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The Best Episodes of How It Really Happened

Every episode of How It Really Happened ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of How It Really Happened!

The Best Episodes of How It Really Happened

Jesse L. Martin takes an in-depth look at some of the most notorious crimes, mysteries, trials and celebrity tragedies of our time.

Seasons9

  1. Background image for Susan Smith: Someone Stole My Babies (Part 1)
    8.3/10(14 votes)

    #1 - Susan Smith: Someone Stole My Babies (Part 1)

    S4:E5

    On October 25, 1994, Susan Smith reports that a carjacker has abducted her two young sons, Michael and Alexander. This report sets off a nationwide search for the boys. While the world waits for news about the boys, investigators deliver shocking news.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  2. Background image for The Menendez Brothers: Murder in Beverly Hills: Part 2
    8.2/10(23 votes)

    #2 - The Menendez Brothers: Murder in Beverly Hills: Part 2

    S1:E2

    Lyle Menendez speaks from behind bars to Chris Cuomo, more than 25 years after he and his brother Erik were convicted of first degree murder.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  3. Background image for Finding Susan Powell: What the Children Saw (Part 2)
    8.2/10(16 votes)

    #3 - Finding Susan Powell: What the Children Saw (Part 2)

    S6:E2

    Authorities search for missing mother of two, Susan Powell, in every nook and cranny of the desert in Western Utah while her friends and family wait for a break in the case. Her husband Josh is named a person of interest as suspicion about his involvement in her disappearance grows. He and his father wage a counter-attack and a war between Susan and Josh's families erupts in the glare of the public spotlight. Shocking revelations about Josh and his family come to light--evidence of violence, obsession and sexual perversion. The family drama leads up to a shocking and unimaginable conclusion.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  4. Background image for Titanic (2): The Last Moments
    8.2/10(10 votes)

    #4 - Titanic (2): The Last Moments

    S8:E2

    Recent scientific advances have uncovered new secrets around the Titanic sinking, challenging previous notions about the ship's fate. This chapter continues to analyze the wreck and a recent underwater expedition that claimed more lives.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  5. Background image for Titanic (1): A Clear and Starry Night
    8.1/10(12 votes)

    #5 - Titanic (1): A Clear and Starry Night

    S8:E1

    The fateful Titanic shipwreck of 1912 intertwines with a recent underwater OceanGate voyage that cost more human lives. Interviews with historians, wreck analysts, and descendants of Titanic passengers shed light on both tragedies.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  6. Background image for The Menendez Brothers: Murder in Beverly Hills, Part 1
    8.0/10(27 votes)

    #6 - The Menendez Brothers: Murder in Beverly Hills, Part 1

    S1:E1

    HLN highlights the shocking motive that turned these brothers into killers.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of How It Really Happened

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  8. Background image for The Strange Case of the Killer Nanny
    8.0/10(20 votes)

    #7 - The Strange Case of the Killer Nanny

    S2:E6

    An eight-month-old baby is fatally injured while in the care of a family's au pair, Louise Woodward. Was it child abuse or a tragic accident? Doctors suspect the former, a case of 'shaken impact syndrome,' and detectives arrest the infant's 19-year-old British nanny who cared for him in the hours and minutes before his demise. But, was the baby's death a case of intentional murder or a tragic accident that occurred under Woodward's watch?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  9. Background image for Susan Smith: The Shocking Truth (Part 2)
    8.0/10(12 votes)

    #8 - Susan Smith: The Shocking Truth (Part 2)

    S4:E6

    For nine days, the nation waits for news as to the whereabouts of missing 3-year-Michael and 14-month-old Alex Smith. Then, there's a shocking break in the case. The boys' father, David, shares his heartbreaking story.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  10. Background image for Gardner Art Heist: Stealing Beauty
    8.0/10(9 votes)

    #9 - Gardner Art Heist: Stealing Beauty

    S8:E5

    Saint Patrick's Day 1990, robbers stormed Boston's Gardner Museum, making off with 13 priceless artworks, never to be recovered. Valued at half a billion dollars, the whereabouts of the missing pieces remain a mystery.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  11. Background image for Capturing the Unabomber
    7.9/10(19 votes)

    #10 - Capturing the Unabomber

    S1:E15

    David Kaczynski, the brother of convicted Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, discusses the hunt that led to the capture of his infamous sibling.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  12. Background image for Ted Bundy Part 3: The Murder Trials
    7.9/10(15 votes)

    #11 - Ted Bundy Part 3: The Murder Trials

    S3:E3

    The murder trials and appeals. Ted Bundy helped prepare his own defense, but would his amateur lawyering help him beat the rap or send him to the electric chair?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  13. Background image for Ted Bundy Part 4: The Death Row Confessions
    7.9/10(15 votes)

    #12 - Ted Bundy Part 4: The Death Row Confessions

    S3:E4

    Ted Bundy maintains his innocence. As the clock wound down on his final death warrant, Ted Bundy made a last attempt to save his life. He began to talk. Were his confessions too late or a could this save him from the electric chair?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  14. Background image for Jodi Arias Part 1: Sex, Lies and Photographs
    7.9/10(14 votes)

    #13 - Jodi Arias Part 1: Sex, Lies and Photographs

    S3:E5

    Jodi Arias is a small town waitress and aspiring photographer. Travis Alexander is a handsome, devout Mormon and successful businessman. Almost two years after their romance began, Travis was found brutally murdered in his shower at home.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  15. Background image for DC Madam: The Woman Who Knew Too Much
    7.8/10(14 votes)

    #14 - DC Madam: The Woman Who Knew Too Much

    S1:E17

    Deborah Jean Palfrey threatened to expose names on her client list and was found hanging on her mother's property.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  16. Background image for David Cassidy: Fatal Secret
    7.8/10(13 votes)

    #15 - David Cassidy: Fatal Secret

    S4:E8

    Actor-musician David Cassidy ("The Partridge Family") experiences the pressures of fame as a teen idol in the 1970s. In the end, his death is surrounded by mystery, leaving his family, friends and fans with more questions than answers.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  17. Background image for The Bombing of Oklahoma City: McVeigh's Shocking Confession (Part 2)
    7.8/10(18 votes)

    #16 - The Bombing of Oklahoma City: McVeigh's Shocking Confession (Part 2)

    S4:E10

    In an exclusive prison interview, Timothy McVeigh himself describes how events in his personal life - and in the ever-changing world around him - inspired him to take action against his fellow Americans.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  18. Background image for The Strange Case of Jeffrey Dahmer
    7.7/10(19 votes)

    #17 - The Strange Case of Jeffrey Dahmer

    S1:E14

    The chilling account of a man who survived his encounter with the notorious serial killer, who managed to evade police scrutiny for years.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  19. Background image for The Casey Anthony Story Part 1
    7.7/10(23 votes)

    #18 - The Casey Anthony Story Part 1

    S2:E1

    In 2008, two-year-old Florida toddler, Caylee Anthony, vanishes. Her mother, Casey Anthony tells investigators Caylee has been kidnapped by her nanny, a woman Casey's family has never actually seen. But why?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  20. Background image for Did Scott Peterson Murder Laci? (Part 1)
    7.7/10(21 votes)

    #19 - Did Scott Peterson Murder Laci? (Part 1)

    S2:E10

    A tale of murder, adultery, courtroom drama, and ultimately the death penalty. The story of Scott and Laci Peterson as told by those who lived it. Did Scott Peterson murder Laci?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  21. Background image for Ted Bundy Part 1: The Girls Are Missing
    7.7/10(18 votes)

    #20 - Ted Bundy Part 1: The Girls Are Missing

    S3:E1

    In the winter of 1974, college-age women from the Pacific Northwest began to disappear seemingly without a trace.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  22. Background image for Ted Bundy Part 2: Ted Escapes
    7.7/10(16 votes)

    #21 - Ted Bundy Part 2: Ted Escapes

    S3:E2

    While serving time for aggravated kidnapping in Utah and facing first degree murder charges in Colorado, Ted Bundy escaped not once but twice from authorities.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  23. Background image for The Bombing of Oklahoma City: The Explosion (Part 1)
    7.7/10(19 votes)

    #22 - The Bombing of Oklahoma City: The Explosion (Part 1)

    S4:E9

    On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh, a 26-year-old U.S. army veteran, detonated a 7,000 pound truck bomb outside the Alfred Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, claiming the lives of 168 innocent people.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  24. Background image for The Boston Marathon: Reconstructing the Crime Scene Pt. 1
    7.7/10(18 votes)

    #23 - The Boston Marathon: Reconstructing the Crime Scene Pt. 1

    S5:E7

    On April 15th, 2013, two bombs explode during the iconic Boston Marathon, killing three spectators and injuring hundreds of others. In a race against time, investigators, using state-of-the-art technology, circulate images to the public of the two suspects dubbed "black hat" and "white hat."

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  25. Background image for Finding Susan Powell: The Secret They Couldn't Talk About (Part 1)
    7.7/10(17 votes)

    #24 - Finding Susan Powell: The Secret They Couldn't Talk About (Part 1)

    S6:E1

    Susan Powell, a 28-year-old mother of two, goes missing in December of 2009. Her husband Josh claims to have taken their two young sons winter camping in the Utah desert and says he returned the next day to find her gone. Questioned by detectives, he doesn't behave like a concerned husband and his version of events doesn't match his son's. The mystery about where Susan's is deepens as more details about her marriage to Josh and their life behind closed doors emerge. Susan's family and friends do everything they can to find her while Josh insists that she ran out on him and their two little boys. The search for Susan Powell plays out on a national stage with everyone wondering: did she run off? Was she taken? Is Susan Powell dead or alive?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  26. Background image for Lorena Bobbitt: Tick Tick Boom
    7.7/10(11 votes)

    #25 - Lorena Bobbitt: Tick Tick Boom

    S7:E8

    In the dark hours of June 23, 1993, in Manassas, Virginia, a man lies fast asleep on his bed, while a woman looms over his prone body with a kitchen knife and proceeds to slice off his manhood. A stunning end to the broken marriage of Lorena and John Bobbitt, but what outrageous situation led two young people to a horrifying silent scream in the night?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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Best Episodes Summary

"Susan Smith: Someone Stole My Babies (Part 1)" is the best rated episode of "How It Really Happened". It scored 8.3/10 based on 14 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 8/25/2019. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Menendez Brothers: Murder in Beverly Hills: Part 2".