This article contains descriptions of sensitive subjects like murder, abuse, and torture; please take care while reading.
Dateline’s impressive catalog is now available to stream on Peacock, and boy, is it one daunting list. The program has been running since 1992, and with most seasons consisting of more than 50 episodes, it can be hard to know which ones are worth putting in the time to watch. These few episodes compiled here range from fist-clenchingly frustrating to spine-tinglingly creepy, but rest assured, by the time you’ve finished this list, you’ll be dying for more.
“The House on Pitch Pine Crescent” – Season 26, Episode 33
After a drunk driving accident, a trial that stretched for years, and a bitter divorce, it would be hard to believe that Caleb Harrison’s life could fall into more disarray. But in a story that smacks of a horror movie, Caleb his mother, and his father would all die in the same home, and within just a few years of one another. It’s a horrifying look at the lengths parents will go to to protect their children, and will leave you stunned by how many incriminating things some murderers will Google.
“The Mystery on Blood Mountain” – Season 19, Episode 72
The story of Blood Mountain will leave even those with ample self-defense knowledge shaken. Merideth Emerson just wanted to spend her New Year’s Day hiking with her dog, Ella. Friends described her as intelligent, active, trained in karate, and capable of taking care of herself. But when Merideth and her pup go missing, authorities only have one clue to begin with – an older man who frequented the trail. Within hours of her disappearance, authorities are racing against the clock to find The National Park Killer and locate Meredith before he kills again.
“Scorned” – Season 26, Episode 1
Nowadays, dating can be a minefield, but even your worst Tinder hook-up never ended up like this. Dave Kroupa is an average guy just looking for a casual relationship, which he finds in Shannon “Liz” Golyar and Cari Farver. Things start to get chaotic after Cari breaks up with him over text, only to harass both Golyar and Kroupa for months afterward. Things only get worse when Liz alleges that Dave’s baby mama wants to kill her, going so far as to shoot her in the leg. The twisted web of people, romance, and double lives involved in this convoluted love triangle will keep you guessing until the very end.
“The Phone Call” – Season 29, Episode 43
When a couple is found murdered in their home, the case seems cut and dried when a phone call allegedly giving the name of their killer is uncovered. Despite having no physical evidence tying Pete Coones to the scene of the crime, the police hone in on the 52-year-old, and in the resulting trial, he’s convicted and sentenced to life without parole. All is not as it seems, however, as more information starts to contradict the prosecution’s case. It’s a frustrating look into the justice system, as the police and the prosecution do whatever it takes to jail an innocent man. From forgotten evidence and missing tests to dubious informants and the suppression of information, this episode checks every box for a miscarriage of justice.
“Unraveled” – Season 26, Episode 42
After a six-person murder spree rocks Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona, police are at a loss. The shootings seem random and happened within hours of each other, but nothing seems to tie the victims together. With no apparent end in sight and no leads, the police are left scrambling for clues as the community starts to panic. The only lead the police get comes from a private detective who thinks an old case, one revolving around a woman trying to escape her abusive and mentally unstable husband, might hold the key to the mystery. It’s a wild ride that touches on the darkest parts of mental health and spousal abuse, and yet, it shows that even the worst situations can have a silver lining.
“Lost and Found” – Season 2, Episode 27
This classic Dateline episode helped reunite a family forty years after they were torn apart. In a story that sounds like any parent’s nightmare, Pepper and Renee Smith were kidnapped by their babysitter while their mother was in the hospital with complications after recently giving birth to her son, Raymond. The girls, their newborn baby brother, and the babysitter were long gone by the time their mother was released from the hospital, but she never stopped looking – and neither did Pepper. This tale’s ending might be happy, but Renee and Pepper’s tribulation-filled life was anything but. Pepper Smith even recalls telling a judge about her kidnapping as a teenager, only for him to tell her “I’ve never heard of anything so fantastical.”
“Written in Blood” – Season 3 Episode 40
This episode sounds like something you would read in a murder mystery. When a young woman is murdered in her own home, police have only one clue to go off of – and it’s one the victim left herself. Karen Pannel, a model-turned-airline attendant, is discovered murdered in her home. All evidence points to a struggle, and though Karen is covered in defensive wounds, she somehow manages to leave a message — scrawled in her own blood — about her killer. As the police track down leads, they start to wonder, did Pannel leave the message as a clue, or was it left by the murderer to throw off the scent? It’s grisly stuff, and while you may see the whodunit coming from a mile away, it’s the little details that make this episode so darn good.
“The Betrayal of Sarah Stern” – Season 27, Episode 33
When a mistaken identity goes wrong, the talented young artist, Sarah Stern, gets caught in the crossfire. An abandoned car on a New Jersey Bridge opens a missing person case that turns into a months-long homicide investigation. While Sarah’s death is initially believed to be a suicide, detectives quickly start to question their first impression. The story will leave you fuming and has some of the nastiest murderers on this list, and that’s saying something. We all know teenagers lack empathy, but this one is just too much.
“Conduct Unbecoming” – Season 19, Episode 33
When women’s undergarments are being stolen by the drawerful in Toronto Canada, it’s not the crime, so much as the perpetrator that will make your skin crawl. A family community is rocked when women start finding their underwear drawers emptied, their daughter’s closets missing dresses and bathing suits, and their family photo albums missing photos – but only those taken in swimwear. As residents fear the perp will graduate from lingerie to something more dangerous, they devise a scheme to manage the problem all on their own. If the ick factor wasn’t enough, the community’s attempts at self-regulation and the shiver-inducing perpetrator of the story make this episode an hour well spent.
“The Girl with the Blue Mustang”/“The Man Who Knew Too Much” – S. 18, Ep. 33 and S. 25, Ep. 8
I know I know, this is technically two episodes, but it’s all one absolute must-watch of a story. The first episode covers the murder of 19-year-old Michelle O’Keefe. While changing in a parking lot after work, O’Keefe is murdered – and the motives are far from clear. The detectives on the case zero in on their suspect, a security guard covering the area, and while the case was closed by the end of the episode, many viewers felt something wasn’t quite right.
Six years later, Dateline followed up on the story after new evidence came to light. The second part revisits the evidence and turns the case upside down. By the end, you’ll be seething over a series of incompetent (or nefarious) mistakes and hoping for some serious police procedure reformation.
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