The essential episodes of The First 48
Watch these 15 in order and you've got The First 48 — each pick states its reason.
- 01
Gangs of Little Havana / Execution in Coconut Grove
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.
- 02
In Memphis, Lt. Toney Armstrong and his team respond to Memphis's worst mass murder in more than 15 years, where they find four adults and two children dead. Armstrong's entire team is called to action as they scramble for leads, while the local media follows their every move.
- 03
The House Next Door / The Showdown
In Miami, a man found stabbed to death and dumped in an empty lot turns into a standoff with the house next door. Then in Harris County, a young father shot down in a turf war sends cops on the hunt for a killer caught on video.
- 04
A Cleveland man is shot multiple times and left to die in an alley; police detectives risk their lives to untangle the web of lies surrounding the investigation.
- 05
A detective in Atlanta (GA) investigating a cold-blooded murder learns that another recent shooting victim may be related to his case. Are these two incidents related or is he working his first serial killer case?
- 06
When a young man from Tulsa., Okla., is found shot dead in his van, homicide detectives retrace his final hours and get caught up in a web of lies.
- 07
For a Friend & The Last Gamble
In Atlanta, a teenager is killed when he steps in front of a gunman to save his friend. And in Tulsa, a man is shot dead and left in a church parking lot when he tries to sell a stolen car.
- 08
In Tulsa, Okla., detectives suspect a random roadside encounter when they find an unidentified cyclist gunned down in the middle of an intersection outside the airport.
- 09
A young man is gunned down at a troubled apartment complex that comes under federal investigation after a rap video goes viral.
- 10
In Tulsa, a father of two is gunned down in broad daylight when an attempt to stand up for his cousin backfires. When an unidentified woman found shot and burned resembles a suspect in a recent home invasion, New Orleans detectives suspect a connection.
- 11
A fateful choice tragically ends the life of an up-and-coming rapper.
- 12
When a house fire turns out to be a triple murder involving a seven-year-old girl, Tulsa Homicide takes it personally.
- 13
In Mobile, a brazen gunman shoots another man in front of a gas station security cameras; In Gwinnett County, detectives race to identify a woman shot on the side of the road and track down her killer.
- 14
An altercation in a casino parking lot leads to murder when friends abandon reason for revenge.
- 15
In Tulsa, when a woman goes missing after an argument with her new husband, detectives peel back the layers of her relationship to find their suspect.
Shows like The First 48
The closest matches on shared genres, ranked by match strength and popularity.
- 01Crime·Action·Science-FictionThe essential episodes of Person of Interest2011–2016·CBS
You are being watched. The government has a secret system, a machine that spies on you every hour of every day. - 02Crime·Drama·ThrillerThe essential episodes of True Detective2014–present
Touch darkness and darkness touches you back. - 03Crime·Drama·ComedyThe essential episodes of Fargo2014·FX
Fargo is a seasonal anthology crime drama with some dark comical elements, inspired by the film Fargo written by the Coen brothers. - 04Crime·DramaThe essential episodes of Chicago P.D.2014–present·NBCDistrict 21 of the Chicago Police Department is made up of two distinctly different groups.
- 05Crime·Drama·ActionThe essential episodes of NCIS2003–present·CBS
NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) is more than just an action drama. - 06Crime·Drama·ThrillerThe essential episodes of The Blacklist2013–2023·NBCThe Blacklist is a crime drama involving a former government agent who turned into a high-profile criminal turning himself in to the FBI offering to help catch criminals.
