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The Best Episodes of The First 48

Every episode of The First 48 ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The First 48!

The Best Episodes of The First 48

The First 48 follows detectives from around the country during these first critical hours as they race against time to find the suspect. Gritty and...
  1. Background image for Safe House
    9.8/10(12 votes)

    #1 - Safe House

    S14:E1

    Dallas homicide detectives discover nearly $1 million in the home of a man who was shot on his front porch; two violent suspects are tracked.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  2. Background image for Unspeakable Part 2
    9.4/10(45 votes)

    #2 - Unspeakable Part 2

    S17:E28

    Tulsa Ok. Detective Jason White continues to investigate Courtney Palmers disappearance. The missing persons case turns into a detective's worst nightmare

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  3. Background image for Mother of Two
    9.0/10(23 votes)

    #3 - Mother of Two

    S15:E22

    When a young mother is found naked and strangled in her car, Tulsa Detective John Brown uncovers a dark obsession that may have turned deadly.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  4. Background image for Crossfire / School Ties
    8.9/10(16 votes)

    #4 - Crossfire / School Ties

    S4:E8

    In Miami, Detectives Emiliano Tamayo and Ervens Ford find a young woman shot dead in a convenience store. The store's surveillance footage reveals she may have been an innocent victim. Another man was the target. They need to find him before it's too late. Across town, fellow Miami Detectives Fernando Bosch and Rick Martinez are investigating the murder of a man shot dead on the street in the middle of the day. The victim's girlfriend was there and may know the identity of the killer.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  5. Background image for Gone
    8.9/10(18 votes)

    #5 - Gone

    S8:E1

    Detectives are called to the scene at an apartment, blood covers the apartment. There is no possible way the victim survived this brutal attack. No body is found at the scene and detectives start the search for the killer...and their victim.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  6. Background image for Last Words; Nowhere to Hide
    8.9/10(12 votes)

    #6 - Last Words; Nowhere to Hide

    S11:E33

    In Birmingham, a 49-year-old man is beaten and shot in the middle of a housing complex in broad daylight. In a community where no one wants to be seen as "snitching," finding someone to come forward with information will be Detective Chris Anderson's biggest challenge. Then, in DeKalb County, lead detective Chris Franklin investigates the murder of an 18-year-old male, gunned down in an apartment complex. The case takes a turn when Franklin learns the killer's intended target was actually the victim's friend.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The First 48

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  8. Background image for Dark Waters
    8.9/10(32 votes)

    #7 - Dark Waters

    S14:E18

    New Orleans Detective Ryan Vaught takes on his most challenging case yet when a young married couple goes missing and one of them is found floating in a river, drowned to death.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  9. Background image for Bullets Have No Names
    8.9/10(12 votes)

    #8 - Bullets Have No Names

    S16:E14

    A retired pre-school teacher is killed and detectives rely on a witness to crack the case.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  10. Background image for Triggered
    8.8/10(17 votes)

    #9 - Triggered

    S19:E12

    Detective Ronnie Leatherman returns to Tulsa homicide to investigate the death of a man who crashed his car in a shopping center.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  11. Background image for Buried Secrets
    8.7/10(45 votes)

    #10 - Buried Secrets

    S18:E6

    In Mobile, Alabama, a 68-year-old woman goes missing after checking into a casino where she had lost millions.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  12. Background image for Young Guns
    8.7/10(35 votes)

    #11 - Young Guns

    S18:E15

    When an innocent bystander protecting a young woman is gunned down, detectives scramble to learn who fired the fatal shots before anyone else gets hurt.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  13. Background image for Chain of Death
    8.7/10(42 votes)

    #12 - Chain of Death

    S19:E1

    In Atlanta, a decorated veteran and grandfather gets ambushed when he checks on a rental property.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  14. Background image for Blame Game; Chasing Shadows
    8.6/10(26 votes)

    #13 - Blame Game; Chasing Shadows

    S8:E9

    Two brothers are suspects in the murder of 30-year-old man, in what looks like a robbery gone wrong. Detectives try to get the brothers to turn on each other to see who the killer is. A man is found gunned down in a local parking lot. The clues are few and far between. Detectives get the break they need when the run across surveillance footage.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  15. Background image for Without a Trace; Street Justice
    8.6/10(14 votes)

    #14 - Without a Trace; Street Justice

    S11:E27

    No description available

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  16. Background image for Cold Embrace
    8.6/10(9 votes)

    #15 - Cold Embrace

    S14:E3

    In Cleveland, after a man is found dead in his car, the autopsy reveals he was strangled to death. Detectives Nate Sowa and Ray Diaz take the case and uncover a relationship that could lead them to their killer. But with Sowa's retirement right around the corner, can he solve the murder before the case goes cold?

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  17. Background image for Motel Massacre / Pure Innocent
    8.5/10(25 votes)

    #16 - Motel Massacre / Pure Innocent

    S4:E13

    A Memphis motel turns into a war zone when a gunfight leaves two men dead and another critically injured. Sgt. WD Merritt and the homicide team spring into action to find their shooter. In Kansas City, homicide Det. Everett Babcock leads the investigation into the shooting death of a two-year-old baby. To Babcock's surprise, an eight-year-old witness leads police on a nationwide manhunt.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  18. Background image for Out of the Past; Fued
    8.5/10(51 votes)

    #17 - Out of the Past; Fued

    S8:E6

    A man is gunned down in front of his wife and children. Detectives look for clues to determine if the murder has a deeper meaning or if it was a robbery gone wrong. A young man is killed in the middle of the day in the prime of his life, in a hail of gunfire. In order to track this killer the surviving victim must be located to get details of the shootout and why it happened.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  19. Background image for Love Her Madly; Off Track
    8.5/10(11 votes)

    #18 - Love Her Madly; Off Track

    S11:E36

    In Miami, the Homicide Unit responds to a scene to find the 911 caller covered in blood and a 35-year-old woman brutally stabbed. And in DeKalb County, Det. Joe Renaud and his team are working the shooting murder of a 22-year-old man.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  20. Background image for Bad Attitude/Collateral Damage
    8.5/10(13 votes)

    #19 - Bad Attitude/Collateral Damage

    S12:E11

    Mike Smith and Walley Everett investigate the murder of a 23-year-old mother found burned in the backyard of an abandoned house.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  21. Background image for Murder in Treme
    8.5/10(12 votes)

    #20 - Murder in Treme

    S14:E15

    In New Orleans, when a woman is slashed to death, the investigation into her murder leads Detectives Chuck Ward and Rob Barrere to a house of horrors, and they discover the killer may be someone they least expected.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  22. Background image for 1000 Cuts / Draw
    8.5/10(25 votes)

    #21 - 1000 Cuts / Draw

    S15:E24

    In Tulsa, an innocent mother is viciously murdered with a butcher knife. While in Atlanta, a beloved patriarch is gunned down when a game of dominoes turns deadly.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  23. Background image for One of Ours
    8.4/10(18 votes)

    #22 - One of Ours

    S11:E6

    In Miami, Det. Frank Sanchez responds to the murder of a retired Miami Police captain, shot in broad daylight at a marina on the Miami River. When initial leads run dry, Miami PD launches a massive investigation, tracking the alleged killer all the way to New Jersey.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  24. Background image for Gimme Shelter; Mishap
    8.4/10(18 votes)

    #23 - Gimme Shelter; Mishap

    S11:E7

    In Birmingham, lead Detective Mike Allison is working the murder of a man found shot in the basement stairwell of a house. Allison and his team quickly find an eyewitness and then the suspect. The case seems closed, when suddenly it unravels after the eyewitness disappears and Allison is forced to set his suspect free. A year passes, when out of the blue, the case takes a surprising turn. And in Charlotte, Lead Detective Bo McSwain and his team are trying to find the killers of a man shot behind his girlfriend's house. On scene, McSwain gets a break when four men come forward, claiming their innocence. The team believes these men are their suspects, but when they all refuse to talk, the case hits a wall. With nothing to hold them, the suspects start to leave homicide, but then McSwain makes a discovery at the crime scene, stopping one suspect in his tracks.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  25. Background image for What Lies Beneath; Back for Blood
    8.4/10(14 votes)

    #24 - What Lies Beneath; Back for Blood

    S11:E8

    When a man arrested for a domestic dispute claims his boyfriend killed someone seven months earlier and buried the body in the basement, Louisville Detectives Jon Lesher and Collin King are launched into one of the strangest cases of their career. Detectives are initially skeptical of the man's claim, but after hours of digging in a hot, humid basement, they discover the truth: buried five feet below the dirt floor is a large plastic storage box containing human remains. Detectives must now determine if the man accused of the murder is a cold-blooded killer, or if a vindictive lover is out to frame him. And in Charlotte, a 55-year-old father of three is stabbed to death and left for dead in the middle of a residential street. Det. Susan Sarvis and the homicide team initiate a citywide hunt for the last man seen with the victim to find out if he is a witness or if he's responsible for the homicide.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  26. Background image for Hit List; Hand in Hand
    8.4/10(12 votes)

    #25 - Hit List; Hand in Hand

    S11:E34

    No description available

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

Best Episodes Summary

"Safe House" is the best rated episode of "The First 48". It scored 9.8/10 based on 12 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 6/19/2014. This episode scored 0.4 points higher than the second highest rated, "Unspeakable Part 2".