Originally airing on ABC in 2003, Dragnet starred Ed O’ Neill in the titular role of Lt. Joe Friday and Ethan Embry as his younger partner Det. Frank Smith. Working for the L.A.P.D. Robbery/Homicide division, Friday and Smith would tackle cases from serial killers to kidnappers, always managing to get their man at the end of the episode (usually). As opposed to the other cop dramas, O’ Neill also narrated each episode, including his signature line “My name’s Friday…I’m a cop”.
The cases themselves were varied and had interesting villains and motives. It also dealt with celebrity life and Los Angeles as a city, showcasing the seedier things that go on which Governor Schwartzenegger probably doesn’t want you to know about. Unique serial killers (“The Silver Slayer”), satanic rituals (“Sticks and Stones”), and run-ins with mobsters (“All That Glitters”) are just some of the interesting stories that take place in this first season.
Even though it had a good thing going with its two man team and a host of varied and interesting cases, its move from ABC to NBC during its second season proceeded made all of it null and void. Frank Smith was taken out entirely, and O’Neill’s Friday was surrounded by a host of new detectives and lawyers (including Eva Longoria and Dexter‘s Desmond Harrington). Instead of having a unique spin, the show turned into an ensemble, which looked like this:
Regardless, the first season of Dragnet is definitely worth the watch. Focusing on just crimes and detective work instead of personal lives, it was engaging and had two leads with tremendous chemistry, with an especially great performance by Ed O’ Neill week in and week out. Despite being stripped of its uniqueness when it moved to NBC, I still regard it as the best crime drama show I have ever seen, and at the very least 500 times better than Cop Rock.