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.
#1 - The Big Barrette
Season 2 - Episode 32 - Aired 6/18/1953

#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.

#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.

#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.
#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.
#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.

#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.
#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.
#13 - The Big Red
Season 8 - Episode 39 - Aired 8/23/1959
#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.
#15 - The Big Family
Season 4 - Episode 20 - Aired 1/13/1955
#20 - The Big Frank
Season 2 - Episode 26 - Aired 5/7/1953
#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.

#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.

#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.
#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.

#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.
