在醫學上，他們稱之為「關鍵時刻」，而在犯罪調查中則稱之為「黃金48小時」。任何一名警探都知道，若在48小時內沒有找到任何相關線索或嫌疑犯，破案機率將會減半。比起真人實境秀的呈現方式，透過像是連續劇的拍攝手法，跟隨著兇殺組警探在這黃金48小時內與時間作競賽。一小時的片長呈現了分屬不同兇殺組的警探，各自調查重大案件的紀錄。每一件案件都有自己的黃金48小時，而時間可是不等人的。
In medicine, they call it the 'critical hour', in criminal investigations, they call it The First 48 hours. Ask any detective - they will tell you that if they don't have a lead, a suspect or an arrest within 48 hours, their chances of solving the case are cut in half. In a visual style that feels more like a TV drama than a verite reality show, THE FIRST 48 follows homicide detectives duringthese initial critical hours as they race against time to solve their cases. The hour-long program follows various detectives of a few select homicide teams as they track breaking cases - eachwith a running clock that builds pace as the 48 hours inexorably expires.
