Is Dateline New Tonight? (Friday, Sept. 4, 2026): 'The Grudge' Repeat at 10 p.m., New Season Returns Sept. 25
Quick answer: No new Dateline tonight. NBC's listing for Friday, September 4, is a one-hour repeat of "The Grudge" at 10 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CT, the episode about the July 2020 attack at the New Jersey home of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas. New episodes return for Season 35 on Friday, September 25, at 9 p.m. ET.
Key takeaways
- Tonight = repeat, 10 p.m. ET, one hour. Check your local NBC station; some markets shift the slot.
- "The Grudge" first aired January 21, 2021, with Andrea Canning reporting.
- Season 35 premieres September 25. We will post each new episode's case the morning it airs.
What is Dateline's "The Grudge" about?
On July 19, 2020, a gunman posing as a delivery driver came to the North Brunswick, New Jersey, home of Judge Esther Salas. Her son, Daniel Anderl, 20, was shot and killed, and her husband, defense attorney Mark Anderl, was critically wounded. Investigators identified the shooter as Roy Den Hollander, a lawyer with a grievance against the judge; he was found dead days later, and authorities said he died by suicide.
The episode's centerpiece is the first interview with FBI Special Agent Joe Denahan, who led the investigation, alongside Judge Salas herself. Denahan told Dateline that Daniel and Mark's response at the door kept the attacker from getting further into the house.
What happened after the episode aired?
Judge Salas turned the loss into a campaign for judicial security. New Jersey passed Daniel's Law in November 2020, letting judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officers demand that their home addresses and unlisted phone numbers be taken down. At the federal level, the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act was attached to the annual defense bill and signed into law in December 2022; it limits the public posting and commercial sale of federal judges' personal information.
The newest development is a court fight over that law. On August 12, 2026, the New Jersey Supreme Court decided Atlas Data Privacy Corp. v. We Inform, LLC, holding that Daniel's Law does not require proof that a data broker acted knowingly, recklessly or negligently before actual damages can be awarded. The court answered only that narrow question; whether the law survives a First Amendment challenge now goes back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Hundreds of removal-request lawsuits are riding on the outcome.
π If you watch one thing tonight, it is the Denahan interview: a lead agent explaining, minute by minute, why the attack ended at the front door.
How can you watch it tonight?
- Eastern: 10 p.m. on NBC (repeat)
- Central: 9 p.m.
- Pacific: 10 p.m. (check your local NBC affiliate)
The episode is also available to stream on Peacock, and the Dateline podcast feed carries the audio version. Full options in our viewing guide.
What else is on tonight?
ABC has a 20/20 repeat at 9 p.m. ET, "The Hungryland Homicide," about the Tricia Todd case in Florida. What to know before it airs.
Where else can you follow these cases here?
Each show has its own section with previews and follow-ups: the Dateline section, the 20/20 section and the 48 Hours section. Long-running cases get their own update trail in Case Updates, and our viewing guide explains air times and streaming.
FAQ
When does Dateline come back with new episodes? Friday, September 25, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET, the Season 35 premiere.
What time is Dateline on tonight? 10 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CT, a one-hour repeat of "The Grudge."
Where can I watch "The Grudge" if I miss it? Peacock carries the Dateline library.
Is the law named after Daniel Anderl still standing? Yes. Both the New Jersey statute and the federal act remain in force, though New Jersey's version is being tested in federal court, with the constitutional question still open as of September 2026.
Listings data via TVmaze and published NBC listings. Case facts as reported by NBC News and the outlets below; nothing here goes beyond that reporting.
Sources
- NBC News press release β Dateline exclusive with the lead FBI agent (original air date January 21, 2021)
- The Futon Critic β Dateline NBC network listings (9/4/26, 10 p.m., "The Grudge" (R))
- On TV Tonight β Dateline NBC listings
- ABC News β the July 2020 attack at Judge Salas's home
- United States Courts β Congress passes the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act
- Justia β Atlas Data Privacy Corp. v. We Inform, LLC (N.J. Aug. 12, 2026)
- NBC Insider β Dateline Season 35: everything to know