About this season
Follows the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The show takes its name from the police term "dragnet", meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects.
Episodes (39)
1. The Big White Rat
Aired 3 September 1953 • 30 min
Friday and Smith respond to and investigate reports of a drug ring.
2. The Big Revolt
Aired 10 September 1953 • 30 min
A woman reports her husband missing and Friday and Smith are assigned to find him.
3. The Big Bull
Aired 17 September 1953 • 30 min
Smith takes a personal interest when a strong-arm bandit threatens his family if he doesn't back off the case.
4. The Big Betty
Aired 24 September 1953 • 30 min
Friday and Smith track down a confidence ring who are selling defective watches.
5. The Big Sophomore
Aired 1 October 1953 • 30 min
A teenage boy steals food for his starving family.
6. The Big Pill
Aired 8 October 1953 • 30 min
Friday and Smith are on the trail of a gang that is robbing local drugstores.
7. The Big Lie
Aired 15 October 1953 • 30 min
8. The Big Fake
Aired 22 October 1953 • 30 min
A police rookie is accused of assaulting a citizen and stealing his money.
9. The Big Dream
Aired 29 October 1953 • 30 min
Friday and Smith investigate the murder of a girl who came to Los Angeles with a dream of being an actress.
10. The Big Guilt
Aired 5 November 1953 • 30 min
A man is found dead in an alley and it's up to Friday and Smith to find his killer and notify the man's wife.
11. The Big Will
Aired 12 November 1953 • 30 min
Friday and Smith investigate the murder of a rich man.
12. The Big In-Laws
Aired 19 November 1953 • 30 min
Friday and Smith try to capture a ring of truck hijackers.
13. The Big Lilly
Aired 26 November 1953 • 30 min
14. The Big Kill
Aired 3 December 1953 • 30 min
A cop is gunned down at home by a vengeful ex con. Friday must go under cover in prison to obtain a full confession.
15. The Big Lover
Aired 10 December 1953 • 30 min
Friday and Smith investigate a con man that marries rich women just for their money.
16. The Big Thief
Aired 17 December 1953 • 30 min
Robbers phone doctors for house calls then assault them and steal their drugs.
17. The Big Little Jesus
7.0Aired 24 December 1953 • 30 min
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.
18. The Big Eavesdrop
Aired 31 December 1953 • 30 min
Friday and Smith overhear a suspicious conversation while on a coffee break in a diner.
19. The Big Trunk
7.0Aired 7 January 1954 • 30 min
Three men are taken into custody for the murder of a former vaudeville actress who owned a large steamer trunk. The three men maintain innocence.
20. The Big Youngster
Aired 14 January 1954 • 30 min
Friday and Smith catch a boy who has been vandalising private property, but they discover that the boy's problems begin at home.
21. The Big Boys
10.0Aired 21 January 1954 • 30 min
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.
22. The Big Ham
Aired 28 January 1954 • 30 min
Friday and Smith investigate the death of a young girl that is initially ruled a suicide but turns out to be murder.
23. The Big Chance
Aired 4 February 1954 • 30 min
Signs point to foul play when a highway patrolman disappears from his car along a deserted road.
24. The Big Children
8.0Aired 11 February 1954 • 30 min
Three children are found abandoned, filthy and starving. Friday and Smith charge the mother with neglect.
25. The Big Poison
Aired 18 February 1954 • 30 min
An elderly couple suddenly disappears from a fashionable neighborhood.
26. The Big Quack
Aired 25 February 1954 • 30 min
A man posing as a doctor burgles the house of a woman who is mentally disturbed.
27. The Big Winchester
Aired 4 March 1954 • 30 min
An elderly man appears to have killed himself with a rifle, but the cops soon learn that it was no accident.
28. The Big Shoplift
7.0Aired 11 March 1954 • 30 min
Friday and Smith are surprised to find a wealthy house wife is a shoplifter, until they discover that she is a kleptomaniac.
29. The Big Hit-Run Killer
10.0Aired 18 March 1954 • 30 min
A woman and her grandson are run down by a bakery truck, but the driver has an airtight alibi.
30. The Big Drink
Aired 25 March 1954 • 30 min
31. The Big Girl
10.0Aired 1 April 1954 • 30 min
Friday and Smith hunt down the bandit queen; a tall, gorgeous woman who is on a rampage of robberies and shootings.
32. The Big Mattress
Aired 8 April 1954 • 30 min
Friday and Smith investigate a corrupt cop.
33. The Big Pug
Aired 15 April 1954 • 30 min
An elderly woman is badly beaten and robbed while on her way to the bank. The trail leads to an ex prize fighter.
34. The Big Frame
7.0Aired 22 April 1954 • 30 min
A man's body is found in the gutter and the only clue is a pair of skid marks found nearby.
35. The Big Plant
Aired 29 April 1954 • 30 min
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.
36. The Big Check
Aired 6 May 1954 • 30 min
A check forger is victimizing small businessmen in a particular neighborhood.
37. The Big Threat
Aired 13 May 1954 • 30 min
A man is beaten and robbed, then the thieves intimidate him and his family so he'll refuse to testify against them.
38. The Big Dare
Aired 20 May 1954 • 30 min
A single mother is stabbed to death in her home. The list of suspects includes her teenage son and her many boyfriends.
39. The Big False Make
10.0Aired 27 May 1954 • 30 min
Friday begins to question a local gardener, who has been arrested for holding up a grocery store. During the interrogation Friday begins to have strong doubts about the man's confession.