# Murder in the First (2014)

> Two San Francisco homicide detectives chase killers through season-long murder cases that run from crime scene to courtroom.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/53737

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 32
- Episode runtime: 43 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: crime, drama, mystery
- Created by: Eric Lodal, Steven Bochco
- Network: TNT
- Cast: Taye Diggs, Kathleen Robertson, Richard Schiff, Raphael Sbarge, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Ian Anthony Dale, Currie Graham, Marissa Armijo
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2402061/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: gritty, intense, bleak, talky

## What critics say

Audience reception is positive overall, with the strongest approval for the middle season and a sharp drop in the final season.

## Synopsis

Murder in the First (2014-2016) is an American TNT crime drama series created by Eric Lodal and Steven Bochco for TNT. Homicide detectives Terry English (Taye Diggs) and Hildy Mulligan (Kathleen Robertson) work San Francisco cases that stretch across entire seasons, following each murder from the crime scene through investigation and into the courtroom. Their partnership is tested by prosecutors, defense lawyers and their own personal lives, with David Hertzberg (Richard Schiff) and Jim Koto (Ian Anthony Dale) orbiting the squad. Rather than one standalone case per episode, the three seasons are built around a single tragedy each, so viewers follow evidence, witnesses and suspects as the story accumulates. The tone is gritty and talky, with a procedural rhythm and a bleak urban atmosphere, and the show offers a serialized alternative to network case-of-the-week crime television. Fans of The Wire, Law & Order and Homicide: Life on the Street will find a similar appetite for institutional detail and long-form investigation. The series was canceled after three seasons, leaving its final story open.

## Shows like Murder in the First

- [Cold Case (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/2059)
- [The Closer (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/1366)
- [In Justice (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/2340)
- [Those Who Kill (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/55419)
- [Memphis Beat (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/30397)
- [Law & Order: LA (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/30033)
- [Women's Murder Club (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/3208)
- [Ballard (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/156423)
- [Murder One (1995)](https://ember.film/tv/3064)
- [Homicide: Life on the Street (1993)](https://ember.film/tv/4245)

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