What’s on A&E tonight? Here is the full A&E schedule for Thursday, October 29, 2026, with times in Eastern Time (ET).

A&E runs the First 48 brand from 3pm until bedtime

See also: What's on tonight across all channels | Wednesday's TV guide

A&E has built Thursday out of one franchise and trusts you to stay with it. The First 48 itself fills every hour from 3pm ET, and primetime then moves through its offshoots: a Rookie Year edition at 8pm, After the First 48 at 9pm and Killer Investigations at 10:01pm. Of the three, After the First 48 is the one to put on.

It is a series with some weight behind it, five seasons and 73 episodes so far, which is a longer track record than most spin-offs get. It also sits in the middle of the night, so it picks up whoever came for the 8pm hour and has the 10pm show still to come. The channel is clearly counting on that chain, and it is a reasonable bet.

Killer Investigations at 10:01pm is the harder one to call. It runs 63 minutes, the longest slot of the night, and A&E is placing it against Grey’s Anatomy on ABC and The Mummy on FX. It is a late-evening commitment for a show that, on this schedule, has little to separate it from its neighbors. I would treat it as a keep-going option if the 9pm hour held you, not a reason to switch on.

The Rookie Year hour at 8pm is the weakest case. It lands against Hell’s Kitchen on Fox and Dirty Jobs on Discovery, and the title alone suggests more of the same franchise rather than a different angle. Fine if you are already in the groove, but no reason to be.

Where the day does earn attention is the afternoon. Between 3pm and 8pm ET you can follow The First 48 through five straight episodes, from season 14 up to season 28, which is a quick way to see how the format has aged. It returns once more at 11:04pm with a season 20 episode, so the night ends where it began.

Earlier on, the schedule is thinner. Alaska State Troopers fills the first four hours after midnight, then paid programs, then Storage Wars through the morning and Fugitives Caught on Tape from 11am to 3pm. Useful for recording, not much else.


Also on TV tonight at 8pm ET

  • ABC: 9-1-1
  • NBC: The Traitors: New Blood
  • CBS: Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage
  • FOX: Hell’s Kitchen
  • PBS: This Old House
  • The CW: Scrabble
  • ION: FBI
  • TCM: The Beguiled
  • AMC: It (from 6pm ET)
  • FX: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (from 5:30pm ET)

Every channel tonight, side by side · Movies on TV this week · Tomorrow’s TV


Frequently asked questions

What’s on A&E tonight?

On Thursday, October 29, 2026, A&E shows The First 48: Rookie Year at 8pm ET, After the First 48 at 9pm ET and Killer Investigations at 10:01pm ET.

Is there a movie on A&E tonight?

No. A&E has no movies in its evening schedule on Thursday, October 29, 2026.

What’s on A&E late tonight?

After 11pm ET, A&E has The First 48 at 11:04pm ET.

What time does A&E’s evening start?

The evening schedule starts with The First 48 at 6pm ET.