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The Best Episodes of Dateline Season 18

Every episode of Dateline Season 18 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Dateline Season 18!

Binge this in 17h 55m•Peaking at 7.9/10

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

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Dateline Season 18 Episode 28 - Heroes of Children's Hospital
    7.9/10(19 votes)

    S18:E28

    What does it take to become a doctor? Take a look at one of the most intense jobs on the planet: A year in the life of a medical resident. Dateline NBC goes behind the scenes and catches all the stresses and successes of the residents of Arkansas Children's Hospital.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Dateline Season 18 Episode 53 - The Years of Living Dangerously
    7.6/10(13 votes)

    S18:E53

    Husband keeping secret from wife after years of marriage.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Dateline Season 18 Episode 66 - The House on Murder Mountain
    7.6/10(8 votes)

    S18:E66

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Dateline Season 18 Episode 4 - Through the Pouring Rain
    7.5/10(11 votes)

    S18:E4

    He came out of the woods, in the night, in the rain, into the homes of victims. Over 14 years, more than a dozen women were raped by a stranger who left no clues – except for one.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Dateline Season 18 Episode 5 - The Grifters
    7.4/10(8 votes)

    S18:E5

    The crimes of the murderous con artist Sante Kimes, who was aided by her son Kenneth

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Dateline Season 18 Episode 62 - A Father's Mission
    7.4/10(8 votes)

    S18:E62

    NBC News' Chief Foreign Correspondent and award-winning chronicler of America's War on Terror, Richard Engel reports from Afghanistan and around the country on one of the deadliest battles in the Afghan War – the Battle of Wanat – and the impact it had on a fallen soldier's father in a special edition of "Dateline: A Father's Mission"

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. Dateline Season 18 Episode 20 - Behind the Badge
    7.2/10(8 votes)

    S18:E20

    In the lore of the Lone Star state, Texas lawmen rank pretty high: the good guys in the white hats. Their badge brought prestige - their gunfights, the history books. But in the modern-day town of Denton, Texas -- the "little D" outside "the Big D" of Dallas - there served one Texas lawman with a curious past, all locked up in a box.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Dateline Season 18 Episode 25 - The Valentine's Day Mystery
    7.2/10(6 votes)

    S18:E25

    Authorities charge an Oklahoma doctor in his wife's death.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Dateline Season 18 Episode 6 - M-A-S-O-N on the Dollar Bill
    7.1/10(13 votes)

    S18:E6

    Is there a secret hidden on U.S. currency?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Dateline Season 18 Episode 32 - Rescue on the High Seas
    7.1/10(33 votes)

    S18:E32

    A year after being taken captive by Somali pirates, Captain Richard Phillips talks with Matt Lauer about his harrowing experience and brave rescue.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Dateline Season 18 Episode 34 - Bitter Pill
    7.0/10(40 votes)

    S18:E34

    When a mother of two died after a fender-bender, her loved ones were left shaking their heads and looking for answers. The more they learned, though, the more it seemed that it wasn't her accident that needed investigating, but her marriage.. Dennis Murphy Reports.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Dateline Season 18 Episode 36 - America Now: City of Heartbreak and Hope
    7.0/10(25 votes)

    S18:E36

    2010 - They litter the landscape, the thousands of abandoned homes. And just like these buildings, Detroit is a shell of its former self. One third of the people live in poverty. Almost half the adults are illiterate, and about 75 percent of kids drop out of school. Dateline NBC's Chris Hansen returns to his hometown.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Dateline Season 18 Episode 46 - Miracle on the Wild Coast
    7.0/10(29 votes)

    S18:E46

    A harrowing, dramatic story of heroism at sea after a cruise ship starts to take on water and sink with nearly 600 people on board. Almost every moment of the crisis was captured on home video. How did the passengers survive after some crew members abandoned ship?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Dateline Season 18 Episode 61 - Michael Jackson: A Mother's Story
    7.0/10(9 votes)

    S18:E61

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Dateline Season 18 Episode 9 - The Friday the 13th Mystery
    6.9/10(11 votes)

    S18:E9

    Could a man's murder be connected to a rekindled high school flame? Josh Mankiewicz reports.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Dateline Season 18 Episode 56 - Circle of Friends
    6.9/10(38 votes)

    S18:E56

    In one instant, a loud and crazy party became a moment that would affect Ryan Thompson and his friends for the rest of their lives. One gunshot was all it took to tear their friendships apart and fill their lives with guilt.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Dateline Season 18 Episode 38 - Twisted Faith
    6.8/10(8 votes)

    S18:E38

    A charismatic pastor who offered his counseling services to married couples in trouble had lost his wife in a house fire. What many in his church didn’t know was that this pastor was harboring a sinful secret. Watch the full Dateline NBC hour here.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Dateline Season 18 Episode 30 - America Now: Circle of Friends
    6.7/10(53 votes)

    S18:E30

    The disappearance of 21-year-old Bethany Like the rest of the country, Grafton, Wisc. was hit hard by the recession. Despite their own troubles, the people in this small blue collar town north of Milwaukee came together to give hope to an extraordinary family: Karen Longoria and her children, two of whom who have special needs.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Dateline Season 18 Episode 1 - Behind Closed Doors: Bad Chemistry/The Mystery in the Master Bedroom
    6.6/10(10 votes)

    S18:E1

    In "Bad Chemistry", Keith Morrison reports on a story involving a messy divorce where a man is murdered and found in a vat filled with acid In "The Mystery in the Master Bedroom", Dennis Murphy reports on Newlyweds who were settling into a new house and a new life together. Then, a tragedy: The young husband discovers his wife had drowned in the bathtub. It seemed a horrible accident, but police were bothered by one thing: Why was her body dry?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Dateline Season 18 Episode 65 - Deadly Affair
    6.6/10(8 votes)

    S18:E65

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Dateline Season 18 Episode 3 - In Plain Sight: Jaycee Dugard
    6.2/10(8 votes)

    S18:E3

    A mother’s prayers answered: A kidnapped child rescued after 18 years. But why wasn’t Jaycee Dugard’s alleged kidnapped stopped sooner? NBC’s Keith Morrison reports. Watch “In Plain Sight,” Dateline’s hour-long investigation, here.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Dateline Season 18 Episode 41 - The Seduction
    6.2/10(8 votes)

    S18:E41

    Something happens when love turns to obsession, and it is rarely good. In tonight's story an obsessed lover was willing to do almost anything to keep the woman he loved, even if it cost a life, even if that life was his. Keith Morrison reports.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Dateline Season 18 Episode 8 - Mystery at Lost Dog Road
    5.9/10(12 votes)

    S18:E8

    When a well-liked young man lost his wife and son on a family outing, an entire town mourned. Keith Morrison reports.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Dateline Season 18 Episode 29 - The Desperate Hours
    5.8/10(15 votes)

    S18:E29

    A courageous mother works with a hostage negotiator in hope of freeing her husband from kidnappers in Mexico. Keith Morrison reports.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Dateline Season 18 Episode 2 - The Michael Jackson Tapes
    4.6/10(8 votes)

    S18:E2

    Rabbi Shmuley first met Michael Jackson in 1999, and began recording their conversations a year later, when Jackson was 42 years old. Theirs was an unlikely friendship -- but the Orthodox rabbi had became a confidant and spiritual advisor to the King Of Pop. Now, for the first time, spilling out across page, and on tape: Michael Jackson in his own words. Up until now, these recordings have never been released.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 18 Ratings Summary

"Heroes of Children's Hospital" is the best rated episode of "Dateline" season 18. It scored 7.9/10 based on 19 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/31/2010. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "The Years of Living Dangerously".