48 Hours
48 Hours
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48 Hours

7.2
Yr 1988
Rt 42m
Status Returning Series
News Crime Documentary
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Series Brief

Overview

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.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 80 /100

Premiering in 1988, CBS News's "48 Hours" drew a divided response from initial television critics, though it quickly established itself as a landmark true-crime newsmagazine. Early critics at The Washington Post dismissed the series as an ambitious but fragmented program that failed to deliver depth, labeling it overly interrupted television. Conversely, contemporary reviewers at The New York Times deemed it "terrific television," describing it as a more serious, mature entry into prime-time journalism.

“Was this a little hokey? Of course; it was also terrific television.”

“An ambitious, provocative, prime-time news program that just doesn't work.”

“Critics highlighted its ability to sustain suspense without sensationalism.”

“Veteran true-crime that values empathy over exploitation”

Why fans love it

Since its 1988 premiere, 48 Hours has mastered the art of the anxious, suspenseful crime narrative. The series operates as a cautionary magazine show, wading into the most callous and disturbed corners of the justice system. It turns away from simple true crime tropes to focus on the biting reality of cases that often leave communities angry or deeply suspicious.

The show earns its reputation through an insistence on complexity. Correspondents like Erin Moriarty prioritize the mechanical details of an investigation, pushing for the resolution of cold cases rather than settling for surface-level intrigue. By framing high-stakes legal outcomes against the broader human experience, the program maintains a consistent, steady pressure on the facts. It is a procedural mirror held up to the justice system, unflinching in its look at how investigative journalism shapes real-world consequences.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

biting true crime disturbed angry magazine show complex suspicious anxious cautionary suspenseful callous informative
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
January 19, 1988
Status
Returning Series
Episode Runtime
42 minutes
Origin
US
TMDB Votes
55