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The Best Episodes of Dragnet

Every episode of Dragnet ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Dragnet!

Binge this in 5d 18h•Peaking at 9.0/10

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

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Dragnet Season 2 Episode 12 - The Big Safe
    9.0/10(22 votes)

    S2:E12

    Friday and Smith are investigating a missing office safe.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Dragnet Season 3 Episode 3 - The Big Bull
    8.8/10(28 votes)

    S3:E3

    Smith takes a personal interest when a strong-arm bandit threatens his family if he doesn't back off the case.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Dragnet Season 3 Episode 9 - The Big Dream
    8.8/10(22 votes)

    S3:E9

    Friday and Smith investigate the murder of a girl who came to Los Angeles with a dream of being an actress.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Dragnet Season 3 Episode 25 - The Big Poison
    8.8/10(20 votes)

    S3:E25

    An elderly couple suddenly disappears from a fashionable neighborhood.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Dragnet Season 3 Episode 35 - The Big Plant
    8.8/10(20 votes)

    S3:E35

    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.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Dragnet Season 8 Episode 5 - The Big Little Boy
    8.8/10(20 votes)

    S8:E5

    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.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Dragnet

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  7. Dragnet Season 5 Episode 38 - The Big Gift
    8.7/10(20 votes)

    S5:E38

    No description available

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Dragnet Season 2 Episode 16 - The Big Rose
    8.6/10(21 votes)

    S2:E16

    Friday and Smith are looking for a missing woman that left her three children with her sister.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Dragnet Season 3 Episode 38 - The Big Dare
    8.6/10(19 votes)

    S3:E38

    A single mother is stabbed to death in her home. The list of suspects includes her teenage son and her many boyfriends.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Dragnet Season 7 Episode 1 - The Big Constitution
    8.6/10(18 votes)

    S7:E1

    No description available

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Dragnet Season 5 Episode 8 - The Big Glasses
    8.4/10(35 votes)

    S5:E8

    A housewife, Ella Ryburn, reports to Friday and Smith that she cannot contact her mother, who is married to Alfred Rudolph Shroder. When he is questioned, Shroder claims his wife left him and that, out of shame, he sold their house and put her items in storage.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Dragnet Season 5 Episode 10 - The Big Laugh
    8.4/10(20 votes)

    S5:E10

    A con man makes lonely women fall for his charms, then steals their money and disappears.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Dragnet Season 5 Episode 12 - The Big Bounce
    8.4/10(32 votes)

    S5:E12

    Joe Friday searches for a check forger who has been using the name of the old-time movie villain Parker Allington... who died three years ago.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Dragnet Season 6 Episode 10 - The Big Search
    8.4/10(17 votes)

    S6:E10

    A distraught father reports that his teenage daughter is missing, and things look more bleak when her murdered pet is discovered in her room.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Dragnet Season 7 Episode 36 - The Big Bed
    8.4/10(42 votes)

    S7:E36

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 10 - The Big Trial
    8.3/10(23 votes)

    S1:E10

    Friday testifies at the trial of a man accused of a hit-and-run, but the main witness against him suddenly disappears.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Dragnet Season 5 Episode 2 - The Big Chet
    8.3/10(22 votes)

    S5:E2

    No description available

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 7 - The Big Parrot
    8.2/10(27 votes)

    S1:E7

    A couple are robbed and murdered, along with their pet parrot. The killer uses a time bomb to start a fire and cover up his crime.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 8 - The Big Moody
    8.2/10(22 votes)

    S1:E8

    No description available

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Dragnet Season 2 Episode 21 - The Big Waiter
    8.2/10(21 votes)

    S2:E21

    An immigrant is brutally beaten to death and the trail may lead to the victim's abused wife.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Dragnet Season 2 Episode 27 - The Big Lease
    8.2/10(58 votes)

    S2:E27

    An elderly widower is missing, so Friday and Smith retrace his actions before his disappearance. Things point to a long vacation until the story of Mrs. Banner, who rented the man's house, doesn't add up.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Dragnet Season 3 Episode 36 - The Big Check
    8.2/10(20 votes)

    S3:E36

    A check forger is victimizing small businessmen in a particular neighborhood.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Dragnet Season 4 Episode 20 - The Big Family
    8.2/10(56 votes)

    S4:E20

    Local businessman John Keith Jarrett disappears and evidence of suicide is discovered. Friday and Smith check on the surviving members of his family and find them not the least concerned about their father's death, with his son a tennis bum, his daughter promiscuous, and his wife drunken. The case gets even murkier when a report comes in of a traffic incident upstate involving a camper in which the driver was using Jarrett's license.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 5 - The Big Cast
    8.1/10(188 votes)

    S1:E5

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

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Dragnet Season 2 Episode 2 - The Big Sorrow
    8.1/10(60 votes)

    S2:E2

    Friday must cope with the sudden death of his partner as he and his new partner track a pair of escaped convicts.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Big Safe" is the best rated episode of "Dragnet". It scored 9/10 based on 22 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/29/1953. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Big Bull".