The First 48: Tulsa Breaks Most Episodes Record in Perfect Fashion (2024)

A&E's The First 48 has a new record holder. Season 24's "Murder Strikes at Midnight" saw Tulsa Homicide surpass Miami for the most episodes filmed in one unit. It was an achievement a long time coming, as Tulsa has been with the true crime series since 2015 -- the better part of a decade. In that time, detectives and whole other cities have come and gone, and the policing landscape has changed immensely. But Tulsa has evolved into the foundation of the series, and now it has a record to prove it.

It's a well-deserved accomplishment. Tulsa Homicide has distinguished themselves as not only the class of the show, but an elite team of investigators, and "Murder Strikes at Midnight" highlighted many of the things that make them remarkable. It might not have been the most suspenseful or dramatic episode, but it was a chance for viewers to remember why they became First 48 fans to begin with. It also served as a reminder that Tulsa is the heart and soul of The First 48.

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Tulsa Homicide Breaks The First 48's Record With a Fan-Favorite

"Murder Strikes at Midnight" followed Detective Ronnie Leatherman as he investigated the murder of Nickolas Norwood. It was fantastic for The First 48 to break its record with a Leatherman episode, as fans know that Leatherman retired from Tulsa Homicide in 2022 and so he's going to disappear from the show eventually. But he also represents what Tulsa Homicide stands for and what The First 48 has become because of it. Previous record-holder Miami Homicide was from a different era, in which the detectives had bigger personalities and the show was rougher around the edges. In contrast, Leatherman is a steady, relatively quiet presence with a deadpan wit. He and his Tulsa colleagues let the work speak for itself, and The First 48 has wisely leaned into that since 2015, allowing its detectives to connect with the viewers more naturally.

The episode also gave screen time to a team-up not commonly seen: Leatherman and Tulsa technical genius Sergeant Nathan Schilling. In The First 48, audiences are used to seeing them with Detectives Jason White and John Brown respectively. But Schilling was Leatherman's partner for this investigation, which was a fun change of pace. Schilling is the backbone of Tulsa Homicide with his expertise, and he's also capable of a great quip or two. But he hasn't had as many featured episodes as other detectives, so "Murder Strikes at Midnight" gave him some more screen time while viewers enjoyed him and Leatherman playing off each other. One wonders how much unused footage A&E has of their commute from Tulsa to Texas -- because the two of them were fun to watch even in the most mundane moments, particularly their reactions to some of the more perplexing case developments.

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The First 48's 'Murder Strikes at Midnight' Was a Very Tulsa Episode

While "Murder Strikes at Midnight" won't go down as one of The First 48's best episodes, it was an encapsulation of why Tulsa Homicide is so good at their jobs -- and beloved by fans. Audiences saw almost the entire homicide team throughout the hour, including another guest spot by Corporal Joe Campbell. Some detectives like Reggie Warren only showed up for a minute, but everybody had some part to play in the case, and that teamwork has been key to Tulsa's success on and off-screen. From a TV standpoint, they truly feel like a cohesive family into which the viewer has been invited. The only thing missing was a random Justin Ritter cameo.

Fans also saw the team's ability to dialogue and problem-solve, whether it was Lieutenant Brandon Watkins making very helpful suggestions about what direction to move the case in or Leatherman and Schilling's teammates continuing to do legwork back in Tulsa while they were on the road. They have an uncanny ability to think several steps ahead. When the episode dropped its major reveal -- that the victim's driver's license was found in the suspect's car -- it was hard not to compare it to the Tulsa episode "Last Shift," in which the suspect left his license behind in a rental car. In that episode, the Tulsa crew found it and jumped on the lead relatively quickly, whereas in "Murder Strikes at Midnight," that didn't come out until nearly the end.

And there was a very Tulsa temperament on display across the episode. While Leatherman interviewed one of his more difficult suspects, he was unbothered by her arguing. He and Schilling had to travel some four hours to finish their case, but they just got on with it. Murder is an intense, emotional and often messy business, but Tulsa Homicide have always handled it with calm and integrity. Their ability to bring stability into chaos and light into people's darkest hour is exactly what The First 48 is about -- so hopefully their new record won't ever be broken.

The First 48 airs Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. on A&E.