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 Beating
Aired 23 September 1958 • 30 min
Friday and Smith investigate a woman's claim that her neighbors are abusing their child.
2. The Big Sweet Annie
Aired 30 September 1958 • 30 min
Friday investigates a woman's disappearance after a convicted murderer is paroled into her custody.
3. The Big Star
Aired 7 October 1958 • 30 min
Friday and Smith investigate anonymous threats to disfigure a a famous actress.
4. The Big Oskar
Aired 14 October 1958 • 30 min
The detectives take a report of valuables stolen from the home of a somewhat eccentric old lady. They begin to suspect something is amiss when she starts talking about how she gets the "scoop" on crimes by being the first to report them to the local newspaper.
5. The Big Little Boy
Aired 21 October 1958 • 30 min
The detectives are trying to solve the case of the milk bottle bandit when they catch a break and apprehend a diminutive fifteen year old.
6. The Big Voice
Aired 28 October 1958 • 30 min
A mysterious telephone caller offers a man $1000 for a contract killing, and Friday must identify the caller before it's too late.
7. The Big Jukebox
Aired 4 November 1958 • 30 min
Friday goes undercover as a bar owner in order to break up an illegal jukebox operation.
8. The Big Doll
Aired 11 November 1958 • 30 min
As Friday and Smith investigate a woman's death, they are disturbed to find that her daughter is more interested in discussing her collection of dolls.
9. The Big Border
Aired 18 November 1958 • 30 min
Friday and Smith must track a pair of escaped convicts across the Mexican border.
10. The Big Nazi
Aired 25 November 1958 • 30 min
While investigating reports of teenagers involved in a gunfight, Friday and Smith are shocked to find one of the teens involved wearing a Nazi uniform.
11. The Big Hot Rod
Aired 2 December 1958 • 30 min
Friday is on the hunt for a group of teens that are stealing sports cars.
12. The Big Green Monkey
Aired 9 December 1958 • 30 min
Friday and Smith investigate a robbery, and their only clue to the suspect's identity is a green jade monkey.
13. The Big Hype
Aired 16 December 1958 • 30 min
Friday attempts to track down a heroin pusher.
14. The Big Maria
Aired 23 December 1958 • 30 min
Friday and Smith investigate the death of a woman found murdered in a churchyard on Christmas Eve.
15. The Big Donation
Aired 30 December 1958 • 30 min
Two con artists are selling phony magazines subscriptions to unsuspecting suckers.
16. The Big Malcolm
Aired 6 January 1959 • 30 min
Friday and Smith investigate a criminal gang that preys on all-night restaurants.
17. The Big Smart Girl
Aired 13 January 1959 • 30 min
Friday and Smith investigate a series of robberies in fashionable homes.
18. The Big Doctor
Aired 20 January 1959 • 30 min
Friday goes undercover to investigate a bookie operation.
19. The Big Signet
Aired 27 January 1959 • 30 min
Friday and Smith have to find a man selling forged passports and paperwork.
20. The Big Accident
Aired 3 February 1959 • 30 min
An insurance adjuster files a report with Friday about possible fraudulent insurance claims.
21. The Big Mailman
Aired 10 February 1959 • 30 min
Friday works with a postal inspector to catch a gang using the mail to scam money from people.
22. The Big Roll
Aired 17 February 1959 • 30 min
23. The Big Thirteen
Aired 24 February 1959 • 30 min
An elderly man reports a loss of money to the LAPD, then subsequently denies making the report. Friday and Smith must investigate.
24. The Big Sour
Aired 10 March 1959 • 30 min
An elderly couple are beaten and robbed. The key to finding the bandits lies in a paper boy and an alert bartender.
25. The Big Starlet
Aired 17 March 1959 • 30 min
Friday investigates a young starlet under suspicion of check forgery.
26. The Big Holdup
Aired 24 March 1959 • 30 min
A robber called "The Rattlesnake Bandit" takes pleasure in beating and shooting his victims after he takes their money.
27. The Big Name
Aired 31 March 1959 • 30 min
The only clue to a murder investigated by Friday is the tape on a knife handle.
28. The Big Couple
Aired 7 April 1959 • 30 min
Friday and Smith investigate a husband and wife con team that have a long criminal record.
29. The Big Squeeze
Aired 14 April 1959 • 30 min
Friday investigates a robbery that is caused by a blackmail victim's refusal to pay.
30. The Big Picture
Aired 21 April 1959 • 30 min
A young girl commits suicide after she is tricked by a pair of movie talent scouts who are really operating a prostitution ring.
31. The Big Carnation
Aired 28 April 1959 • 30 min
Friday and Smith hunt "The Carnation Kid," a suspect in a series of hotel burglaries.
32. The Big Operator
Aired 7 July 1959 • 30 min
Friday and Smith investigate a the death of a woman found beaten in her car, and suspect that her husband is somehow involved.
33. The Big Bray
Aired 12 July 1959 • 30 min
Friday and Smith investigate a series of food market robberies, where the bandit has been posing as a salesman.
34. The Big Infant
Aired 19 July 1959 • 30 min
Friday and Smith's investigation of a stolen car - containing a sleeping baby - leads them to two juvenile suspects.
35. The Big Appetite
Aired 26 July 1959 • 30 min
Friday and Smith track a burglar who breaks into homes and businesses to steal gourmet food items.
36. The Big .38
Aired 2 August 1959 • 30 min
Cab drivers are being held up, but the descriptions given by the victims don't match.
37. The Big Byron
Aired 9 August 1959 • 30 min
A man reports that his fiance's former boyfriend has taken shots at him.
38. The Big Counterfeit
Aired 16 August 1959 • 30 min
A man impersonating a police officer is going to local businesses and asking for donations for the widows and orphans fund. Smith and Friday set out to stop the con man.
39. The Big Red
Aired 23 August 1959 • 30 min
An informant's tip puts Friday on the trail of a narcotics ring.