Cold Case Files — 1999-2006 · 5 seasons · 127 eps

★ 8.0

Cold Case Files poster

Cold Case Files

1999-2006 5 seasons 127 episodes

★ 8.0 (2,063 votes) Top 28%

Explore compelling cases that have gone cold for years, chronicling the journeys of the detectives who reopened them. The detectives relive the events of the crimes, reveal new twists and startling revelations, relying on breakthroughs in forensic technology and the influence of social media to help crack these cases.

Episode Ratings Grid

Every episode at a glance, color-coded by rating. Rows are episode numbers within each season, columns are seasons.

Size: M

S1

S2

S3

S4

S5

E1

7.6

7.2

6.9

6.8

7.0

E2

7.8

7.4

7.1

6.9

8.0

E3

7.3

7.5

7.5

7.5

7.2

E4

7.4

7.4

6.6

7.6

7.3

E5

7.8

7.8

7.8

7.4

6.5

E6

8.2

7.5

6.7

7.9

6.5

E7

7.2

7.7

7.3

7.4

6.3

E8

7.2

7.5

6.0

7.6

6.6

E9

6.7

8.1

?

7.2

6.2

E10

7.2

7.6

7.0

7.3

6.0

E11

7.4

7.8

7.3

7.7

5.8

E12

4.9

7.9

7.2

7.6

7.0

E13

7.5

6.7

7.6

7.2

8.0

E14

7.7

6.9

7.1

7.0

6.2

E15

7.9

7.7

6.0

7.3

7.5

E16

7.3

6.7

6.5

7.1

7.0

E17

7.5

6.9

6.0

7.3

6.0

E18

7.6

7.4

6.4

6.9

5.8

E19

6.7

7.4

6.9

7.6

7.6

E20

7.7

7.8

6.0

6.4

7.0

E21

7.1

7.0

6.4

7.3

7.0

E22

6.8

8.1

7.1

7.5

7.4

E23

7.6

6.9

6.4

7.3

6.3

E24

7.1

8.6

7.0

7.0

6.2

E25

7.2

7.1

6.4

?

E26

7.2

E27

?

E28

?

Avg

7.3

7.5

6.8

7.2

6.8

Great

Good

Mid

Bad

Awful

Episode Power Rankings

The best and worst episodes at a glance. Use this to find must-watch episodes or ones you might want to skip.

🏆 Top Episodes

#1 8.6

S2E24 Mommy Rules

A mother is suspected in the murders of two of her daughters, when her third daughter finally convinces police to reopen two cold cases.

#2

S1E6 8.2

Through Eyes of a Child/The Killer Next Door

In Missouri, a part-time missionary is convicted, 38 years later, of killing her 5-year-old stepdaughter, and the skeleton of a Michigan boy, dead for 10 years, leads police to a serial killer.

#3

S2E9 8.1

Lady in the Box

The murder of an Ohio woman in 1974 is solved more than 20 years later after police get a crucial clue--the woman's husband was seen building a coffin-shaped box about the time the woman disappeared.

4. S2E22 "The Original Night Stalker" 8.1
5. S5E2 "Finding BTK" 8.0
6. S5E13 "The Interrogation/The Slide" 8.0
7. S1E15 "The Missing Informant/Man's Best Friend" 7.9
8. S2E12 "The Widow and the Wolf/Unicorns and Alligators" 7.9
9. S4E6 "A Man Scorned/The Dungeon" 7.9
10. S1E2 "The Boy and the Monster/Secret in the Cellar" 7.8

📉 Bottom Episodes

#123

S1E12 4.9

Murder Illustrated/Blood Relations

Nine years after police had to release the teenage suspect in a woman's murder due to lack of evidence, they find a new lead in the case. Twenty years after a young woman is murdered while babysitting her nephew, police are able to find DNA evidence that points to her killer.

122. S5E18 "A Deadly Affair/The Sting Operation" 5.8
121. S5E11 "A Killer's Skin/Where's Peggy" 5.8
120. S5E17 "The Deadly Stroll/Unholy Secret" 6.0
119. S5E10 "Daddy Dearest/A Pastor's Wife" 6.0

The Quality Arc

Each point is an episode, plotted chronologically. The colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for upward or downward trends to see if quality improved or declined over time.

Trend

Episode Engagement

Vote count shows how many people cared enough to rate. High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.

Rating threshold:

30 Standouts

39 Infamous

9 Hidden Gems

45 Forgettable

Top Standout: S2E24 Mommy Rules

Most Infamous: S4E9 Baby for Sale/The Barrel

Best Hidden Gem: S5E13 The Interrogation/The Slide

Episodes plotted by rating vs. vote count. The vertical line marks the rating threshold (7.5). More votes = more engagement. Toggle above to compare against global or show-specific median.

Series Trajectory

A simplified view: one point per season. This smooths out episode-to-episode noise to show the overall arc of the series.

Trend

Season Momentum

Did each season build momentum or fizzle out? Green arrows mean the finale rated higher than the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows = bigger swings.

Season Consistency

Some seasons are reliable bangers. Others are hit-or-miss. Each dot is an episode. Tightly clustered dots mean consistent quality. Scattered dots mean a mixed bag.

Each dot is an episode. Clustered dots = consistent quality. Scattered dots = variable season. Hover for episode details.