
    8.3/1040 votes
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    #5 - Honey, You're on Hidden Camera

    Season 15 Episode 41 - Aired 3/18/2007

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Jonestown: An American tragedy
    8.3/1022 votes
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    #6 - Jonestown: An American tragedy

    Season 26 Episode 44 - Aired 7/13/2018

    An in-depth look at the journalists who exposed the dangers of cult leader Reverend Jim Jones; interviews with witnesses to murders carried out by Jones' followers.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Betrayal of Sarah Stern
    8.3/1038 votes
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    #7 - The Betrayal of Sarah Stern

    Season 27 Episode 33 - Aired 5/17/2019

    The discovery of a teenager's car abandoned on a New Jersey bridge turns into a homicide investigation. Police uncover a plot involving money, close friends and betrayal. Keith Morrison reports.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Abducted
    8.3/1022 votes
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    #8 - Abducted

    Season 28 Episode 18 - Aired 1/31/2020

    An inside look at the case that made national headlines in December 2019, when a Texas mother was found murdered after she and her newborn daughter disappeared. Andrea Canning reports.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Infamous
    8.3/1021 votes
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    #9 - Infamous

    Season 30 Episode 9 - Aired 11/19/2021

    Drew Peterson speaks to Natalie Morales in his first on-camera interview in over a decade about the murder of his ex-wife, Kathleen Savio, and the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Echoes in the Canyon
    8.3/1031 votes
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    #10 - Echoes in the Canyon

    Season 30 Episode 15 - Aired 2/25/2022

    Insiders close to the case of missing Colorado mother Suzanne Morphew speak out for the first time.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Thing About Pam
    8.2/1052 votes
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    #11 - The Thing About Pam

    Season 28 Episode 1 - Aired 9/27/2019

    The unbelievable story of how the murder of Betsy Faria set off a chain of events leaving one man dead, another man implicated and a diabolical scheme exposed. Keith Morrison reports.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Return to Shalimar Way
    8.2/1019 votes
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    #12 - Return to Shalimar Way

    Season 29 Episode 11 - Aired 10/29/2020

    When a woman dies after what appears to be an accidental fall in the shower, two friends join forces to seek justice on her behalf. Andrea Canning reports.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Point Blank
    8.2/1037 votes
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    #13 - Point Blank

    Season 29 Episode 16 - Aired 11/20/2020

    After Todd Chance is murdered, police follow a trial video evidence as they work to track down the killer;

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Kristin Smart Case & Murdaugh Saga
    8.2/1020 votes
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    #14 - Kristin Smart Case & Murdaugh Saga

    Season 30 Episode 6 - Aired 10/29/2021

    Josh Mankiewicz reports the latest developments following an arrest in the Kristin Smart case; Craig Melvin reports on the mysteries surrounding the powerful Murdaugh family of South Carolina.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Curious Case of Sherri Papini
    8.2/1034 votes
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    #15 - The Curious Case of Sherri Papini

    Season 30 Episode 23 - Aired 4/22/2022

    California detectives reveal new details about the alleged kidnapping of Sherri Papini.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Blue Blanket Mystery
    8.2/1027 votes
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    #16 - The Blue Blanket Mystery

    Season 30 Episode 24 - Aired 4/29/2022

    New Jersey detectives investigate a report that a 5-year-old boy vanished from a carnival.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Who Killed Mindy Morgenstern?
    8.2/1037 votes
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    #17 - Who Killed Mindy Morgenstern?

    Season 31 Episode 17 - Aired 2/10/2023

    A North Dakota college student is found murdered in her off-campus apartment.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • At the Bottom of the Lake
    8.1/1034 votes
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    #18 - At the Bottom of the Lake

    Season 27 Episode 3 - Aired 10/12/2018

    A pilot flees after a deadly plane crash, and becomes a fugitive living a double life for decades. He tells his story for the first time to Keith Morrison.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • A Villainous Plan
    8.1/1030 votes
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    #19 - A Villainous Plan

    Season 27 Episode 31 - Aired 5/3/2019

    A Connecticut bank executive is targeted by criminals who force him to rob his own bank.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Haunted
    8.1/1019 votes
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    #20 - Haunted

    Season 28 Episode 2 - Aired 10/4/2019

    Nearly 10 years after Utah mother Susan Powell vanished, private journals, home videos and emails shed new light on what happened to her. Keith Morrison reports.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Into the Night - Part 2
    8.1/1014 votes
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    #21 - Into the Night - Part 2

    Season 29 Episode 19 - Aired 12/11/2020

    The latest in the case of a missing young Oregon woman, whose disappearance led to an intense manhunt, after a suspect embarked on a two-state crime spree;

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Woman at the Bar
    8.1/1044 votes
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    #22 - The Woman at the Bar

    Season 29 Episode 26 - Aired 1/29/2021

    A nationwide manhunt is launched after a woman dubbed the “killer grandma” goes on the run through the Gulf Coast. Dennis Murphy reports.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Shannon's Story
    8.1/1026 votes
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    #23 - Shannon's Story

    Season 29 Episode 27 - Aired 2/4/2021

    A college student goes missing in broad daylight from her off-campus job. As police begin to investigate, they receive a mysterious phone call that changes everything.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Phone Call
    8.1/1039 votes
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    #24 - The Phone Call

    Season 29 Episode 39 - Aired 4/16/2021

    Kathleen Schroll makes a phone call that names her killer right before her death, it leads to the arrest of a father for murder. But two trials and 12 years later, authorities begin to wonder if he was the victim, not the villain.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Hands of a Killer
    8.1/1032 votes
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    #25 - The Hands of a Killer

    Season 30 Episode 21 - Aired 4/8/2022

    Detectives search for a motive in the fatal stabbing of former Sen. Linda Collins of Arkansas.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A