The BEST episodes of Dateline NBC season 34
Every episode of Dateline NBC season 34, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Dateline NBC season 34!
Dateline presents in-depth coverage of news stories. Rather than just reading news reports, as most news shows do, the reporters for this show research their subjects and interview the people closely involved to create an informative work of investigative journalism.
#1 - After the Flood
Season 34 - Episode 29 - Aired 6/26/2026
Nearly one year after the catastrophic Texas floods that claimed the lives of 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, Lester Holt returns to the tragedy to examine what happened, why so many lives were lost, and whether the disaster could have been prevented.
#2 - Temptation
Season 34 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/3/2026
Never-before-seen footage of the au pair in the Virginia double murder case involving a father accused of killing his wife and a stranger in a sinister plan. Blayne Alexander reports.
#3 - Malice
Season 34 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/27/2026
Officials quickly rule a Georgia man's death a suicide after his wife tells authorities that he shot himself; believing there is more to the story, his family hires a private investigator, who uncovers troubling details.
#4 - The Trouble in Bardstown
Season 34 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/7/2025
The disappearance of Crystal Rogers, a mother of five, sends shockwaves through the picturesque town of Bardstown, Kentucky, which witnesses five murders in four years; frustrated with stalled progress, her family takes the investigation into their own hands.
#5 - The Prince, The Whiz Kid & The Millionaire
Season 34 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/10/2025
When 74-year-old Clifford Lambert goes missing in California, the case eventually reveals a sophisticated web of deception, forged documents, and greed-fueled betrayal—resulting in multiple convictions, one inmate’s death, and a decade-long legal saga that only recently concluded.
#6 - Running Man
Season 34 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/14/2025
Investigators discover a car engulfed in flames in a remote wooded area near the Blue Mountains; when first responders pull the body of a local mother from the wreckage, the question arises: was the crash an accident, or something far more sinister?
#7 - The Trouble with Sarah
Season 34 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/16/2026
Sarah Hartsfield's husband Joseph died in 2023 after being hospitalized in critical condition for hypoglycemia—a dangerous drop in blood sugar. Investigators would soon find a web of suspicious deaths in Sarah's past.
#8 - Missing Ana
Season 34 - Episode 27 - Aired 6/12/2026
Examines the 2024 disappearance of 40-year-old businesswoman Ana Maria Knezevich Henao, who vanished in Madrid amid a bitter divorce from her estranged husband, David Knezevich. José Díaz-Balart reports.
#9 - Secrets Unmasked
Season 34 - Episode 28 - Aired 6/19/2026
The death of 25-year-old Ohio mom Regina Hicks at the bottom of a pond remains a mystery for nearly a quarter century, until a key witness has a change of heart. Keith Morrison reports.
#10 - The Ruse
Season 34 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/5/2025
When a California father fails to return home after a quick trip to check his mail, his son calls police for help -- only to find himself the focus of their investigation until a stunning revelation upends the case.
#11 - Book of Lies
Season 34 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/24/2026
Andrea Canning reports on the case of Utah mother Kouri Richins, who wrote a children’s book about grief following her husband’s death and recently went on trial for his murder.
#12 - A Window of Time
Season 34 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/1/2026
When Georgia law student Tara Baker is found murdered in her home, her family searches for answers. Decades later, renewed attention leads to an arrest. Blayne Alexander reports.
#13 - Deadly Swagger
Season 34 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/17/2026
On June 5, 2021, a masked and hooded intruder entered the lakeside residence of Gary Spohr and Wendy Wood, shooting them both, killing Gary and leaving Wendy with life-changing injuries. The fear spread around the wealth-encrusted shores of Lake Tahoe. It would take investigators over two years to unravel this complex case of bad investments, drugs, affairs, and murder.
#14 - A Killing in Midtown
Season 34 - Episode 26 - Aired 6/5/2026
Lester Holt reports on the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the investigation into accused shooter Luigi Mangione, revealing exclusive new details and insights.
#15 - A Perfect Spring Morning
Season 34 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/17/2025
The quiet community of Chevy Chase, Maryland, is shaken when Leslie Preer is found murdered in her shower. Detectives find plausible suspects quickly, but without evidence the case goes cold until a surprising lead unmasks the killer two decades later.
#16 - The Gorge
Season 34 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/10/2026
On November 29, 2019, Alice Ku disappeared while on a trip to Taiwan with her husband, making Toroko National Park the backdrop of an international mystery.
#17 - The Death of Dr. Schwartz
Season 34 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/31/2025
Steven Schwartz, a prominent kidney specialist, was found brutally murdered on May 28, 2014, in his waterfront home in Tarpon Springs, Florida. At first glance, the scene looked like a botched burglary, but investigators would eventually uncover a decades-old secret that led to a violent killing.
#18 - The Professor & The Poet
Season 34 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/6/2026
When American University professor Sue Marcum is found murdered in her Maryland home, it appears to be a burglary gone wrong. But DNA from the scene tells a different story, pointing detectives toward someone she trusted. A years-long international hunt leads to a dramatic arrest and long-awaited justice.
#19 - Take Two
Season 34 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/13/2026
A shocking new chapter unfolds in the case of a wealthy podiatrist caught on hidden camera with his girlfriend plotting to hire a hit man to kill his wife. Andrea Canning reports.
#20 - In the Matter of Alex Murdaugh
Season 34 - Episode 25 - Aired 5/15/2026
Dateline reports on the latest twist in the Alex Murdaugh case, after his double murder convictions were overturned in May 2026 and a new trial was ordered for the murders of his wife and son. Craig Melvin speaks with key insiders about the developments, including Murdaugh's defense attorneys and the South Carolina attorney general.
#21 - Bringing Jay Home
Season 34 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/30/2026
A University of Mississippi student vanishes from his apartment. Friends and family fear that Jimmie "Jay" Lee's identity as a Black gay man may complicate the pursuit of justice.
#22 - Breaking Point
Season 34 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/8/2026
When 29-year-old single mom Morgan Fox is murdered in her Ohio driveway, detectives look to the FedEx warehouse where she works for answers. Josh Mankiewicz reports.
#23 - Savannah Speaks
Season 34 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/27/2026
In her first interview since her mother’s disappearance, TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie shares her family’s anguish with Hoda Kotb, as well as their hope for answers.
#24 - Secrets in the Ashes
Season 34 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/23/2026
A woman's murder shines a light on an unsolved mystery from years earlier. As the connection between the two cases becomes clear, a long-hidden truth surfaces. Andrea Canning reports.
#25 - The Phantom
Season 34 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/26/2025
What began as a terrifying stalking case turned into a murder investigation that exposed a sinister psychological manipulation.