View source for 48 Hours (TV program)

{{Short description|US television show}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = 48 Hours (2022).svg
| caption              = 
| alt_name             = 
| genre                = [[Television documentary|Documentary]]<br>[[News magazine|Newsmagazine]]
| creator              = Howard Stringer
| director             = Rob Klug
| presenter            = {{Plainlist|
* [[Erin Moriarty (journalist)|Erin Moriarty]]
* [[Peter Van Sant]]
* [[Natalie Morales (journalist)|Natalie Morales]]
* [[Anne-Marie Green]]
}}
| theme_music_composer = 
| opentheme            = 
| endtheme             = 
| composer             = Julian Harris
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| num_seasons          = 36
| num_episodes         = 991<ref>{{cite web|title=''48 Hours'' on CBS|url=http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/48-hours/episodes/195619|work=TV Guide|access-date=February 1, 2014}}</ref>
| list_episodes        = 
| executive_producer   = Judy Tygard
| producer             = Chuck Stevenson, Liza Findley, Paul La Rosa, Ruth Chenetz, Alec Sirken, Chris O'Connell, Marc Goldbaum, Chris Young Ritzen, Marcella Spencer, Lisa Freed, Elena DiFiore
| editor               = Doreen Schecter, Greg McLaughlin, Phil Tangel, Marlon Disla, Richard Barber, Mike McHugh, Ken Blum, Diana Modica, Grayce Arlotta-Berner, David Spungen, Jud Johnston, Joan Adelman, Michelle Harris, Gary Winter, Marcus Balsam
| location             = 
| camera               = [[Multiple-camera setup|Multi-camera]]
| runtime              = 42 minutes
| company              = [[CBS News]]
| network              = [[CBS]] <br>Syndication (from September 11, 2023)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/48-hours-will-launch-in-syndication-this-fall | title='48 Hours' Will Launch in Syndication This Fall | date=14 August 2023 }}</ref>
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1988|01|19}}
| last_aired           = present
| related              = ''[[60 Minutes]]''
}}

'''''48 Hours''''', known for a period of time as '''''48 Hours Investigates''''' and '''''48 Hours Mystery''''', is an American [[Television documentary|documentary]] [[news magazine]] television show broadcast on [[CBS]]. The show has been broadcast on the network since January 19, 1988, in the United States. The show airs Saturdays at 10:00&nbsp;p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]] and [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific Time]], as part of the network's placeholder ''[[Crimetime Saturday]]'' block; as such, it is currently one of only two remaining first-run [[prime time]] shows (excluding [[Saturday Night Football|sports]]) airing Saturday nights on the major American broadcast television networks (along with [[Univision]]'s ''Sabadazo''). The show sometimes airs two-hour editions or two consecutive one-hour editions, depending on the subject involved or to serve as [[Counterprogramming (television)|counterprogramming]] against other networks. Judy Tygard was named senior executive producer in January 2019, replacing [[Susan Zirinsky]], who served as executive producer since 1996 until her early 2019 appointment as president of CBS News.

Reruns of ''48 Hours'' are regularly broadcast on [[Investigation Discovery]], the [[Oprah Winfrey Network]] and [[TLC (TV network)|TLC]] as part of their daytime and/or weekend schedules, with varying titles based on the edition's subject matter (such as '''''48 Hours Hard Evidence''''', '''''48 Hours Investigates''''' (a title that has also been used for the CBS broadcasts), '''''48 Hours on OWN''''' or '''''48 Hours on ID''''').

==Format==

===Original format===
The program was created by former [[CBS News]] president [[Howard Stringer]]. It drew its title, inspiration and original format from the CBS News documentary ''48 Hours on Crack Street,'' which aired in September 1986, centering on the drug crisis plaguing a number of U.S. neighborhoods. Like the original documentary, the program originally focused on showing events occurring within a 48-hour time span; this format was eventually phased out by the early 1990s.

One of the contributors to that program, CBS News correspondent [[Harold Dow]], had been a member of the ''48 Hours'' on-air staff since its premiere. [[Dan Rather]], at the time also serving as anchor of the ''[[CBS Evening News]]'', was the primary host of ''48 Hours'' for its first 14 years on the air. In 1997, CBS aired a special episode of 48 Hours titled ''Property of 48 Hours'', which focused on some of the stories over the program's first nine years.

After low ratings on Saturday nights, the show was moved to Wednesday nights, replacing the comedies ''[[Lenny (TV series)|Lenny]]'' and ''[[Doctor Doctor (American TV series)|Doctor Doctor]]'', and it was soon to be moved to the 10:00&nbsp;p.m. slot.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1990-10-08|title=If at first you don't succeed...new season cancellations and reshufflings began|work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/90-OCR/BC-1990-10-08-OCR-Page-0036.pdf|access-date=2021-09-13}}</ref>

===Current format===
In the mid-2000s, the program transitioned into its current format, originally known as ''48 Hours Mystery'' although it has since reverted to its original title, which mainly presents "[[true crime]]" documentaries.<ref>{{cite web|title='48 Hours' Kicks Off Its 25th Full Season With a Fresh New Line-Up of Crime and Justice Stories that Make a Difference|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/09/19/48-hours-kicks-off-its-25th-full-season-with-a-fresh-new-line-up-of-crime-and-justice-stories-that-make-a-difference/149292/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923202117/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/09/19/48-hours-kicks-off-its-25th-full-season-with-a-fresh-new-line-up-of-crime-and-justice-stories-that-make-a-difference/149292/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 23, 2012|author=Sara A. Bibel|work=[[TV by the Numbers]]|publisher=[[Zap2It]] ([[Tribune Media]])|access-date=December 31, 2012}}</ref>

In 2009, the program featured interviews with Jodi Arias concerning the [[murder of Travis Alexander|murder of her former boyfriend, Travis Alexander]]. These recordings were later used in 2011 as evidence in court to convict Arias, the first time the program's interviews had ever been used in a [[death penalty]] trial.<ref>{{cite web|title=48 Hours - The Mind of a Killer: Unraveling the Lies of Jodi Arias|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-mind-of-a-killer-unraveling-the-lies-of-jodi-arias/|work=[[CBS News]]|date=17 May 2013 }}</ref>

On September 17, 2011, ''48 Hours'' began broadcasting in [[high-definition television|high definition]], making it the last prime time newsmagazine on American broadcast television to convert to the format.

==Variations==

===''48 Hours Investigates/Mystery''===
{{Further|topic=the 2002-2008 Producer, Director, Writer|Martin S. Zied}}
The program was revamped in 2002, when [[Lesley Stahl]] took over hosting duties from Dan Rather, and its title was changed to ''48 Hours Investigates''. The title was changed again to ''48 Hours Mystery'' in 2004, and with its single-topic format, it does not use a single host but is narrated by the reporter assigned to the story. The current format of the documentary primarily deals with real-life mysteries and crime stories, again with just one mystery per episode (such as the [[murder of Brian Stidham]]),<ref>{{cite news|title=An Eye For An Eye|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/an-eye-for-an-eye-25-10-2007/|work=CBS News|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref> owing to its heritage structure of featuring a single topic per episode.

===''48 Hours: Live to Tell''===
''48 Hours: Live to Tell'' uses a different format from the earlier versions of the program. This format does not utilize a narrator; instead the stories are recounted entirely by the victims and those who know the victims of crimes; some episodes also focus on other life-threatening situations, but are recounted in the same manner.

===''48 Hours: NCIS'' & ''NCIS: The Cases They Can't Forget''===
''48 Hours: NCIS'', also known as ''NCIS: The Cases They Can't Forget'', utilizes a similar format to the standard, although it instead features real life cases from the [[Naval Criminal Investigative Service]]. [[Rocky Carroll]], who plays NCIS director [[List of NCIS characters#Leon Vance|Leon Vance]] on ''[[NCIS (TV series)|NCIS]]'', narrates these episodes, which aired on April 25, May 12, and May 23-June 13, 2017, all of which except for May 12 being on Tuesdays.<ref>{{cite web|title="48 Hours: NCIS" program schedule|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/48-hours-ncis-program-schedule-when-to-watch-the-next-episode/|work=CBS News|date=May 22, 2017}}</ref> As of 2018, it is in its second season.

On May 17, 2019, it was announced that the third season will premiere on May 29, 2019.<ref>{{cite web|title=CBS Announces Premiere Dates for Two Returning True-Crime News Series|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2019/05/17/cbs-announces-premiere-dates-for-two-returning-true-crime-news-series-790103/20190517cbs01/|work=[[The Futon Critic]]|date=May 17, 2019}}</ref> For the third season, it was retitled ''NCIS: The Cases They Can't Forget''.

==Broadcast history and Nielsen ratings==
On occasions where CBS airs [[breaking news]] coverage in primetime, the time on air is reported to [[Nielsen Media Research|Nielsen]] as a special edition of ''48 Hours'' so as to not affect the ratings of the preempted regular programming. This is akin to a [[legal fiction]] and has no relation to the actual show.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Season !! Time slot (ET) !! Rank !! Rating<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Tim |last2=Marsh |first2=Earle |date=2007 |title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present |publisher=Ballantine Books |page=1693 |isbn=978-0-345-49773-4 |edition=Ninth }}</ref>
|-
| [[1987–88 United States network television schedule|1987–88]] || Tuesday at 8:00-9:00 || rowspan="4" colspan="2" {{n/a}}
|-
| [[1988–89 United States network television schedule|1988–89]] || rowspan="2"|Thursday at 8:00-9:00 <small>(March 1988-September 1990)</small>
|-
| [[1989–90 United States network television schedule|1989–90]]
|-
| [[1990–91 United States network television schedule|1990–91]] || Saturday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(September 1990)</small><br />Wednesday at 8:00-9:00 <small>(October 1990-March 1991)</small>
|-
| [[1991–92 United States network television schedule|1991–92]] || rowspan="3"|Wednesday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(April 1991-December 1994)</small> || 29 || 13.2
|-
| [[1992–93 United States network television schedule|1992–93]] || 26 || 13.5 <small>(Tied with ''[[Blossom (American TV series)|Blossom]]'')</small>
|-
| [[1993–94 United States network television schedule|1993–94]] || rowspan="25" colspan="2" {{n/a}}
|-
| [[1994–95 United States network television schedule|1994–95]] || rowspan="6"|Thursday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(January 1995-September 2000)</small><br />Wednesday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(July–September 1997)</small><br />Tuesday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(March–April 1998)</small><br />Monday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(June–September 1998)</small><br />Monday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(June–September 1999)</small><br />Tuesday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(July–September 1999)</small><br />Monday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(May–July 2000)</small><br />Saturday at 8:00-9:00 <small>(June 2000)</small>
|-
| [[1995–96 United States network television schedule|1995–96]]
|-
| [[1996–97 United States network television schedule|1996–97]]
|-
| [[1997–98 United States network television schedule|1997–98]]
|-
| [[1998–99 United States network television schedule|1998–99]]
|-
| [[1999–2000 United States network television schedule|1999–2000]]
|-
| [[2000–01 United States network television schedule|2000–01]] || Thursday at 8:00-9:00 <small>(October–December 2000)</small><br />Thursday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(December 2000-February 2001)</small><br />Thursday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(May–August 2001)</small><br />Monday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(May–July 2001)</small>
|-
| [[2001–02 United States network television schedule|2001–02]] || Friday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(July 2001-June 2002)</small><br />Thursday at 8:00-9:00 <small>(August–September 2001)</small><br />Wednesday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(March–May 2002)</small><br />Monday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(April–August 2002)</small>
|-
| [[2002–03 United States network television schedule|2002–03]] || Friday at 8:00-9:00 <small>(June 2002-January 2003)</small><br />Wednesday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(July–September 2002)</small><br />Friday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(August–September 2002)</small><br />Wednesday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(January–June 2003)</small><br />Friday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(February–August 2003)</small><br />Saturday at 8:00-9:00 <small>(July–August 2003)</small><br />Wednesday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(August–September 2003)</small>
|-
| [[2003–04 United States network television schedule|2003–04]] || Saturday at 8:00-9:00 <small>(September–November 2003)</small><br />Wednesday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(October 2003-September 2004)</small><br />Friday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(February–March 2004)</small><br />Friday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(May–September 2004)</small>
|-
| [[2004–05 United States network television schedule|2004–05]] || rowspan="20" |Saturday at 10:00-11:00<br />Tuesday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(May–July 2005)</small><br />Tuesday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(June–August 2006)</small><br />Wednesday at 10:00-11:00 <small>(August–September 2021)</small>
|-
| [[2005–06 United States network television schedule|2005–06]]
|-
| [[2006–07 United States network television schedule|2006–07]]
|-
| [[2007–08 United States network television schedule|2007–08]]
|-
| [[2008–09 United States network television schedule|2008–09]]
|-
| [[2009–10 United States network television schedule|2009–10]]
|-
| [[2010–11 United States network television schedule|2010–11]]
|-
| [[2011–12 United States network television schedule|2011–12]]
|-
| [[2012–13 United States network television schedule|2012–13]]
|-
| [[2013–14 United States network television schedule|2013–14]]
|-
| [[2014–15 United States network television schedule|2014–15]]
|-
| [[2015–16 United States network television schedule|2015–16]]
|-
| [[2016–17 United States network television schedule|2016–17]]
|-
| [[2017–18 United States network television schedule|2017–18]]
|-
| [[2018–19 United States network television schedule|2018–19]] || rowspan="3" colspan="2" {{TBA}}
|-
| [[2019–20 United States network television schedule|2019–20]]
|-
| [[2020-21 United States network television schedule|2020–21]]
|-
|[[2021–22 United States network television schedule|2021–22]]
| colspan="2" rowspan="3" |
|-
|[[2022–23 United States network television schedule|2022–23]]
|-
|[[2023–24 United States network television schedule|2023–24]]
|}

==International release==
The series has also aired on various channels in Canada, most recently [[Global Television Network|Global]]. Since June 2015, it has also aired in Australia on [[Network 10]] (a sister network of CBS since 2017).<ref name=TVCatchUpOz>{{cite web|title=48 Hours|url=https://www.tvcatchupaustralia.com/48-hours|website=TV Catchup Australia|date=28 March 2021 }}</ref>

==Awards and nominations==
The program has received over 20 [[Emmy Awards]], two [[Peabody Awards]] (one in 2000 for the report "Heroes Under Fire"<ref>{{cite web|title=60th Annual Peabody Awards|url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/48-hours-heroes-under-fire|work=[[Peabody Award]]s|date=May 2001}}</ref> and one for the reports "Abortion Battle" and "On Runaway Street"),<ref>{{cite web|title=60th Annual Peabody Awards|url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/48-hours-abortion-battle-and-on-runaway-street|work=Peabody Awards|date=May 2001}}</ref> and an [[Ohio State Award]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{official website|http://www.cbsnews.com/48-hours/}}
*{{IMDb title|0271894|48 Hours}}

{{US Newsmagazine|state=collapsed}}
{{CBSNetwork Shows (current and upcoming)|state=collapsed}}
{{TLC Programming}}

[[Category:1988 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1980s American television news shows]]
[[Category:1990s American television news shows]]
[[Category:2000s American television news shows]]
[[Category:2010s American television news shows]]
[[Category:2020s American television news shows]]
[[Category:CBS News]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Peabody Award–winning television programs]]
[[Category:Television series by CBS Studios]]
[[Category:True crime television series]]