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The Best Seasons of The First 48

Every season of The First 48 ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best seasons of The First 48!

Top season
Season 4
8.3avg
Best episode
S17E28 Unspeakable Part 2
9.449 votes
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes
#1

Season 4

19 Episodes

First Aired: Jun 2006

8.3/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE13 · Motel Massacre / Pure Innocent 8.7
#2

Season 8

15 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2009

8.1/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE6 · Out of the Past; Fued 8.6
#3

Season 7

32 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2008

8.0/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE1 · Inked in Blood 8.5

Other Seasons

#4

Season 3

12 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2005

8.0/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE7 · Torched 8.2
#5

Season 5

13 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2007

8.0/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE1 · Fatal Pickup / Bad Neighbor 8.4
#6

Season 18

18 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2019

8.0/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE6 · Buried Secrets 8.7
#7

Season 14

39 Episodes

First Aired: Jun 2014

7.9/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE18 · Dark Waters 8.8
#8

Season 9

13 Episodes

First Aired: Jun 2009

7.9/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE1 · Last Wish 8.2
#9

Season 13

34 Episodes

First Aired: Mar 2013

7.9/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE22 · Bound and Burned 8.3
#10

Season 2

13 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2005

7.9/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE11 · Fallen / Texas Burning 8.4
#11

Season 12

32 Episodes

First Aired: Dec 2011

7.8/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE3 · Ultimate Price 8.4
#12

Season 11

39 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2010

7.8/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE6 · One of Ours 8.4
#13

Season 17

28 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2017

7.8/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE28 · Unspeakable Part 2 9.4
#14

Season 15

29 Episodes

First Aired: Nov 2015

7.7/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE22 · Mother of Two 8.9
#15

Season 6

17 Episodes

First Aired: Jul 2007

7.7/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE2 · 20 Bucks / Family Friends 8.1
#16

Season 16

22 Episodes

First Aired: Dec 2016

7.7/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE15 · Fatal Showdown / Deadly Text 8.2
#17

Season 19

54 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2020

7.7/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE1 · Chain of Death 8.7
#18

Season 1

13 Episodes

First Aired: Jun 2004

7.7/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE13 · Silent Witness/Halley Street Slayings 8.0
#19

Season 10

29 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2010

7.6/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE18 · Schoolyard Revenge 8.5
#20

Season 22

8 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2023

7.3/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE2 · Cut Short 7.9
#21

Season 26

9 Episodes

First Aired: May 2024

7.3/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE1 · Murder at The Uptown 10.0
#22

Season 29

19 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2026

7.3/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE18 · Fatally Misinformed 8.2
#23

Season 23

10 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2024

7.2/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE1 · Killer Rage / A Killer at the Door 7.7
#24

Season 30

7 Episodes

First Aired: Jul 2026

7.1/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE4 · No Exit 8.0
#25

Season 24

9 Episodes

First Aired: May 2024

7.0/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE5 · Bad Business 8.1
#26

Season 28

12 Episodes

First Aired: Jun 2025

6.8/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE7 · The Man in the Mask 7.4
#27

Season 25

9 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2025

6.8/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE2 · Gun Runner and In a Flash 7.5
#28

Season 27

12 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2025

6.7/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE9 · Home Ground / In the Shadows 8.6
#29

Season 20

23 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2021

1.0/ 10
Average Rating
Best episodeE9 · The Dark Trail 1.0
#30

Season 21

19 Episodes

First Aired: Nov 2022

N/A/ 10
Average Rating

Keep going

Top-rated The First 48 episodes

  1. #1Unspeakable Part 2 S17E289.4
  2. #2Buried Secrets S18E68.7
  3. #3Chain of Death S19E18.7
  4. #4Dark Waters S14E188.8
  5. #5Mother of Two S15E228.9

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