Dragnet, the NBC crime drama led by Jack Webb and Harry Morgan, ended its television run in 1970, but its place in TV history remains.
The series is included in TIME’s All-TIME 100 TV Shows, a collection highlighting important television programs from across the medium’s history.
The series, known on screen as Dragnet 1967 when it began and Dragnet 1970 when it ended, ran from Jan. 12, 1967, to April 16, 1970. Webb played Sgt. Joe Friday, while Morgan played Officer Bill Gannon. Webb also directed the series.
Unlike crime shows built around large action scenes, Dragnet focused on police work, investigations, interviews and the details of each case. That simple structure helped define the show’s identity during its four-season run.
DRAGNET 1967 — “The LSD Story” Episode 101 –Pictured: (l-r) Michael Burns as Benjie “Blue Boy” Carver, Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday (Photo by Paul W. Bailey/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)Each episode usually opened with stock footage of Los Angeles and Friday’s familiar introduction, “This is the city.” He would then give the day and time, along with details about the shift he and Gannon were working.
From there, the two officers investigated the case at hand, with Friday usually serving as the lead investigator.
The series originally aired Thursdays from 9:30 to 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time on NBC. Its four seasons produced a total of 98 episodes.
Why ‘Dragnet’ Remains a Notable Classic Crime Drama
One of the clearest features of Dragnet was the way its main character handled police interviews.
Friday was polite and professional, but his questions were direct and tightly focused. When witnesses or suspects moved into details that were not relevant to the investigation, Friday often brought the conversation back to the case with the line, “Ma’am (Sir), we just want to get the facts.”
That approach became a central part of the show’s presentation.
The series also made room for the legal outcome of each case. At the end of an episode, viewers were told what happened to the suspects who had been arrested. This gave the investigations a clear conclusion instead of ending simply with an arrest.
Friday and Gannon were also rarely shown outside their work relationship. Gannon sometimes talked about his wife, Eileen, and his family. He also encouraged the single Friday to spend more time building a social life.
There were occasional moments that moved away from the usual police routine. One example came in the 1968 episode “Homicide: DR-06.” Friday invited the Gannons to his apartment for a steak dinner, but the evening was repeatedly interrupted by tenants who needed Friday’s help.
The series was created as a continuation of the Dragnet franchise, following the earlier 1950s television series. The first season was titled Dragnet 1967 and contained 17 episodes. It premiered Jan. 12, 1967, and ended May 11 of that year.
The second season, Dragnet 1968, had 28 episodes and ran from Sept. 14, 1967, through March 28, 1968.
The third season, Dragnet 1969, contained 27 episodes. It premiered Sept. 19, 1968, and ended April 17, 1969.
The final season, Dragnet 1970, had 26 episodes. It began Sept. 18, 1969, and concluded April 16, 1970.
All four seasons were later released on DVD. Universal Studios Home Entertainment released the first season, while Shout! Factory released the second, third and fourth seasons.
The show’s history also includes a television movie. In 1965, Jack Webb was approached by Universal Pictures about producing a Dragnet television movie for NBC. NBC programming director Mort Werner was impressed by the film and decided that the franchise could work as a weekly television series.
Webb had been more interested in continuing Dragnet through television movies, but ultimately agreed to the weekly series.
The movie was eventually released on Jan. 27, 1969, during the third season of the television show, as part of The NBC Monday Movie. Its promotional title was World Premiere: Dragnet.
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