Trailer unavailable

Series · 2004 · Documentary

The First 48

★7.9 2004 30 Seasons TV-MA

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 with unprecedented access to crime scenes, autopsies, forensic processing, and interrogations.

Seasons & episodes

30 seasons · 610 episodes

Gangs of Little Havana/Execution in Coconut Grove

Episode 01

Gangs of Little Havana/Execution in Coconut Grove

Jun 3, 2004 · 45 min

A wall of silence from a frightened community hampers efforts to solve a brutal murder; and a mother of two is shot execution-style in her kitchen in an affluent neighborhood. In a visual style more like drama than reality show, we tail Miami homicide investigators as they race time to solve these murders. Who're the suspects? Are the detectives right? With cliffhangers at each break, both cases in this gritty episode will keep viewers guessing until the end.

Overkill/Left for Dead

Episode 02

Overkill/Left for Dead

Jun 10, 2004 · 45 min

Miami homicide detectives race against time in the critical first hours of investigation to find the evidence necessary to charge two suspects in a brutal murder case; & police find a man who's been shot and left for dead, but with no evidence, witnesses, or even a name for their victim, the detectives have got their work cut out for them. Find out if these driven detectives can make their cases.

Blood in the Snow/Swope Park Killing

Episode 03

Blood in the Snow/Swope Park Killing

Jun 17, 2004 · 45 min

In Kansas City, an ambitious captain and two veteran detectives face their first homicide of the year and must make deals with wanted drug kingpins to find the killer of a young woman; and a female homicide sergeant and her all-male team get a tip that leads their murder investigation into a dark subculture of drugs, guns, and buried safes.

Double Shooting on Haskell; Back Alley Revenge

Episode 04

Double Shooting on Haskell; Back Alley Revenge

Jun 24, 2004 · 45 min

In Kansas City, detectives investigate a shooting death and must convince a son to give up his father; and investigate a murder in an area known for its drug problems.

Body in the Park / Ruby Street Shooting

Episode 05

Body in the Park / Ruby Street Shooting

Jul 1, 2004 · 45 min

Sergeant Irma Labrice and Detectives Leon Lubiejewski and Michael Gross don't have much time to find a murder suspect and they don't have much to go on either, as the victim's body was burned beyond recognition; witnesses to the murder refuse to talk to police.

Killing Spree

Episode 06

Killing Spree

Jul 29, 2004 · 45 min

Police try to convince the frightened residents of a housing project known as the "Pork and Beans" to help them track down the man who's been terrorizing the community, but after the third murder in a month, no one even calls 911.

On Ice/Body in the Canal

Episode 07

On Ice/Body in the Canal

Aug 5, 2004 · 45 min

Employees of an ice rink arrives at work only to find the door ajar and blood all over the floor. When the police arrive the overnight employee is found beaten beyond recognition and the facility robbed. Since who ever did this seemed to have knowledge detectives turn to former employees to start the investigation. In another case a woman walking by a river in Phoenix she's what she believes in a body wrapped in plastic in the water. Detectives don't have an identity, or crime scene making this a difficult investigation.

Fire in the Rain/Family Feud

Episode 08

Fire in the Rain/Family Feud

Aug 12, 2004 · 45 min

A motorist discovers a man's body alongside the highway with his genitals on fire. The investigation propels detectives on an odyssey through a rowdy world of Texas prostitutes and drugs; when a hard working Mexican migrant supporting his young family is found dead in a parking lot, detectives can't find a motive. As their investigation deepens, they must navigate a complex web of family ties and loyalties to identify the killer and catch him before he flees the country.

Desert Bones/Party's Over

Episode 09

Desert Bones/Party's Over

Aug 19, 2004 · 45 min

Detectives Sallie Dillian and Cliff Jewell investigate a female skeleton found in the desert. Along with forensic anthropologist Laura Fulginiti, they work to determine who the mystery woman is. At first, they don't even know if she was murdered. But they use the scattered forensic and physical evidence to determine her identity and crack the case; an 18-year-old is shot in the head as a party of hundreds of high school students is breaking up. Because the teen is not expected to survive, homicide detectives Sandy Rodriguez and Tom Kulesa are called to the scene. Witnesses describe the shooter as a black male in a ski mask. In an intriguing development, there is a report of another non-fatal shooting that took place nearby, where the victim also described the shooter as a black male in a ski mask. Rodriguez and Kulesa must determine if the two events are related, who would have been after the victim and why.

Wrong Side of the Tracks / At Death's Door

Episode 10

Wrong Side of the Tracks / At Death's Door

Aug 26, 2004 · 45 min

Homicide detective Mayree Morin and her team of investigators are on their way to work on a sunny morning when they are called to a brutal murder scene. A man, shot at least a dozen times assassination-style, straddles a doorway in one of the city's roughest areas. No one in the vicinity saw anything, but detectives quickly learn that an ongoing war over drug turf has recently paralyzed the neighborhood. With just hours to work with, Morin's team must move fast to land a suspect before the killer slips away; the son of a celebrated neurosurgeon is discovered near dawn, shot to death along the railroad tracks in the Overtown neighborhood. The investigation leads straight-talking veteran detective Ervens Ford and his wise-ass rookie partner Kevin Ruggiero down a shady path of halfway houses, strip clubs, and misguided wealth. The pressure is on as the detectives meticulously backtrack the victim's last steps, trying to nail down a solid lead before their trail runs cold.

Stripper's Revenge/Dead on Arrival

Episode 11

Stripper's Revenge/Dead on Arrival

Sep 2, 2004 · 45 min

Hours after a jealous stripper vows revenge, her two-timing boyfriend is shot and killed. But the girlfriend is not the shooter, and it's up to Detective Tom Kulesa of Phoenix PD to unravel the mystery. And when a young father is dragged screaming from his bed in the middle of the night and gunned down in his doorway, Detective Mike Polk must figure out fact from fiction in witnesses' stories before the killers' trail grows cold.

At Close Range/Murder in Motor City

Episode 12

At Close Range/Murder in Motor City

Sep 16, 2004 · 45 min

When Phoenix homicide Detective Tom Kulesa realizes a potential witness to a double murder has gone missing, he must race against time to stop another vicious killing; and in Detroit, Sergeant Jo Ann Kinney must turn to forensics to solve the murder of a man found dead in a brand new Cadillac Escalade.

Silent Witness/Halley Street Slayings

Episode 13

Silent Witness/Halley Street Slayings

Nov 18, 2004 · 45 min

When a hard-working store worker is cut down in a hail of gunfire, veteran Sergeant Pepi Granado and his team must turn to a silent witness-- the store's video surveillance system, which caught the entire murder on tape; Sergeant Jo Ann Kinney and Detective Ed Williams tackle the case of a young couple found brutally killed in their house and learn that the victims knew their killer. They must track down reluctant witnesses deep in the narcotics game before their killer has a chance to get away.

About the series

The First 48 poster
Audience score
★ 7.9 /10

based on 103 votes

Synopsis

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 with unprecedented access to crime scenes, autopsies, forensic processing, and interrogations.

DocumentaryDramaCrime

Cast

1 principal cast

Dion Graham

Dion Graham

Narrator

Where to watch The First 48

The First 48 is available to stream on Flicksy via 6 verified sources, aggregated from publicly available embed providers. The documentary has 30 seasons and 610 total episodes, rated 7.9/10 by 103 viewers.

Frequently asked

How many seasons does The First 48 have?

The First 48 has 30 seasons with 610 episodes in total.

Is The First 48 still on the air?

The First 48 is currently in production and returning for new episodes.

What network airs The First 48?

The First 48 airs on A&E.

When did The First 48 first air?

The First 48 first aired on June 3, 2004.

More like this

Similar series

See all →
Betrayed

Betrayed

2016

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

2016

Killing County

Killing County

2023

Web of Death

Web of Death

2023

Real PD: Kansas City

Real PD: Kansas City

2021

Jana - Marked For Life

Jana - Marked For Life

2024

Dr. G: Medical Examiner

Dr. G: Medical Examiner

2004

Torn from the Headlines: New York Post Reports

Torn from the Headlines: New York Post Reports

2020

Cardinal

Cardinal

2017

MINDHUNTER

MINDHUNTER

2017

Murder in Big Horn

Murder in Big Horn

2023

Hollywood Demons

Hollywood Demons

2025

Cold Blood

Cold Blood

2008

German Crime Story: Gefesselt

German Crime Story: Gefesselt

2023

The Raincoat Killer: Chasing a Predator in Korea

The Raincoat Killer: Chasing a Predator in Korea

2021

Unforgiven

Unforgiven

2016

Til Death Do Us Part

Til Death Do Us Part

2019

Files of the Unexplained

Files of the Unexplained

2024

Paranoid

Paranoid

2016

Wimbledon Common

—