Which episodes are your favorites?

Mine has to be the serial killer in the midwest. I believe it was in Kansas City.

I've watched it a few times, always at night (which, given that this is real stuff and sometimes you get a glimpse at the body, freaks me out to no end). I remember that serial killer one. Heck, I live relatively close to the area where it was taking place. I remember that saga vividly. They did the episode well, I think. It was cool to see it from how the press presented it with what they knew, then how much the police knew that they weren't releasing.

I like the show, though. I should try and catch it whenever it's on, maybe even tonight if it is, but I doubt it...

i do. i luv crime shows.

Are you talking about the guy who kept calling 911 on a cell phone and using a super-low, muffled voice? How did the dispacher understand a word he was saying?? She was like, "OK, you hid the body where?..." That was intense. My two faves would have to be 1. "Family Secrets" -Where some young guy named Larry killed his cousin and his girlfriend and hid them behind the wall in his bedroom and was later shot in the head by his father who killed himself when cops caught up to them and 2. I don't remember the episode name but it was about a guy who killed a woman friend he was in love with and then after failed attempts to cut his wrists resulted in his diving off his apartment balcony. Joe Schilaci was the detective on the case. He's the best...

No, it's too intimidating. I don't think I could stay tuned for that long so I've never tried.

I'm not really a fan of The First 48, either. I always get pissed when they can't find the guy within 48 hours...

So does anyone LIKE the First 48??

I do, sometimes. Whenever it's not just two cases of some lower class idiots that did some senseless killings. I like the more unusual cases on the show.

Yes I do enjoy this show. Real talk,real people,real evidence and real footage. In my opinion,in an era where these programs are a little tame this is just what the doctor ordered. I was actually suprised the first time I saw this because aside from the true crime shows,A&E really seems to be going in the glitzy,pop direction with many of their reality shows. One of the more appealing aspects of this program is that it only deals with the crime itself,and the detectives investigating it. No laughable defense lawyers or wayward prosecutors who act like they will perish if they admit they were wrong about the smallest of things.

Contrary to the poster above,I like the emphasis on the economically struggling areas. These cases barley scrap a piece of the national media and any show willing to go deeper is worthy in my mind. Personally,I can identify with,and/or relate more to the complex dynamics in these neighborhoods more than say some wealthy socialite getting whacked. Now don't get me wrong,cases profiled by the likes of Dominic Dunne are very interesting(when I'm not snoozing by the end;) ),but many of them are not "real" in my world.(obviously it's in the eye of the beholder)

I like reading books and viewing programs about the folks without a voice,without wealth,without clout,power,and without strong patriarch. These are the cases that never get romanticized,sensationalized,and over dramatized,but they are every bit as important as Nicole Simpson or Natalee Holloway. Honestly,to me when you have five to seven murders a day in your city,seeing something like an hour long jon benet special on tv feels like a mere fairytale.

Admittedly,while I do like this show and watch it from time to time. Programs like this and the MSNBC prison docs could never be one of my "favorites" like an Unsolved Mysteries. Because for the most part,they ARE so raw,real,uncensored and like another has noted "intimidating". I love raw reality,but often times it's more sobering and depressing than pleasant. At times it is hard to stay tuned it,but overall I feel this show is beneficial to not only crime heads who like to disect cases,but the general viewer. Heinous and horrrible acts are comitted every hour of every day and everyone should be able to see what is going on.

With that said,after all the true crime books and shows that i've seen over the years, I have definitely become more interested with ordinary people and what makes them tick over the white collar "upper class idiots".:D

There's something about The First 48 that I don't care for. I can't really pinpoint it. But I would turn it there if I couldn't find one of my other true crime favorites. Forensic Files is probably my favorite.

PC

I love that show. I watch it all the time.

I love the show. Anyone who watches it should learn really quick that it is never a good idea to agree to talk to the police if you are a suspect. Even if the police tell you what they have on you, that does not mean their evidence is admisable. It could be based on hearsay or conjecture and you just hang yourself by talking to the police. Most of the people who end up getting arrested on this program could have simply walked away from the police station free if they had just refused (as is their right) to talk to the cops.

I love the show. Anyone who watches it should learn really quick that it is never a good idea to agree to talk to the police if you are a suspect. Even if the police tell you what they have on you, that does not mean their evidence is admisable. It could be based on hearsay or conjecture and you just hang yourself by talking to the police. Most of the people who end up getting arrested on this program could have simply walked away from the police station free if they had just refused (as is their right) to talk to the cops.


That is so true. My son and I watched an episode a few weeks ago. The detectives kept telling this guy they had all this evidence against him. They really didn't. They were just trying to force a confession. It seems to me that what this show is doing is making people aware that if detectives keep hammering away at you, they most likely don't have the evidence they need to arrest the person they are questioning. If they have all they try to convince you they have, they would just arrest the person. On the episode my son and I watched together, they just kept on and on with the guy, but he wouldn't admit a thing. The detectives eventually got up and left the room to speak to other detectives, saying they couldn't get anything out of him. When they got up and left, I told my son, "Watch... they are going to have to let him go because they don't have the evidence they claim to have and they are just trying to get him to confess. If they had what they claimed to have, he would already have been arrested." Sure enough, they come back in and have to let the guy go because they have nothing to hold him on. I guess that is part of the reason I don't care much for the show. Also, some of the detectives are easy to watch and professional and others just IRK me to no end. There is one that works out of Miami, short guy, always chewing gum, hair greased and slicked back, always dressed like a mobster wannabe... anyone who has any knowledge of the show will know who I'm talking about. The sight and sound of him irks me. Not one of my faves for quite a few reasons, but those are the main ones.

Pam :wave:

Yeah, I like this show too. Well, any homicide detective would tell you (off the record of course) that if you talk to them without an attorney present, you are a fool. If you let them search stuff without a warrant, you are a fool. It really does go to show NEVER talk to these guys without an attorney. Exercise your rights, that is why they are there! Ironically, the reason most people dont is because mainstream television has been successful in convincing people that if they dont talk to the cops you must be guilty.

Yeah, some of these guys I like and others are just sleaze. I dont know how to explain it, you can tell just by watching how they do the job. But it is a pretty good tool and kind of gives you a first hand, real look at how these detectives operate. But, most of the time, if you just exercised your miranda rights, nothing would be happening. If they truly had the smoking gun they would slap the cuffs on you and take you in without inviting you downtown for an 'interview'.

Yeah, I like this show too. Well, any homicide detective would tell you (off the record of course) that if you talk to them without an attorney present, you are a fool. If you let them search stuff without a warrant, you are a fool. It really does go to show NEVER talk to these guys without an attorney. Exercise your rights, that is why they are there! Ironically, the reason most people dont is because mainstream television has been successful in convincing people that if they dont talk to the cops you must be guilty.

Yeah, some of these guys I like and others are just sleaze. I dont know how to explain it, you can tell just by watching how they do the job. But it is a pretty good tool and kind of gives you a first hand, real look at how these detectives operate. But, most of the time, if you just exercised your miranda rights, nothing would be happening. If they truly had the smoking gun they would slap the cuffs on you and take you in without inviting you downtown for an 'interview'.

The sleazy detectives keep me honest. I don't ever want to be at their mercy.

One program I watched a couple days ago, they had nothing on this guy and he was not speaking. So, what they did was they created a mug shot sheet and circled his picture and then wrote a fake witness statement from a non-existent witness naming the person they were interviewing as the shooter.

When they showed the fake documents to the guy, he freaked because he was a witness and not the shooter. He was wailing and they had to lift him off the floor and place him back in his seat. He gave up his friends as he was just a witness.

But this tactic was truely disturbing. Made me realize why 25% if those exonerated by DNA evidence of the crimes they were convicted of, pleaded guilty even though they were innocent.

Don't talk to the police. Make them go through your lawyer.

yes i am a big fan of the show.

My fav episode is the (Lester Street Murders) about the sick jealous brother (Jessie Dotson) that killed his brother two of his babies his brothers wife and to of there friends that was sleeping over that night and then they found 3 other babies stabbed an beaten left for three days suffering and the best part of the show jessie thought he got away with it scott free but his 9yr old nephew woke up an told the detectives that (UNCLE JR.) Did it! It was the best justice that the child lived to tell on that heartless ANIMAL!

This is now airing in the UK on the Sky TV Crime and Investigation channel.

I find it very interesting, not least because of the insights it provides into a substrata of American society.

If there is a typical episode, it is of a black guy found shot dead in a run down neighbourhood. The shooters also tend to be black guys and the motive is usually a drug deal gone wrong, or a 'respect' issue. When the alleged shooters are found, they are brought in for interview and they either call for a lawyer or confess.

The things that stand out for me, as a Brit, are firstly the easy access to guns in these communities and secondly the trivial nature of the events which led to murder. The perpetrators will probably spend decades in jail, throwing their lives away, for very little reason.

First 48 is my favorite show out right now. I DVR all new and repeats, watching religiously. My ONLY complaint is that so far in the 2010 season we have yet to see the Memphis Homicide division (Sgt. Mason, Sgt. Mullins, & Lt. Armstrong are the best).

This show is so amazing to me as it follows the actual police procedural, all of the twists and turns it takes. Everything from the mundane to the truly extraordinary can happen. For me, a big time fan of the old radio & TV series’, it’s just like a real-life ‘Dragnet’; minus all of the Jack-Webb-will-kick-your-punk-commie-ass stuff.

Man I cannot fully express my affinity for this show. I like to pick out all of the common themes in the various cities:

Miami – drugs, drugs, and more drugs. The Cuban detectives are my 2nd favorite. Lt. Joe Schillaci is the biggest glory hound the world has ever seen. Ever notice how he made every murder investigation somehow about himself?
Memphis – young & country, the overwhelming majority being young black males, it seems like most people are killed over a brief “tussle”
Dallas – EVERYONE has guns there. I like the Dallas crew as well, they seem on the whole a bit older than their counterparts in other cities
Cincinnati – this seems the most “Southern” Northern city in the US (outside of Baltimore). There’s one detective, a tall guy with glasses, in this group who seems out of his depth.
Minneapolis – I like the police department building – it looks like a castle. Odd cases come out of this city.
Detroit – A very economically depress city – the police department reflects this. Their computers are so out of date.
Phoenix – I like Sgt. Kullesa a lot. Does anyone know why they have everyone wear blankets in the mug shot photos?

I learn so much about detective and police procedural techniques in this show.

omg my DH and I loves this show so much! It is real and doesnt always have a happy ending, which I like. We like Miami and Memphis the most.

Sometimes I like it. Mabe this sounds bad, but I get a little bored with the amount of street/gang murders they profile most of the time. I prefer cold case files, or while it was on, hbo's autopsy.