True Crime TV Next Week (Sept. 21-27, 2026): Dateline and 20/20 Both Return Friday
Short version — the week of Sept. 21–27 was the one the fall had been building toward. Nothing aired Monday through Thursday, then Dateline and 20/20 both opened new seasons at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 25. 48 Hours stayed off until October. The running grid lives on our True Crime TV This Week page; this page is the dated look-ahead for that week.
| Night (ET) | Dateline NBC | 20/20 | 48 Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Sept. 21 | — | — | — |
| Tue., Sept. 22 | — | — | — |
| Wed., Sept. 23 | — | — | — |
| Thu., Sept. 24 | — | — | — |
| Fri., Sept. 25 | Season 35 premiere, 9–11 p.m. (NBC) | Season 49 premiere, 9 p.m. (ABC) | — |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | — | — | Not on — CBS has college football |
| Sun., Sept. 27 | — | — | — |
Key takeaways
- One night carried the whole week. Friday had a new episode from both Friday newsmagazines, as Sept. 18 did — and this time they shared the same 9 p.m. start, rather than 9 and 10.
- NBC's own fall grid gave Dateline the full 9–11 p.m. block, so the plan was two hours rather than one.
- 48 Hours was the odd one out. By Saturday, Sept. 26 it had gone 126 days without a new episode, and the wait ran to Oct. 17 on CBS's updated schedule page.
What is on Monday through Thursday?
None of the three. All are Friday or Saturday shows, and no network had put a midweek newsmagazine special on the board for that week.
The week's true-crime news was in courtrooms instead. Monday, Sept. 21 at 10 a.m. was the scheduled time for the Indiana Court of Appeals to hear oral argument in Richard Allen's Delphi appeal. Sept. 29 held two more dates then on the calendar: San Diego County's sentencing of Larry Millete and a Massachusetts status hearing on whether Lindsay Clancy is retried. The case pages carry where each stands now.
Is Dateline new on Friday, Sept. 25?
Yes. NBC set the Dateline NBC season 35 premiere for Friday, Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. ET, and the network's fall schedule listed the show across 9–11 p.m. — a two-hour opener.
Lester Holt anchored, with Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison, Dennis Murphy and Blayne Alexander reporting. Holt said the season leans harder on the two-hour format, which the premiere slot reflected.
Update, Sept. 24: NBC has named the premiere — "The Family Plot," with Josh Mankiewicz, on the 2024 killing of Matt Restelli in American Fork, Utah. It is on the Is Dateline new tonight? page, and how each defendant's case ended is in our Matt Restelli case update.
Is 20/20 on Friday, Sept. 25?
Yes, and it was the season 49 premiere. ABC's fall announcement put 20/20 at 9 p.m., anchored by David Muir and Deborah Roberts.
It followed the two-hour "Mr. & Mrs. Murder" on Sept. 18, and before that the Lindsay Clancy special on Sept. 4, a late addition we broke down in our recap of that hour.
ABC has since named the premiere: "The Salem Strangler," two hours from 9 to 11 p.m., on the 1986 murder of Salem State student Claire Gravel. The man convicted in March 2026 is serving life without parole; our Claire Gravel case update has the timeline. Celebrity Wheel of Fortune was set to take the 8 p.m. hour of Friday nights starting Oct. 2.
Why is 48 Hours off again on Saturday?
College football. CBS had a doubleheader on Sept. 26, and the late game ran through the 10 p.m. hour, the same pattern that took Sept. 12 and Sept. 19.
CBS held season 39 until the football schedule loosened. CBS's schedule page, updated Sept. 29, listed the premiere for Saturday, Oct. 17 at 10 p.m. ET (some listings sites still show Oct. 10) — 147 days after the last new hour, "Kouri Richins: Behind the Facade," aired May 23. The Richins case had moved since: a Utah judge ordered $1.37 million in restitution, and the Richins update carries where it stands now.
What time is each premiere in my time zone?
| Time zone | Dateline (NBC) | 20/20 (ABC) |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern | 9–11 p.m. | 9 p.m. |
| Central | 8–10 p.m. | 8 p.m. |
| Mountain | 8–10 p.m.* | 8 p.m.* |
| Pacific | 9–11 p.m. | 9 p.m. |
*Mountain affiliates vary; check your local station. Both shows stream the next day — Dateline on Peacock, 20/20 on Hulu. The viewing guide covers antenna, live TV and back catalogs.
👉 If the two premieres clashed, one had to be recorded: neither network had announced a repeat airing that week.
What if you missed the Friday, Sept. 18 hour?
Dateline aired "The Man Who Loved Christmas" on Sept. 18 at 10 p.m. ET, Blayne Alexander reporting on an Indiana poisoning. It is on Peacock, and our Harold Allen case file has the sentence, the burglary that reopened the investigation and where Ashley Jones is being held.
The look ahead for the week before is still up as well, in the Sept. 14–20 breakdown.
FAQ
Was Dateline new in the week of Sept. 21–27? Yes — Friday, Sept. 25, 9–11 p.m. ET on NBC, the season 35 premiere. Nothing aired Monday through Thursday.
Was 20/20 back on Friday, Sept. 25? Yes — 9 p.m. ET on ABC, season 49, with David Muir and Deborah Roberts.
When was 48 Hours new again? CBS's schedule page listed Saturday, Oct. 17 at 10 p.m. ET. Sept. 26 was football.
What cases are on the premieres? Dateline opens with "The Family Plot" (the Matt Restelli case) and 20/20 with "The Salem Strangler" (the Claire Gravel case); both networks named them in the week of Sept. 21. For the current week, see the weekly grid. The show pages carry each Friday's case: Dateline, 20/20 and 48 Hours. Court dates we are tracking sit in Case Updates.
Sources
- NBC — fall 2026 premiere dates and the Friday 9–11 p.m. Dateline block
- NBC Insider — Dateline season 35: premiere date, correspondents and the two-hour plan
- ABC press release — fall 2026 premiere dates, 20/20 on Sept. 25 at 9 p.m.
- TV Insider — ABC's fall 2026 schedule, Friday nights
- CBS News — 48 Hours episode schedule and the season 39 premiere (Oct. 17 as of the Sept. 29 update)
Listings data via TVmaze.