# Cold Case (2003)

> Philadelphia homicide detective Lilly Rush reopens unsolved murders, using instinct and modern forensics to chase justice for forgotten victims.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/2059

## Facts

- Seasons: 7
- Episodes: 156
- Episode runtime: 44 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: crime, drama, mystery
- Created by: Meredith Stiehm
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Kathryn Morris, Danny Pino, Jeremy Ratchford, Thom Barry, Tracie Thoms, John Finn, Lilli Birdsell, Jack Guzman
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368479/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: somber, patient, gritty, persistent

## What critics say

Viewers broadly rate Cold Case as a well-crafted, engaging procedural whose flashback-driven cold case investigations and ironic twists keep it fresh within a familiar genre.

## Synopsis

Cold Case (2003-2010) is an American network police procedural created by Meredith Stiehm for CBS. Kathryn Morris stars as Lilly Rush, the lone female detective in a Philadelphia homicide squad who is assigned murders that were never solved. Alongside partner Scotty Valens (Danny Pino), fellow detective Nick Vera (Jeremy Ratchford) and squad lead Will Jeffries (Thom Barry), she combs through old files, re-interviews witnesses who have aged or moved on, and applies modern forensic technology to fresh evidence. Each episode follows a single case from its original crime through the present-day reinvestigation, so the drama moves between the past and the squad room as the team pieces together what went wrong. Over seven seasons the format stays a case-of-the-week structure while the regular detectives carry a quieter thread of personal strain. The tone is patient, somber and persistent, with an emphasis on grief, memory and the stubborn pursuit of justice for victims the system forgot. Fans of Homicide: Life on the Street and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit will find the same grounded, character-driven investigation style here, with a Philadelphia setting that feels lived in.

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