The BEST episodes of Dragnet (1951)

Every episode of Dragnet (1951) ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Dragnet (1951)!

"This is the city, Los Angeles, California. I work here, I carry a badge." The granddaddy of all TV cop shows which ran on NBC from 1951-1959. Jack Webb starred as Sgt. Joe Friday, a plainclothes detective who solved crimes for the Los Angeles Police Department. Ben Alexander played Friday's partner, Officer Frank Smith. The story lines were taken from real life case files of the LAPD and the names were always changed to protect the innocent.

Last Updated: 3/21/2026Network: NBCStatus: Ended
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10.00
1 votes

#1 - The Big Barrette

Season 2 - Episode 32 - Aired 6/18/1953

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10.00
1 votes

#2 - The Big Plant

Season 3 - Episode 35 - Aired 4/29/1954

A woman disappears and her husband is the prime suspect, but Friday and Smith will have a hard time getting past his fierce guard dogs.

Watch Now:Amazon
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10.00
1 votes

#3 - The Big Test

Season 2 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/9/1953

A young man reports that he was robbed by bandits on horseback while he was down in Mexico.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Big Phone Call
star
9.90
31 votes

#4 - The Big Phone Call

Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/22/1952

Friday confronts a jeweler with tape recorded evidence that proves he hired someone to rob his own store.

Directors: Jack Webb
The Big Cast
star
9.82
33 votes

#5 - The Big Cast

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/14/1952

The police interrogate a suspect whom they believe to have murdered more than a dozen men.

Directors: Jack Webb
The Big September Man
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9.03
32 votes

#6 - The Big September Man

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 5/8/1952

A secretary is beaten to death and the search for the killer leads police to a religious fanatic.

Directors: Jack Webb
The Big Casing
star
8.50
2 votes

#7 - The Big Casing

Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 6/5/1952

A man claims that his wife committed suicide right in front of him, but the evidence suggests otherwise.

Directors: Jack Webb
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8.50
2 votes

#8 - The Big Grandma

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 1/8/1953

An elderly woman is passing bad checks, but no one suspects her because she looks harmless.

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8.33
3 votes

#9 - The Big Hit-Run Killer

Season 3 - Episode 29 - Aired 3/18/1954

A woman and her grandson are run down by a bakery truck, but the driver has an airtight alibi.

Directors: Jack Webb
Watch Now:Amazon
star
8.25
4 votes

#10 - The Big Girl

Season 3 - Episode 31 - Aired 4/1/1954

Friday and Smith hunt down the bandit queen; a tall, gorgeous woman who is on a rampage of robberies and shootings.

Directors: Jack Webb
The Human Bomb
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8.13
8 votes

#11 - The Human Bomb

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 12/16/1951

A man walks into City hall carrying a live bomb. He threatens to blow up the building if his brother isn't released from jail.

Directors: Jack Webb
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8.00
3 votes

#12 - The Big Shoplift

Season 3 - Episode 28 - Aired 3/11/1954

Friday and Smith are surprised to find a wealthy house wife is a shoplifter, until they discover that she is a kleptomaniac.

Directors: Jack Webb
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8.00
1 votes

#13 - The Big Red

Season 8 - Episode 39 - Aired 8/23/1959

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8.00
1 votes

#14 - The Big War

Season 7 - Episode 28 - Aired 4/10/1958

Friday and Smith attempt to get ahold of the leaders of several street gangs in order to stop an approaching gang war.

Directors: Jack Webb
Watch Now:Amazon
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8.00
1 votes

#15 - The Big Family

Season 4 - Episode 20 - Aired 1/13/1955

Directors: Jack Webb
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8.00
5 votes

#16 - The Big Crime

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/9/1954

When two four year old twin girls turn up missing, Sgt. Friday and Officer Smith are called in. The girls are found, but were molested. The officers continue to investigate until they locate the perpetrator.

Directors: Jack Webb
star
8.00
3 votes

#17 - The Big Frame

Season 3 - Episode 34 - Aired 4/22/1954

A man's body is found in the gutter and the only clue is a pair of skid marks found nearby.

Directors: Jack Webb
star
8.00
3 votes

#18 - The Big Boys

Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired 1/21/1954

The cops must stake out a hotel lobby and deal with a drunken desk clerk as they wait for four juvenile armed robbers to show up.

Directors: Jack Webb
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8.00
3 votes

#19 - The Big Little Jesus

Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 12/24/1953

A statue of the Child Jesus is stolen from a church. Friday and Smith must find it before the paritioners miss it on Christmas morning.

Directors: Jack Webb
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8.00
2 votes

#20 - The Big Frank

Season 2 - Episode 26 - Aired 5/7/1953

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8.00
4 votes

#21 - The Big .22 Rifle for Christmas

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/18/1952

Two small boys are missing, there are blood stains on the ground and a gun meant as a Christmas present is gone.

Directors: Jack Webb
The Big Lamp
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8.00
3 votes

#22 - The Big Lamp

Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 6/19/1952

Friday and Jacobs are out to catch a safe burglar who has been on the loose for seven months.

Directors: Jack Webb
The Big Mother
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8.00
2 votes

#23 - The Big Mother

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/31/1952

A new-born baby is stolen from a hospital nursery and the trail leads the police to a deranged mother.

Directors: Jack Webb
Watch Now:Apple TV
star
7.83
6 votes

#24 - The Big Seventeen

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/6/1952

Friday and Smith investigate a group of teenagers who are using and selling drugs.

Directors: Jack Webb
Watch Now:Apple TV
The Big Betty
star
7.67
6 votes

#25 - The Big Betty

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/24/1953

Friday and Smith track down a confidence ring who are selling defective watches.

Directors: Jack Webb
Watch Now:Apple TV