

The show that helped free the innocent and catch the guilty—39 years of obsession.
Season 39 • Episode 22
LatestA couple is attacked as they slept. They later team up with law enforcement and get their assailant to confess to more crimes.
This newsmagazine series investigates intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all aspects of the human experience. Over its long run, the show has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, driven the reopening — and resolution — of cold cases, and changed numerous lives. CBS News correspondents offer an in-depth look into each story, with the emphasis on solving the mystery at its heart.
Writing
Narratives that twist harder than the cases themselves.
Production
39 seasons of archival gold—true crime time capsule.
Editing
Cliffhangers so brutal they invented binge culture.
Creator
Judy Tygard
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
48 Hours pioneered the true crime TV format in 1988, predating the podcast boom by decades.
The show directly influenced actual case outcomes—investigators have cited episodes when reopening cold cases.