The 10 Best Dateline Episodes Ranked

The story of Doomsday Cult Mom Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell is a strange and dark tale. After bonding over shared apocalyptic interests, the pair allegedly plotted and carried out the deaths of numerous family members, including Lori's husband and children and Chad's wife. It speaks volumes about the complexity and depth of the Vallow-Daybell murder spree story that shows like "Dateline" have devoted numerous episodes to unraveling the tale. And yet as deep as they delve into the case, there always seems to be another layer to this onion of delusion, cult beliefs, and greed.

"Mommy Doomsday" focuses primarily on the personality, motives, and spiritual evolution of Lori Vallow as told through archival footage and interviews with those who knew her before her involvement in those murders. Beginning with Vallow's early marriages, Keith Morrison explores Vallow's psychology throughout this strange and twisted narrative. Contrasted against her early image as a loving, devoted mother, the episode paints a vivid picture of Lori as a vindictive manipulator who may have experienced delusions years before her involvement with Chad Daybell. The episode looks closely at Vallow's accusations of child sex abuse against Joe Ryan, the late father of her daughter Tylee, and her efforts to remove Tylee from his life altogether, ultimately suggesting that Ryan's death might also be suspicious.

For "Dateline" viewers with an interest in the Vallow-Daybell case, "Where Are the Children?" is required viewing. Filmed while the case was still under investigation, the Keith Morrison-helmed episode chronicled the story as it unfolded, long before all of the couple's horrors (and buried evidence) had come to light. As Morrison put it, "Buckle up — it's going to be a wild ride."

Working through the evidence in front of him at the time to the best of his ability, Morrison covers the mysterious disappearance of Lori Vallow's children Tylee and J.J., and the curious response of their mother when investigators came knocking. Speaking with J.J.'s grandparents Kay and Larry Woodcock and fellow reporter Nate Eaton, Morrison pulls together the threads, ultimately following Chad and Lori to Hawaii in search of answers. Even if you think you know the Daybell saga in granular detail by now, "Where Are the Children?" is worth watching. Highlighting local reporters like Nate Eaton, this story sheds light on the pivotal role of local news media and social media sleuths played in bringing this couple to justice.

Chris Jansing explores the story of a suspicious death on a New Jersey cliff in the baffling "Dateline" episode "Over the Edge." When Stephen Scharf told police that his wife had fallen off of a romantic overlook on their date night, the officers immediately found his behavior and story troubling, despite the medical examiner's conclusion that the death was likely accidental. Investigators quickly learned that Jody had filed for divorce only two weeks prior to her death -– hardly the preamble to a romantic date night at the Palisades. But despite their suspicions, prosecutors failed to gather enough evidence for charges, and Stephen went on to marry again. 

Just as he'd begun to feel the event was behind him, a renewed interest in the mystery and a star forensics expert would reveal that the facts of the case were inconsistent with an accident, and the testimony from the ensuing trial resulted in his conviction. With accusations of sloppy police work and biased testimony, whether Scharf actually did it or not will continue to frustrate viewers long after the episode ends. 

Hypnosis might be a controversial investigation tool, but for the woman at the center of "The Match," it was a Hail Mary that paid off. Narrated by Andrea Canning, this "Dateline" episode follows the story of Albuquerque teen Brittani Marcell and her desperate efforts to find an attacker she can't remember.

The fifth of six siblings, Brittani was a vibrant teen whose life revolved around her family, school, and job at the local mall. But everything changed one frightening afternoon that left her with a hole in her memory and lifelong trauma. It was a sunny September afternoon when Brittani's mom came home for lunch only to find her home in disarray, her daughter lying on the floor covered in blood, and an unknown attacker still in her home. Investigators soon realized Brittani had been brutally attacked with a shovel by an unknown male who had seemingly vanished into thin air. With no DNA match or good leads, the family found themselves under siege from an invisible threat as they waited for Brittani's likely impending death.

A testament to the strength of this young woman's spirit, Brittani eventually recovered from a near-infantile state to be able to walk and talk again. When every scientific effort failed, investigators tried hypnosis as a last-ditch effort. What makes this episode so compelling is its exploration of the place where science and intuition meet.

Most people who witness a crime would want to do anything they can to help pursue justice for the innocent. But there's a reason many true crime experts and attorneys warn against talking to the police without an attorney — a reason that comes up in "Dateline" far too often. "The Man Who Knew Too Much" explores this frightening but all-too-possible scenario: The reality that police can and do prosecute innocent suspects based on circumstantial evidence.

Keith Morrison narrates this story about a security guard who witnessed details about a crime only to find himself in investigators' crosshairs. The episode recounts how, eager to be helpful, Jennings opened up to police at every opportunity, even serving up accurate forensic observations based on his own firearms experience. Despite lacking any solid physical evidence supporting a conviction, police pursued one based on Jennings' interviews and civil case depositions — and succeeded on their third trial.

Fortunately for Jennings, a self-proclaimed "autodidactic polymath" named Clint Ehrlich took up an interest in the case after watching the story on the "Dateline" episode "The Girl With the Blue Mustang." The son of an insurance attorney, Ehrlich felt compelled to dig into the case, bringing his dad along for the ride. This episode recounts their journey — a journey that would ultimately lead to Jennings' exoneration.

With so many compelling "Dateline" episodes through the decades, deciding which are the best in the lot is no small feat. From the empathetic storytelling of Andrea Canning to the gently sarcastic interrogations of Keith Morrison, each correspondent brings something special to the narration, and many of the stories left us shocked, surprised, or downright stumped.

We turned to IMDb to see which episodes viewers were ranking as their top picks. Wanting to focus only on the true crime mysteries, we eliminated all the special "Dateline" episodes including the "To Catch a Predator" series and other episodes that depart from the standard format. The resulting list represents a broad range in terms of storytelling with plenty of twists, turns, and unexpected revelations. The correspondents were also varied, suggesting that viewers are far more interested in the mystery of the case than who is telling each story.