Documentary•Drama•Crime

The Best Seasons of The First 48

Every season of The First 48 ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best seasons of The First 48!

Binge this in Unknown•Peaking at 9.4/10

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 fast-paced, it takes viewers behind the scenes of real-life investigations

Airs on

Season 4

19 Episodes

First Aired: Jun 2006

8.3/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE8 · Crossfire / School Ties 9.1

Season 8

15 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2009

8.1/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE1 · Gone 8.8

Season 7

32 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2008

8.0/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE1 · Inked in Blood 8.5

Other Seasons

Season 3

12 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2005

8.0/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE7 · Torched 8.2

Season 5

13 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2007

8.0/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE6 · The Good Book / Nightmare 8.5

Season 18

18 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2019

8.0/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE6 · Buried Secrets 8.8

Season 14

39 Episodes

First Aired: Jun 2014

7.9/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE1 · Safe House 9.0

Season 9

13 Episodes

First Aired: Jun 2009

7.9/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE12 · Heart of Gold; Last Breath 8.5

Season 13

34 Episodes

First Aired: Mar 2013

7.9/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE5 · Wild Ride 9.0

#10

Season 2

13 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2005

7.9/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE2 · Murder on the Interstate/House of Santeria 8.5

#11

Season 12

32 Episodes

First Aired: Dec 2011

7.8/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE8 · Down in Overtown/Breaking Point 8.8

#12

Season 11

39 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2010

7.8/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE33 · Last Words; Nowhere to Hide 8.9

#13

Season 17

28 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2017

7.8/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE28 · Unspeakable Part 2 9.4

#14

Season 15

29 Episodes

First Aired: Nov 2015

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE22 · Mother of Two 8.9

#15

Season 1

13 Episodes

First Aired: Jun 2004

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE13 · Silent Witness/Halley Street Slayings 8.0

#16

Season 6

17 Episodes

First Aired: Jul 2007

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE2 · 20 Bucks / Family Friends 8.1

#17

Season 16

22 Episodes

First Aired: Dec 2016

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE14 · Bullets Have No Names 8.2

#18

Season 19

54 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2020

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE1 · Chain of Death 8.7

#19

Season 10

29 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2010

7.6/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE18 · Schoolyard Revenge 8.5

#20

Season 22

8 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2023

7.3/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE2 · Cut Short 7.9

#21

Season 29

19 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2026

7.3/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE18 · Fatally Misinformed 8.2

#22

Season 23

10 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2024

7.2/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE1 · Killer Rage / A Killer at the Door 7.7

#23

Season 30

7 Episodes

First Aired: Jul 2026

7.1/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE4 · No Exit 8.0

#24

Season 24

9 Episodes

First Aired: May 2024

7.0/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE5 · Bad Business 8.1

#25

Season 28

12 Episodes

First Aired: Jun 2025

6.8/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE7 · The Man in the Mask 7.4

#26

Season 25

9 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2025

6.8/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE2 · Gun Runner and In a Flash 7.5

#27

Season 27

12 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2025

6.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE9 · Home Ground / In the Shadows 8.6

#28

Season 26

9 Episodes

First Aired: May 2024

6.5/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE9 · Inside The Tape Special #16 7.0

#29

Season 20

23 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2021

1.0/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE9 · The Dark Trail 1.0

#30

Season 21

19 Episodes

First Aired: Nov 2022

N/A/ 10

Average Rating