In 2002 Dan Rather stepped down as anchor of 48 Hours and was succeeded by Leslie Stahl, who is also a correspondent at 60 Minutes. The program was renamed to 48 Hours Investigates and the focus was now on investigating and telling true crime stories. Two years later the program changed its name yet again. This time it became 48 Hours Mystery and Stahl was out as anchor. She was succeeded by a rotating group of correspondents, much like ABC’s Downtown. The format, however, stayed mostly the same: a focus on telling true crime stories. The theme has not changed either.

This theme was used in the years before 48 Hours was revamped. The graphics gave the program a big city and very contemporary feel and look, which stood in stark contrast to the retro look of the original CBS newsmagazine, 60 Minutes.

This theme is composed by Edd Kalehoff and used during the early 1990s. Dan Rather was always thought to be the first network evening news anchor to also anchor a newsmagazine. However, David Brinkley hosted a monthly newsmagazine while also anchoring the Huntley-Brinkley report.

In 1988 CBS News started a new kind of newsmagazine. Unlike others, 48 Hours focused on a single topic. Initially, all the shooting was done in two days and presented in raw chunks with little narration. The aim was to let viewers experience the story themselves. 48 Hours got its name from the successful CBS News documentary special 48 Hours on Crack street. It was hosted, usually on location, by CBS Newsman Dan Rather.