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The Best Episodes of The First 48 Season 5

Every episode of The First 48 Season 5 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The First 48 Season 5!

Binge this in 9h 45m•Peaking at 8.5/10

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

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    The First 48 Season 5 Episode 6 - The Good Book / Nightmare
    8.5/10(14 votes)

    S5:E6

    In Miami, Detective Manny Castillo is investigating a brutal double homicide. The key to the case could be a surviving third victim, who is clinging to life after being shot multiple times. In Dallas, detective PE Jones faces the ultimate whodunit when he finds the charred remains of a body in a burning car. With 35 years as a cop under his belt, Jones uses old-fashioned footwork to find justice.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. The First 48 Season 5 Episode 1 - Fatal Pickup / Bad Neighbor
    8.4/10(25 votes)

    S5:E1

    In Detroit, a double shooting in a vacant lot leads Lieutenant John Morell and Sergeant LaNesha Jones to an unlikely suspect—a 61 year old man. And in Dallas, Detective Eddie Ibarra must unravel the complex life of a victim riddled with bullets and dumped in a downtown park.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. The First 48 Season 5 Episode 11 - Hard Fall
    8.4/10(18 votes)

    S5:E11

    A former airline executive is stabbed to death in his car. Rookie Detective Mario De Los Santos tracks two suspects and finds out that both the suspect and his victim shared promising futures-and a deadly vice.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. The First 48 Season 5 Episode 7 - To Die For / Highway Revenge
    8.2/10(27 votes)

    S5:E7

    In Memphis, Tennessee, Sergeant Caroline Mason takes it personally when a 75-year-old man is shot dead in her old neighborhood. In Detroit, a man is found dead behind the wheel on Interstate 96 and Sergeant Mike Russell tracks a notorious gang to find the killer.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. The First 48 Season 5 Episode 5 - Stray Bullet / Payback
    8.1/10(31 votes)

    S5:E5

    A family man is shot dead inside his apartment. Detective Kim Sanders and Paul Ellzey believe that the shooter killed the wrong man. They must find the intended target before the killer does; rookie Detective Mario De Los Santos gets his first big case-- a triple homicide. He finds himself in the middle of a cycle of violence that threatens to spin out of control.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. The First 48 Season 5 Episode 2 - Up in Smoke / Shot in the Dark
    8.0/10(29 votes)

    S5:E2

    In Memphis, a truck fire brings Sgt. William Ashton and the homicide team to the scene of a double murder. When the smoke clears, Ashton must track down a series of suspects in pursuit of the killer. In Kansas City, Kansas, Det. Bill Michael works the murder of a woman found dead in the street. With few leads to go on, he's wondering how to find the killer when anyone could be a suspect.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. The First 48 Season 5 Episode 4 - Live to Tell / Field of Lies
    7.9/10(22 votes)

    S5:E4

    In Miami, Ricardo John catches his first case as lead detective: a young woman apparently raped and murdered in a vacant lot. In Dallas, Detectives Scott Sayers and Kenneth Penrod investigate a home invasion that left one man dead and his fianc e critically wounded. The case hangs on whether the surviving witness can identify her attackers.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. The First 48 Season 5 Episode 10 - Last Dance / Deadly Deal
    7.9/10(25 votes)

    S5:E10

    Detective Robert Quirk is investigating a gang shooting that left two dead and four with gunshot wounds. When surveillance tapes fail to identify the shooter, detectives must rely on witnesses for information; Detective Robert Blehm is working the murder of a suburban man found dead in his pickup truck with a fist full of dollars and drugs.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. The First 48 Season 5 Episode 9 - Silenced
    7.8/10(27 votes)

    S5:E9

    In Dallas, Detectives Bob Ermatinger and Ken Penrod investigate the murder of an unidentified young woman found shot to death at White Rock Lake. In order to identify the victim and begin tracking down her killer, the detectives must rely on the few leads they have, from a cell phone found at the crime scene to the clothes the victim was wearing.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. The First 48 Season 5 Episode 12 - Reversal of Fortune / Running Scared
    7.8/10(14 votes)

    S5:E12

    Detective Rick Duggan must unravel the mystery of a body rolled up in a carpet and dumped on the side of a road; Detective Fernando Bosch takes it personally when a 66-year-old Cuban man is shot dead in the street.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. The First 48 Season 5 Episode 3 - Blood Trail / 50G Murder
    7.7/10(29 votes)

    S5:E3

    In Memphis, Tennessee, a woman is brutally stabbed and left for dead in the street. When a witness comes forward with the license plate number of a van she saw driving from the scene, the homicide team must employ unique tactics to lure the suspect in. In Dallas, Texas, Detective Rick Duggan investigates the murder of an elderly man, shot inside his dental clinic. Investigators have little to work with until a woman comes into headquarters with information that seems too good to be true.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. The First 48 Season 5 Episode 8 - Final Investment / Writing on the Wall
    7.6/10(24 votes)

    S5:E8

    A well-loved neighborhood investor is shot and the only eyewitness is a young girl on her way home from school. Sergeant Mitch Oliver and his team must persuade the girl's mother to let her talk to police; the murder of a homeless man appears to involve the notorious Mississippi-13 gang.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. The First 48 Season 5 Episode 13 - Missing Witness / Who's Knocking
    7.6/10(28 votes)

    S5:E13

    In Miami, a man is gunned down at close range in broad daylight. Detective Freddie Ponce and his team follow a blood trail at the scene to an apartment complex, where they believe the suspect is hiding out. In Cincinnati, Detectives Doug Lindle and Matthew Thompson investigate the murder of a man shot outside his apartment. They learn that moments before the murder, the victim received a house call from a stranger. They must uncover the identity of the unexpected visitor to find the killer.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 5 Ratings Summary

"The Good Book / Nightmare" is the best rated episode of "The First 48" season 5. It scored 8.5/10 based on 14 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 3/8/2007. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Fatal Pickup / Bad Neighbor".