Dateline backdrop
Crime•Documentary

The Best Episodes of Dateline

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

Binge this in 29d 7h•Peaking at 8.6/10

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 crime stories with only occasional editions that focus on other

Airs on
NBC
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons34

All12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Click to reveal
    Dateline Season 15 Episode 23 - Body of Evidence (a.k.a. Bigamy Murder)
    8.6/10(165 votes)

    #1 - Body of Evidence (a.k.a. Bigamy Murder)

    S15:E23

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Dateline Season 32 Episode 29 - True Confession
    8.6/10(40 votes)

    #2 - True Confession

    S32:E29

    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:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Dateline Season 15 Episode 40 - To Catch a Predator: Behind the Scenes
    8.5/10(51 votes)

    #3 - To Catch a Predator: Behind the Scenes

    S15:E40

    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:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Dateline Season 29 Episode 43 - The Necklace
    8.5/10(41 votes)

    #4 - The Necklace

    S29:E43

    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:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Dateline Season 28 Episode 18 - Abducted
    8.2/10(25 votes)

    #5 - Abducted

    S28:E18

    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:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Dateline Season 15 Episode 41 - Honey, You're on Hidden Camera
    8.1/10(41 votes)

    #6 - Honey, You're on Hidden Camera

    S15:E41

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of Dateline

    READ
  7. Dateline Season 26 Episode 19 - A Crack in Everything
    8.1/10(40 votes)

    #7 - A Crack in Everything

    S26:E19

    A woman's death is initially ruled a suicide, but when a new investigation begins, police begin to suspect murder.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Dateline Season 27 Episode 31 - A Villainous Plan
    8.1/10(34 votes)

    #8 - A Villainous Plan

    S27:E31

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Dateline Season 29 Episode 16 - Point Blank
    8.1/10(39 votes)

    #9 - Point Blank

    S29:E16

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Dateline Season 30 Episode 4 - The Ascension of Mother God
    8.1/10(25 votes)

    #10 - The Ascension of Mother God

    S30:E4

    Family members and investigators speak out for the first time on network television since the death of “Love Has Won” spiritual leader Amy Carlson, known to her followers as “Mother God.” The case gained worldwide attention after deputies found her mummified body covered with Christmas lights in a Colorado house where members of the group stayed.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Dateline Season 30 Episode 9 - Infamous
    8.1/10(22 votes)

    #11 - Infamous

    S30:E9

    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:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Dateline Season 31 Episode 15 - The Bad Man
    8.1/10(45 votes)

    #12 - The Bad Man

    S31:E15

    Nearly 40 years after a young wife and mother is found murdered in her upstate New York home, a new team of investigators joins the cold case to uncover the killer. Andrea Canning reports.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Dateline Season 26 Episode 6 - Secret In Silver Lakes
    8.0/10(30 votes)

    #13 - Secret In Silver Lakes

    S26:E6

    A young father's murder at work leads investigators to deep secrets about sex, friendship, religion and family.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Dateline Season 26 Episode 17 - Deep In The Woods
    8.0/10(43 votes)

    #14 - Deep In The Woods

    S26:E17

    When a young Army medic based at Ft. Bragg, N.C., goes missing, police can't solve the case despite having a suspect until an unorthodox private investigator steps in to help.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Dateline Season 26 Episode 42 - Unraveled
    8.0/10(35 votes)

    #15 - Unraveled

    S26:E42

    A woman whose ex-husband killed six people in Arizona, allegedly targeting individuals with connections to their divorce; interviews with experts on the topics of domestic violence and mass murder.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Dateline Season 27 Episode 27 - Evil Was Watching
    8.0/10(43 votes)

    #16 - Evil Was Watching

    S27:E27

    Two young girls in Washington are snatched in broad daylight. The case goes unsolved until a new detective tries to solve the mystery that haunted her childhood. Keith Morrison reports

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Dateline Season 28 Episode 1 - The Thing About Pam
    8.0/10(57 votes)

    #17 - The Thing About Pam

    S28:E1

    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:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Dateline Season 28 Episode 2 - Haunted
    8.0/10(20 votes)

    #18 - Haunted

    S28:E2

    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:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Dateline Season 28 Episode 13 - Disappearance of Laci Peterson
    8.0/10(28 votes)

    #19 - Disappearance of Laci Peterson

    S28:E13

    A look at the 2004 murder of pregnant California woman Laci Peterson, including rarely seen interrogation footage of her husband, Scott, who was convicted of the crime.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Dateline Season 28 Episode 17 - The Black Candle Confession
    8.0/10(33 votes)

    #20 - The Black Candle Confession

    S28:E17

    A glimpse of a sobbing woman lighting black candles is seared into a 9-year-old girl’s memory. Decades later that girl reveals what she saw, heating up a long-cold case. Keith Morrison reports.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Dateline Season 29 Episode 1 - Trouble at the 7-11 Ranch
    8.0/10(40 votes)

    #21 - Trouble at the 7-11 Ranch

    S29:E1

    Josh Mankiewicz reports on the mysterious disappearance of a Colorado rancher.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Dateline Season 30 Episode 15 - Echoes in the Canyon
    8.0/10(38 votes)

    #22 - Echoes in the Canyon

    S30:E15

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Dateline Season 30 Episode 21 - The Hands of a Killer
    8.0/10(34 votes)

    #23 - The Hands of a Killer

    S30:E21

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. Dateline Season 30 Episode 22 - The Real Thing About Pam
    8.0/10(38 votes)

    #24 - The Real Thing About Pam

    S30:E22

    New interviews reveal the latest twists and turns in the case of Pam Hupp, charged in the murder of her close friend Betsy Faria; Betsy's daughter, as well as the prosecutor behind the wrongful conviction of Betsy's husband speak out.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. Dateline Season 31 Episode 8 - Dark Waters
    8.0/10(35 votes)

    #25 - Dark Waters

    S31:E8

    Craig Melvin reveals surprising and exclusive new details about the deaths and legal cases surrounding Alex Murdaugh, the South Carolina lawyer accused of killing his wife and son last year.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Best Episodes Summary

"Body of Evidence (a.k.a. Bigamy Murder)" is the best rated episode of "Dateline". It scored 8.6/10 based on 165 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/9/2007. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "True Confession".