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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 9.2/10

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 3 Episode 9 - The Big Dream
    9.2/10(28 votes)

    #1 - The Big Dream

    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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  2. Dragnet Season 3 Episode 3 - The Big Bull
    8.9/10(33 votes)

    #2 - The Big Bull

    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 7 Episode 1 - The Big Constitution
    8.8/10(24 votes)

    #3 - The Big Constitution

    S7:E1

    No description available

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Dragnet Season 8 Episode 5 - The Big Little Boy
    8.8/10(25 votes)

    #4 - The Big Little Boy

    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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  5. Dragnet Season 5 Episode 2 - The Big Chet
    8.7/10(28 votes)

    #5 - The Big Chet

    S5:E2

    No description available

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Dragnet Season 5 Episode 38 - The Big Gift
    8.7/10(25 votes)

    #6 - The Big Gift

    S5:E38

    No description available

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Dragnet

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  7. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 3 - The Big Death
    8.5/10(42 votes)

    #7 - The Big Death

    S1:E3

    Friday poses as a hired killer for a man who wants his wife dead.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 10 - The Big Trial
    8.5/10(30 votes)

    #8 - The Big Trial

    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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  9. Dragnet Season 5 Episode 12 - The Big Bounce
    8.5/10(36 votes)

    #9 - The Big Bounce

    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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  10. Dragnet Season 2 Episode 18 - The Big Run
    8.4/10(40 votes)

    #10 - The Big Run

    S2:E18

    Two elderly women are struck down by a hit-and-run driver.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Dragnet Season 5 Episode 8 - The Big Glasses
    8.4/10(42 votes)

    #11 - The Big Glasses

    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 7 Episode 36 - The Big Bed
    8.4/10(41 votes)

    #12 - The Big Bed

    S7:E36

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 6 - The Big Speech
    8.3/10(33 votes)

    #13 - The Big Speech

    S1:E6

    A doctor is beaten and robbed of prescription drugs.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 7 - The Big Parrot
    8.3/10(34 votes)

    #14 - The Big Parrot

    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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  15. Dragnet Season 2 Episode 27 - The Big Lease
    8.3/10(60 votes)

    #15 - The Big Lease

    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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  16. Dragnet Season 4 Episode 20 - The Big Family
    8.3/10(59 votes)

    #16 - The Big Family

    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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  17. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 9 - The Big Blast
    8.2/10(29 votes)

    #17 - The Big Blast

    S1:E9

    A divorced mother is killed in bed by a shotgun while her young boy sleeps beside her.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Dragnet Season 2 Episode 2 - The Big Sorrow
    8.2/10(62 votes)

    #18 - The Big Sorrow

    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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  19. Dragnet Season 2 Episode 30 - The Big Market
    8.2/10(29 votes)

    #19 - The Big Market

    S2:E30

    A bandit starts robbing people at local markets.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Dragnet Season 4 Episode 2 - The Big Fraud
    8.2/10(65 votes)

    #20 - The Big Fraud

    S4:E2

    A group of con artists are posing as cops and victimizing out-of-town businessmen in fashionable hotels.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Dragnet Season 4 Episode 6 - The Big Kid
    8.2/10(28 votes)

    #21 - The Big Kid

    S4:E6

    When Friday and Smith learn that a showdown between two teenage gangs is about to take place within 48 hours, they do their utmost to prevent it.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Dragnet Season 4 Episode 29 - The Big Tar Baby
    8.2/10(41 votes)

    #22 - The Big Tar Baby

    S4:E29

    A bartender's wife is kidnapped, beaten and rolled in hot tar.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 5 - The Big Cast
    8.1/10(183 votes)

    #23 - The Big Cast

    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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  24. Dragnet Season 3 Episode 16 - The Big Thief
    8.1/10(102 votes)

    #24 - The Big Thief

    S3:E16

    Robbers phone doctors for house calls then assault them and steal their drugs.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Dragnet Season 4 Episode 18 - The Big Rod
    8.1/10(78 votes)

    #25 - The Big Rod

    S4:E18

    An expectant mother is run down and killed by two teenagers in a hot rod.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Big Dream" is the best rated episode of "Dragnet". It scored 9.2/10 based on 28 votes. Directed by Jack Webb and written by Unknown, it aired on 10/29/1953. This episode scored 0.3 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Big Bull".