First 48 vs. Cold Case Files
First 48 vs. Cold Case Files There are many different types of murder shows. I have two that are my favorite shows to watch. Both are reality shows, because I lose interest quickly when it is not about things that are really happening. As you know the news never tells you everything about what happens. First 48 is the name of the first one. It focuses on the present murders and the detectives that work the crime scene. It is set in the first forty-eight hours after the crime has been committed.
The second show, Cold Case Files is a show that focuses on old murder case, that have went on for years without being solved. They both deal in murders though differently. Both shows have the detectives, and they both give details the news would not release. My most favorite is the First 48 this show follows homicide detectives in real life investigations. The main idea behind naming the show First 48 is, after the first forty eight hours the chances of solving a murder are cut in half. First 48 focuses on the perpetrator of the crime, witnesses, the discovery of the bodies as it happens, and with real footage.
With First 48 unfortunately not all the cases get solved by the end of the show. The show goes to the top police departments in the United States, such as Miami, Birmingham, Vegas, and Memphis just to name a few. The detectives show you how the case develops as the hours tick down. At the bottom of the screen the views are notified with a clock counting down. You get to see the arrest and the interrogation of the perpetrator as it happens. They also show the viewer interviews as they happen with the witness, families, and friends of the victim.
Most of the crime on First 48 happens in bad neighborhoods, so sometimes the detectives run into obstacles because the witnesses are scared for their life. Occasionally in better neighborhoods witnesses are more willing to help detectives, and the case gets solved quickly. The viewer gets to see the pain, anger and loss from family and friends of the victim as if you were there. It can be hard to watch some of the cases because they are so sad to see such young people lose their lives to gang and drug violence. I remember an episode where there was a little girl that was nine years old and she was a witness to her parent murder.
The offender walked into the house, and shot everyone in the house. There were four kids and two adults and the nine year was the only was the only survivor. It was so disturbing at the end to find out that it was her uncle that was the perpetrator. In contrast to First 48, Cold Case Files is about cases that have “gone cold“. A case that has gone cold is a case that has been unsolved for years. Cold Case Files also takes you through the investigation process, they do cases from everywhere in the United States.
They use new technology and old-fashion police work to find the killers who think the hunt is off, but what they don’t know is that just because a case goes cold that doesn’t mean it is closed. The show takes you step by step to see-through the methods used to catch the murders. They investigate each piece of existing evidence, the witnesses, and all the old leads with modern technology. Cold Case Files also has interviews with the family, police officers, some from when the crime happened, and some from now about what happened then.
They have interviews with the new detectives on the case that have solved the cases. It also does reenactments of the crimes, and some may be a little graphic for some people. I watched an episode where was a lady and her boyfriend who were in their back yard getting ready for a vacation. She left her ex-boyfriend because he was an abusive man. As they were gathering their belongings up, her ex snuck up on them and shot them both in the face at close range. Her boyfriend died on the scene, but she survived. Her ex was on the run for thirty years.
This episode showed pictures of her face before, immediately after, and thirty years later after his conviction. The cold cases always get solved before the end of the show. The cases range from crimes of passion, murder for money, to serial murders. The narrator helps fill in gaps of information and helps to move the viewer along with the cases, his name is Bill Kurtis. The show was also nominated for prime time Emmy’s in 2004 and 2005. As you can see they are both great show with many similarities and big differences which I will go into detail for you now. First, both shows are about solving murders.
Although, each does it in totally different ways, with the First 48 the crimes are murders that have happened in the last few years. Whereas, Cold Case Files, it is totally about cases that have gone cold for several years. They both have homicide detectives that solve and work the cases. Though in First 48 you get to know the detectives personally, with Cold Case Files they do not get personal with their detectives. With Cold Case Files they deal with murders around the United States. They have both been nominated for awards, and have wonderful narrators, such as Bill Kurtis for Cold Case Files.
As you can see both First 4and Cold Case Files can easily catch a viewer attention because they are very suspenseful. On First 48 it really sad to me to know there are so many murders that happen from day to day. Whereas, for Cold Case Files it is remarkable how many murders go unsolved. See how long some murderers’ walk around free in our world not having to pay for their crimes, which they have committed. All of the things that are different and alike about First 48 and Cold Case Files are the reason I like them so much.
