How to Watch Dateline, 20/20 and 48 Hours in 2026: Air Times, Channels, Streaming and Fall Premieres
Quick answer: The three big true-crime newsmagazines share one weekend. Dateline NBC and ABC's 20/20 both air Fridays at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT, and 48 Hours airs Saturdays at 10 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CT on CBS. Each streams the next day: Dateline on Peacock, 20/20 on Hulu, 48 Hours on Paramount+. Dateline and 20/20 opened new seasons on Friday, Sept. 25, and CBS's schedule page lists the 48 Hours season premiere for Saturday, Oct. 17.
Are Dateline, 20/20 or 48 Hours on this week (Sept. 28–Oct. 4)?
| Night (ET) | Dateline NBC | 20/20 (ABC) | 48 Hours (CBS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon.–Thu., Sept. 28–Oct. 1 | Not scheduled | Not scheduled | Not scheduled |
| Fri., Oct. 2 | "Unmasking the Monster," 9–11 p.m., aired | "Home Alone," 9–11 p.m., aired (Allison Feldman case) | — |
| Sat., Oct. 3 | — | — | No episode; CBS lists the slot as preempted (last new hour May 23) |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | — | — | Season 39 premiere, double feature starting 9 p.m., aired ("The Corn Rake Witness," then "The Detective and the Chewing Gum Sting") |
Listings checked Saturday, Oct. 3 against NBC's Dateline page, ABC's fall schedule, CBS's 48 Hours schedule page and The Futon Critic. The night-by-night detail is in True Crime TV This Week.
Key takeaways
- Friday night is a head-to-head: Dateline (NBC) and 20/20 (ABC) go up against each other at 9 p.m. ET.
- Saturday belongs to 48 Hours at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.
- Missed one? All three are streaming the next morning, no antenna required.
What time is Dateline on?
Dateline NBC airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT. Many weeks it runs two hours, from 9 to 11 p.m. ET, and NBC occasionally adds a second night for a special. Full episodes stream the next day on Peacock, and the Dateline podcast feed carries audio versions of many episodes.
What time is 20/20 on?
ABC's 20/20 airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT, usually as a two-hour edition. New episodes stream the next day on Hulu and in the ABC app (some full episodes need a TV-provider login).
What time is 48 Hours on?
CBS's 48 Hours airs Saturdays at 10 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CT. It streams the next day on Paramount+, and CBS News posts the episode schedule and clips on its site. CBS's schedule page, updated Sept. 29, lists the Season 39 premiere night as Saturday, October 17, 2026; the next new episode is listed for Saturday, Oct. 24 at 9 p.m. ET ('What the Cameras Saw', per TVmaze).
👉 If you only remember one thing: Friday 9 p.m. ET is Dateline and 20/20, Saturday 10 p.m. ET is 48 Hours.What time do they air in each U.S. time zone?
- Dateline (NBC) — ET 9 p.m. · CT 8 p.m. · MT 8 p.m. (check your local station) · PT 9 p.m.
- 20/20 (ABC) — ET 9 p.m. · CT 8 p.m. · MT 8 p.m. (check your local station) · PT 9 p.m.
- 48 Hours (CBS) — ET 10 p.m. · CT 9 p.m. · MT 9 p.m. (check your local station) · PT 10 p.m.
Alaska and Hawaii affiliates set their own slots, and all three shows get pre-empted by sports, breaking news and awards shows from time to time. We flag those in the weekly guide.
How can you watch live without cable?
- Antenna — NBC, ABC and CBS are broadcast networks, so an over-the-air antenna gets all three for free.
- Live TV streamers — YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Fubo carry local NBC, ABC and CBS stations in most markets.
- Network apps — the NBC, ABC and CBS apps stream your local feed live with a TV-provider login; Paramount+ with Showtime includes a live CBS feed.
Where can you stream past episodes?
Peacock keeps a deep Dateline library, Hulu carries recent 20/20 seasons, and Paramount+ has recent 48 Hours episodes. Older cases also turn up on the networks' YouTube channels in clip form.
When do new episodes come back this fall?
All three are back. Dateline's season 35 and 20/20's season 49 both premiered Friday, September 25, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET, head to head as usual. 48 Hours' season 39 premiered Saturday, October 17, 2026 with a double feature, according to CBS's schedule page. We tell you which case is on each Friday in the Dateline and 20/20 sections.
How do you find which case is on tonight?
The networks post episode descriptions on their show pages a few days ahead, and the on-screen guide usually names the case. We post a preview of each night's episode before it airs, with the case, whether it is new or a repeat, and where to stream it afterward.
Do repeats matter?
For these shows, yes. Between seasons the networks run encores, and an encore often lands the week a case is back in the news, after a verdict, an appeal or a release. Our previews say when an episode first aired and what has changed since.
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
Is Dateline on tonight? On most Fridays, yes, at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. The Dateline section lists each Friday's case and whether it is new or a repeat once NBC posts it.
Are Dateline and 20/20 on at the same time? Yes. Both air Fridays at 9 p.m. ET, which is exactly why next-day streaming matters.
Can I watch 48 Hours on Sunday? The Saturday episode is on Paramount+ the next day.
Listings data via TVmaze. Streaming availability is based on the services' public listings and can change; check the service before you subscribe.