The First 48
| The First 48 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Documentary |
| Narrated by | Dion Graham |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 15 |
| No. of episodes | 326 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Production company(s) | ITV Studios America |
| Release | |
| Original network | A&E |
| Picture format |
480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original release | June 3, 2004 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The First 48 is an American documentary television series 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 series often follows the investigations to their end, it usually focuses on their first 48 hours, hence the title. 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. While most cases are solved within the first 48 hours, some go on days, weeks, months, or even years after the first 48.
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. By season 6, The First 48 had become the highest rated non-fiction justice series on television, and had gained critical acclaim along with controversy. The season 8 premiere, "Gone", which aired on January 1, 2009, garnered a domestic audience of 2.3 million viewers which made it the series' most watched episode, at the time.
Until the middle of the 12th season, the opening title sequence featured the conceptual statement "For homicide detectives, the clock starts ticking the moment they are called. Their chance of solving a murder is cut in half if they don't get a lead within the first 48 hours." The original soundtrack, opening title theme and dark ambient sound design for the overall program were composed by Chuck Hammer (2004–2006). Later composers included Brian and Justin Deming (2006–2008) and Paul Brill (2008–2015), who continued with a combination of dark ambient music integrated with sound design.
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