48 Hours, also known today as 48 Hours Mystery, is a popular true crime television series on the CBS network. The show is set up to be documentary and news broadcast with reporters.
What began as a half hour show called 48 hours anchored by
Dan Rather in 1980’s evolved to a one hour show called 48 Hours Mystery anchored by numerous reporters in 2004. The show examines 48 hours of a crime mystery, such crimes as the September 11 attacks, Virginia Tech Massacre, as well as less known about crimes. In the one hour show, a reporter will describe the crime that had occurred and the mystery around it. Using victim, suspect, and police interviews, the viewer will discover
The Truth behind the mystery. At the end of the show, the reporter will state the current status of the criminal, whether or not he or she is awaiting trial or is serving their sentence.
As mentioned before, there are several reporters used to investigate the crime. Some of these reporters today include; Harold Dow, Erin Moriarty, Troy Roberts,
Susan Spencer, Peter Van Sant, Richard Schlesinger, and Maureen Maher.
48 Hours has won several awards including three Peabody’s, seventeen Emmys and four RTNDA
Edward R. Murrow Award. This show has been popular since the 80’s and will continue to be one of television’s greatest true crime series.