| The First 48 | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama, action |
| Format | Reality television |
| Starring | Dion Graham (narrator) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 11 |
| No. of episodes | 180 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | ITV Studios |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | A&E |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV), 720p (HDTV), 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original run | June 3, 2004 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The First 48 is an American documentary television series that airs on A&E. Filmed in various cities in the United States, the series offers an insider's look at the real-life world of homicide investigators. While the cinema-verite series often follows the investigations to their end, it usually focuses on their first 48 hours, hence the title.
While most cases are solved within the first 48 hours, some go on days, weeks, or months after the first 48. The shortest investigation was led by Det. Brenda Wescott, who arrested a suspect, just 6 hours into the investigation.
In 2006, the series was nominated for a Distinguished Documentary Achievement Award, in the Continuing Series category, by the International Documentary Association, eventually losing out to American Experience.
Dion Graham is featured as the narrator, and is the only member of the cast to be in every one of the episodes.[1]
On March 3, 2009, it was renewed for its 9th season by A&E, and currently has 152 episodes.[2] By season 6, The First 48 had become the highest rated non-fiction justice series on American television, and had gained considerable critical acclaim along with controversy.[3] The season 8 premiere on January 1, 2009 garnered a domestic audience of 2.3 million viewers making it the series' most watched episode, thus far.[4]
Each episode picks one or more homicides in different cities, covering each alternately, showing how detectives use forensic evidence, witness interviews and other advanced detective skills to identify suspects.
The series has aired several follow-up episodes entitled After the First 48, which detail the trials of those accused in previous episodes, and the aftermath of victims' survivors. There is also a new spin-off, The First 48: Missing Persons, which follows the same story format as the original series.
Contents |
The First 48's opening title sequence features the conceptual statement: "For homicide detectives, the clock starts ticking the moment they are called. Their chance of solving a case is cut in half if they don't get a lead within the first 48 hours." The original soundtrack, composed by both Chuck Hammer (2004–2005) and Brian and Justin Deming (2006–2008), is a combination of dark ambient music integrated with sound design.
| Season | Number of episodes |
|---|---|
| 1 | 13 |
| 2 | 12 |
| 3 | 31 |
| 4 | 41 |
| 5,6,8,9 | 23 |
| 7 | 30 |
| 10 | 29 |
| 11 | TBD |
On May 16, 2010, a 7-year-old Detroit girl named Aiyana Jones was shot and killed during a SWAT raid that was filmed by The First 48 cameras.[5] Detroit SWAT unit raided the duplex while searching for a homicide suspect. On October 5th, 2011 prosecutors charged the Detroit police officer with involuntary manslaughter of Jones. Allison Howard, an A&E Television Network photographer, who was filming that night, was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice after lying under oath.[6]
The show's unprecedented access to the police departments has generated some controversy because such access is not typically given to traditional local news media.[7]
The First 48 has featured or plans to feature detective units in the following North American cities: