48 Hours expands across CBS, Paramount+ and podcasts

CBS is turning 48 Hours into a true-crime franchise built for the streaming age without giving up the power of Saturday night television. The network still positions the series as its most popular true-crime program, and it continues to air Saturdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS while also reaching viewers through Paramount+, the CBS News app, a free FAST channel, and podcasts.

That broad footprint matters because 48 Hours has long sold more than a crime story. CBS describes it as a docuseries that blends journalistic reporting with cases built around obsession, revenge and crimes of passion, a formula that has kept the brand visible even as audiences have scattered across linear TV, on-demand services and free ad-supported streaming. Full episodes are available 24/7 online, and the free 48 Hours FAST channel is carried on CBSNews.com, Pluto TV, Paramount+ and Paramount partner channels.

The network’s spring 2026 schedule shows how durable the series remains. Season 38 included episodes such as The Love Bombing of Gloria Choi on May 2, 2026, and Beverly Hills 911 on May 9, 2026. Earlier in the spring, the show also listed The Killing of Theresa Fusco, The Root Beer Float Murder, Kimberly Langwell’s Hidden Grave, Jade Colvin is Missing, The No Body Case of Dee Warner and Denise and Aaron Quinn Get the Last Word, extending the season across cases in Long Island, New York, Beverly Hills, California and beyond.

CBS also scheduled a two-hour block on Saturday, May 16, 2026, with Joe Hunter’s Mission at 9:00 p.m. ET followed by The Man With Two Names at 10:00 p.m. ET. The rotation underscores how the franchise still anchors late-prime broadcast time even as viewers can catch the same stories on demand.

The reporting roster has also helped sustain the brand. Recent 48 Hours episodes have been reported by Erin Moriarty, Natalie Morales and Anne-Marie Green, keeping familiar correspondents attached to a format that trades on continuity as much as case-by-case suspense. CBS has also expanded the franchise into podcasts, including 48 Hours, Case by Case, My Life of Crime and Post Mortem.

In a crowded entertainment market, 48 Hours shows how crime reporting can be repackaged as a platform-spanning product. The show’s longevity suggests that American audiences still want real cases, clearly told, with enough serial momentum to work on broadcast TV, in a podcast feed and on a free streaming channel at the same time.