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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 2d 1h•Peaking at 8.7/10

Police Detective Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners investigate crimes in Los Angeles.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Dragnet Season 3 Episode 14 - Homicide - DR-22
    8.7/10(226 votes)

    #1 - Homicide - DR-22

    S3:E14

    Joe and Bill are called to an apartment where the building manager has found a young woman bound and dead. The extremely chatty 91 year old manager, who is obsessed with crime novels, is their prime suspect.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Dragnet Season 2 Episode 2 - The Shooting Board
    8.5/10(230 votes)

    #2 - The Shooting Board

    S2:E2

    Joe tries to stop a burglary at an all night launderette and ends up exchanging fire with the suspect. When SID tries to find the bullet fired at Joe, they come up empty and Joe faces a shooting board with no proof the man ever fired at him.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 4 - The Interrogation
    8.4/10(258 votes)

    #3 - The Interrogation

    S1:E4

    A new officer has been arrested for robbing a liquor store while on an undercover assignment.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Dragnet Season 4 Episode 1 - Personnel - The Shooting
    8.3/10(170 votes)

    #4 - Personnel - The Shooting

    S4:E1

    Joe and Bill are assigned to the Medical Services Division. Two policemen have been shot. Joe and Bill must notify the wives.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Michael Donovan

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  5. Dragnet Season 4 Episode 22 - D.H.Q. - Night School
    8.3/10(176 votes)

    #5 - D.H.Q. - Night School

    S4:E22

    Joe is enrolled in night school and busts a classmate for possession of marijuana. The professor threatens to give Joe an F for the bust. He puts removing Joe up for a vote by the class. An unexpected classmate comes to Joe's aid.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Dragnet Season 4 Episode 26 - D.H.Q. - The Victims
    8.3/10(138 votes)

    #6 - D.H.Q. - The Victims

    S4:E26

    Joe and Bill investigate a series of victims. An elderly man has been stabbed to death in his hotel room. An elderly is assaulted and her purse stolen. A store is robbed and the owner is stabbed. Rights are given to the criminals, but there are no rights for the victims.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Michael Donovan

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Dragnet

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  7. Dragnet Season 2 Episode 7 - The Senior Citizen
    8.2/10(195 votes)

    #7 - The Senior Citizen

    S2:E7

    A series of daring daylight house burglaries are taking place. Friday and Gannon go undercover in a laundry truck to discover the perp.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 1 - The LSD Story
    8.1/10(385 votes)

    #8 - The LSD Story

    S1:E1

    Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Bill Gannon encounter a freaked-out young LSD user calling himself "Blue Boy"; before long, Blue Boy is "turning on" schoolchildren with the mysterious new drug.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Jack Webb

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  9. Dragnet Season 4 Episode 15 - Homicide - Who Killed Who?
    8.1/10(130 votes)

    #9 - Homicide - Who Killed Who?

    S4:E15

    There is a multiple homicide at a rooming house. When Joe and Bill arrive, they find two dead in the lobby near a broken TV set and the manager has been shot and is near death. The manager mumbles the words "oft one" to Joe as he is taken away to the hospital. Bill and Joe start searching for clues and what the manager's words mean.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Michael Donovan

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  10. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 15 - The Gun
    8.0/10(206 votes)

    #10 - The Gun

    S1:E15

    A Japanese widow is senselessly murdered, leaving her small daughter an orphan. Friday has a hard time controlling his emotions while seeking the killer.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Dragnet Season 2 Episode 15 - The Christmas Story
    8.0/10(214 votes)

    #11 - The Christmas Story

    S2:E15

    A statue of the child Jesus was stolen from a church. Joe and Bill have to get it back by Christmas. They have less than 48 hours.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Dragnet Season 4 Episode 6 - Juvenile - The Little Pusher
    8.0/10(167 votes)

    #12 - Juvenile - The Little Pusher

    S4:E6

    Joe and Bill are working Juvenile Narcotics Division and find a 12 year old under the influence of narcotics. They go to the boy’s school and conduct a class for teachers on how to identify narcotics. They discover that a ninth grader is selling the narcotics in school and find that his father is the source of the drugs.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Dragnet Season 4 Episode 11 - Burglary Auto - Juvenile Genius
    8.0/10(137 votes)

    #13 - Burglary Auto - Juvenile Genius

    S4:E11

    Burglaries are happening and the thieves are leaving a red cloth at each crime scene. Joe and Bill respond to another break in at a chemical company and a safe company. Joe and Bill stake out the chemical company and catch an unexpected pair of thieves.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Michael Donovan

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  14. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 11 - The Shooting
    7.9/10(175 votes)

    #14 - The Shooting

    S1:E11

    A police officer is shot while making a routine check on a pair of paroled convicts that are parked near a liquor store.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Dragnet Season 2 Episode 17 - The Big Search
    7.9/10(162 votes)

    #15 - The Big Search

    S2:E17

    Two small girls, ages three and five, are missing. Their mother is certain that her ex-husband, an alcoholic, has kidnapped them. However, he is now in recovery and has no knowledge of the girls' whereabouts. The search seems hopeless until Friday and Gannon, acting on information from a former neighbor, follow a hunch.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Dragnet Season 2 Episode 22 - The Little Victim
    7.9/10(188 votes)

    #16 - The Little Victim

    S2:E22

    When a nine-month old child is beaten, Friday and Gannon investigate the parents, who are more concerned about their failing relationship than their baby son.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Dragnet Season 3 Episode 16 - Narcotics - DR-21
    7.9/10(156 votes)

    #17 - Narcotics - DR-21

    S3:E16

    The Captain ask Joe and Bill to investigate having dogs trained to sniff out narcotics. They contact a dog trainer to train dogs for the job. Joe and Bill do a demonstration for Judges to prove the effectiveness of using a dog to detect marijuana.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Burt Prelutsky

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  18. Dragnet Season 3 Episode 19 - Frauds - DR-28
    7.9/10(134 votes)

    #18 - Frauds - DR-28

    S3:E19

    Joe and Bill investigate someone who has fraudulently obtained disability checks. This person has been renting apartments and only using them as a mail drop. Joe and Bill meet with a group of apartment owners to ask for their help.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Burt Prelutsky

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  19. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 2 - The Big Explosion
    7.8/10(261 votes)

    #19 - The Big Explosion

    S1:E2

    A neo-Nazi psycho has planted a bomb somewhere in L.A. Friday and Gannon have to find it.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Robert C. Dennis

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  20. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 9 - The Fur Job
    7.8/10(196 votes)

    #20 - The Fur Job

    S1:E9

    Gannon goes undercover as a buyer in order to trap fur theives.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Dragnet Season 1 Episode 12 - The Hit and Run Driver
    7.8/10(184 votes)

    #21 - The Hit and Run Driver

    S1:E12

    Friday and Gannon use newspapers, radio and TV to seek the public's help in identifying a hit and run driver.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Dragnet Season 2 Episode 4 - The Bank Jobs
    7.8/10(168 votes)

    #22 - The Bank Jobs

    S2:E4

    A nervy bank robber uses innocent women to help commit his crimes. Friday and Gannon are nearly sidetracked when one of the victims lies about her involvement and later proves to have a criminal record of her own.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Dragnet Season 2 Episode 8 - The Big High
    7.8/10(253 votes)

    #23 - The Big High

    S2:E8

    An elderly businessman, concerned about the welfare of his grandchild, informs Friday and Gannon that his daughter and son-in-law are using marijuana regularly. The young couple make no apologies for their lifestyle, which inevitably leads to disaster.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Dragnet Season 2 Episode 11 - The Big Dog
    7.8/10(175 votes)

    #24 - The Big Dog

    S2:E11

    Friday and Gannon are on the case to find ... a purse-snatching dog? Making things more difficult, victims give different descriptions of the four-legged thief.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Dragnet Season 3 Episode 18 - The Joy Riders
    7.8/10(145 votes)

    #25 - The Joy Riders

    S3:E18

    A 15-year-old car thief is given a tour of the jail in an attempt to impress him of the consequences for choosing crime. Unfortunately, it doesn't work - the young man later kills someone with a shotgun.

    Director:Jack Webb
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Homicide - DR-22" is the best rated episode of "Dragnet". It scored 8.7/10 based on 226 votes. Directed by Jack Webb and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/9/1969. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Shooting Board".