Dragnet (2003–2004) User Reviews (35)

Sgt. Joe Friday For The 21st Century

[stp43 · 8/10 · 14 April 2003]

It may seem unimaginable that an iconic television series such as Jack Webb's Dragnet could be updated and still do justice to the original's charm and quality, but Dick Wolf and others behind the gripping Law & Order television series apply the strengths of their previous efforts into a superb updating of Webb's immortal series on the most famous working detective in the annuls of the LAPD.

Ed O'Neill is still most famous for his role of Al Bundy in Married.....With Children, but few remembered how he tackled the role of Popeye Doyle in the eponymous 1986 TV film sequel to The French Connection, and though not as gripping as Gene Hackman he nonetheless did a commendable job in a very difficult role. O'Neill really flexes dramatic muscle as Detective Joe Friday, in a much-faster-paced version of the classic series that at times reads like a real documentary, a goal Webb strove to achieve throughout the original run of Dragnet but which Dick Wolf and company have the resources to pull off.

While this new version of Dragnet is more keyed toward crime-solving and has a much greater intensity as a result, it nonetheless leaves some room for levity, such as in the recently-aired Bel Air kidnapping episode where the perp makes a deal with the LAPD to rat out his boss, but is arrested anyway because the FBI wants him. "We're local, they're federal," deadpans Ed O'Neill's Joe Friday, a line more fit for Ben Alexander's Frank Smith or Harry Morgan's Bill Gannon than Joe himself.

Ed O'Neill has thus succeeded in keeping an iconic character in TV history "alive and working," and TV land's LAPD knows that its most famous working detective is still on the job in the 21st century.

A worthy successor

[jbmartin-2 · 6/10 · 11 June 2014]

At least for the first season. Ed O'Neill isn't Jack Webb, but he doesn't really need to be. He manages to make the character of Joe Friday his own without diminishing the original portrayal in the least. His stoop-shouldered presence is reminiscent of his Al Bundy, but he still conveys Friday's well-known moral fiber flawlessly. The scripts were well-written and the actors well-chosen. (Look for a couple of Breaking Bad stars in pre-fame guest roles.) The quality dropped dramatically in the second season, with Ethan Embry replaced by somebody whose name escapes me. By the last episode of season two, I was ready for the series to die a dignified death.

I like it!!

[johnnyred86-979-494081 · 7/10 · 1 December 2022]

In the 50's, Jack Webb developed a format where they were doing a tv show that the audio could stand on it's own as a radio show. Hence the constant narration. This is more of a "law and order" meets Sam Spade. I kinda like it. Ed does a good job as Friday. Loved that they brought back Frank Smith. Wish that they had somehow worked in Friday's greatest partner, Ben Romero. Writing is very good....sets are very modern and realistic. Lots of emphasis on what it takes to build a solid case against modern criminals. O'Neil does some narration...and some of the 67' dragnet elements are still present, but scene cuts and backing music is more "law and order". I enjoyed it.

Great Actors

[paizelyadams · 3 June 2005]

I was stunned after watching the Pilot of Dragnet. I have seen most of the episodes of this "new Dragnet" and it is really ingenious. I liked O'Neils representation of Joe Friday. He performed absolutely convincing and showed his range of variation. Besides Josef Bolz as Martin the "Psycho" was very convincing in his performance. I can only recommend on "Dragnet". You will enjoy great actors in unaccustomed roles. Awesome. Unpredictable. Fascinating. I bite my time during every commercial! I am big fan of the new Dragnet. It is my personal favorite appearing of O'Neil and Bolz. I hope we are going to see more of them ! I am still impressed :)

Has Anyone Noticed?

[Hobbyt · 10/10 · 29 April 2003]

That Ethan Embry is showing up less and less in the show? He is the main reason I began watching it, not that I don't like Ed O'Neill. I am pretty sure that Hollywood is feeling some pull from somewhere to have a more diverse cast. I enjoy the show, but it is now beginning to feel just like all Wolf's other shows.

Producers should make good TV, not cancel it.

[bcjj · 12 December 2003]

What are the producers doing? They create a show which is good but the characters needed to be given time for viewers to be comfortable with. But in their all the same corporate panic stricken lack of mentality, they change them and when it makes the show worse the cancel it.

Ed O'Neil's Joe Friday was great, viewers needed to let him grow into the role, like Raymond Burr did with Ironside after Perry Mason. Ethan Embrey was more than quite capable as Bill Smith. I am of an older generation and just want to watch shows with good scripts and believable characters.

Some one have sense and bring it back as it was in the first few episodes, and like good wine let it mature.

Good Before the Tinkering

[Fenrir-5 · 13 October 2003]

One must really wonder why Hollywood execs are so damn stupid. Okay, Dragnet wasn't a powerhouse, runaway hit. But it was a solid show. So which is better: a show that develops a loyal following who watch it regularly, or a show that is tinkered with to get people interested, but so similar to everything else on the market that it dies a quick death?

Apparently ABC thinks the latter. Which is why we now have numerous tight-shirt-clad model-quality women wandering around the station house, pretending to be cops. Including the always annoying Rosalyn Sanchez, who is neither as attractive nor as good of an actress as she or her handlers seem to think. There's nothing wrong with having female cops on a show, but why are they always so stereotypically "attractive", and always wearing tight rayon shirts to show off their bulging silicone? Sure, breasts are fun. But is it necessary to dump sugar on our every meal? Do these catalog women really belong on a purportedly serious cop show with rumpled old Ed O'Neill?

Dragnet is an ancient franchise, one that was supposedly built on the strength of the stories. Ed O'Neill is a very good actor (and I wish the posters would stop with the lame "Married With Children" jokes, they're not funny). It is possible to have a good show that doesn't rely upon the tired formula of scantily-clad women pretending to be professionals in a professional environment. Look at the X-Files, which although flawed towards its end, started out as the tale of a rather mousy-looking guy and a kind of dumpy girl solving weirdo crimes. It gained acclaim from its stories. Even "ER" started with a lot of less-than-Fabios on its staff. Same goes for "NYPD Blue", which used to have "real" New Yorkers on its stage. Notice a pattern? After each of these shows started to add more and more models to the set, the show quality disintegrated. Sure, one of them is still a powerhouse, and one lasted for a while. But that's because they were spending good will they had built up with the audience. Dragnet wasn't left on its own long enough to build up good will; so now we have a cookie-cutter show that is trying to earn a place. And now it is sure to fail.

Please, for the love of god, stop tinkering with these shows to meet the teenage demographic! There are enough damn shows out there for small-minded, short-attention-span teenage boys. Give us some stories and something to figure out - you know, the things television crime shows used to be about.

Tinkering?

[jwrowe3 · 7 October 2003]

Well, I liked this show from it's initial outing on Sunday nights on ABC Television. It was in a great time slot, and I liked the chemistry on the show. Plus, the Dick Wolf factor is there. Gritty, ripped from the headlines sort of stories.

But, ABC has decided to tinker with the formula. Change the title of the show, move it to Saturday nights, and remove one of the leads. I liked Ethan Embry, a lot. I'd love to know why he was dropped from the show.

I will continue to watch, as I like Ed O'Neill, and the whole concept of the show. I'd like to see a tie in, perhaps with some of the other Dick Wolf family of shows, like what was done with "Law & Order/Homicide" in the 90's. Tie all four of the Wolf shows together in a week long plot.

Might be fun to see Katey Sagal turn up on a show, too. "Awwww, Pegggggg!" But that might be just too much.

Watch It!

Cancelled, unbelievably

[matlock-6 · 13 November 2003]

What began as an outstanding updated version of the classic cop/detective show was picked and hacked at by TV executive dolts until it finally bore little or no resemblance to the original, and did away with a central character.

TV executives are absolutely clueless. The show did not instantly get top rating, and therefore Mr. Moneybags or Mr. Big Cigar or whoever over at the network called up and said, "Change it so we get more sponsorship and I can afford to put another wing on my chalet in the south of France. Oh, and my wife wants a solid gold Maserati for her birthday."

If they had left the show alone, it would have gained steam and become a very successful series. Instead, they ruined it and then threw it away.

Ed O'Neil was excellent as Joe Friday.

Shows promise

[jgreen8824 · 17 February 2003]

I've only seen a couple episodes of this new Dragnet, but so far it looks like the show does have promise. I'm particularly impressed with the job Ed O'Neil is doing as Joe Friday. The Friday character is the exact opposite of the Al Bundy character that O'Neil previously played on Married..,With Children, but he manages to give an convincing performance as Friday. It takes a real good actor to play an idiot, then turn around and give a serious performance. This is especially true given the fact that O'Neil has Jack Webb's shoes to fill.

As a BIG fan of the ORIGINAL...

[andydufresne · 9 March 2003]

I have listened to the original. YES, listened. Dragnet was originally a radio show. Not that at 45 I'm old enough to have heard it live but I have heard tapes.

The later television show with Harry Morgan as the partner aired every night after the 6 PM news where I grew up. Joe Friday was not cynical he was a flag waving TRUE BELIEVER. There were never dirty cops in the original Dragnet, the crooks were all bad guys and Joe and his partner put as much energy into catching the thief of a Baby Jesus statue as they did in finding a murderer. They didn't worry so much about "civil rights" and TECHNICAL things like that. They were only interested in arresting the crooks. I don't think Joe Friday ever cracked a joke or took a drink. They SAID that all the cases were REAL but I have read that it was partly due to the way you could define "real" in those days.

Ed is playing Joe Friday as at 21st Century cop. There may have been a better choice for Friday but I don't know who. The chemistry between the two leads seems great to me. I love the way Mike Post has updated the theme, One of the most easily recognizable TV Themes ever! The new version sounds like L.A. to me. Frankly just because of that I was willing to give it a chance. It showed some respect for it's predecessor.

I am enjoying the show and I think it will last a while. Sometimes you can go home.

Excellent.

[fgunther · 3 February 2003]

This show takes a cast of top-notch pros (like Lindsay Crouse and Erick Avari, just to name two) and uses their talents to the hilt.

The storytelling is taut and well-paced, the secondary characters very well-written (check out Cleo the hooker in "Silver Strangler").

In a word, I like this show.

This show rocks!

[tforbes-2 · 15 April 2003]

No, this is not the 1967 version.

And this is not 1967 anymore.

This show has been rebooted in a very effective manner. I think this is not only the best show in ABC's lineup, but it is one of the best shows on network television. This show is a textbook example of how you update an old television show into the 21st century. Furthermore, the casting and acting is very effective. Ed O'Neill and Ethan Embry play their roles very well. I hope this show remains on the air for some time. It is well worth it.

Drag-not quite

[RealmMan · 9 February 2003]

This is another well-written, tightly-paced crime drama from "Law & Order's" Dick Wolf... but it ain't "Dragnet." It's really a fourth version of "Law & Order" set in LA with Jack Webb's characters plopped into it. This show is all-but unrelated to the classic series. Don't get me wrong, Ed O'Neill does a good job as a hard-nosed cop -- just as he did on "Big Apple" -- but much of what made "Dragnet," "Dragnet" is lost here. One of the founding principles of Jack Webb's series was that the episodes were dramatizations of actual LAPD cases. Here, "inspired by actual events." It looks to be a good cop show, but it's "Dragnet" in name only.

L.A. Dragnet; Cancelled!

[Fodera · 6 November 2003]

Yes, it's true. The show has been cancelled as of 11/14/03. The fault lies with ABC; they put it in a lousy time slot and barely promoted the show. The second season will have 10 episodes assuming that all the shows that were completed get shown. There is a tiny chance that NBC could take it but who knows.

gotta love Ed O'Neill

[MovieMusings · 3 February 2003]

When I heard that Ed O'Neill was doing Joe Friday, I couldn't wait to see what he'd bring to the role, and I gotta tell ya, I loved the premiere.

After we watched Ed O'Neill on Married...with Children, the longest running sitcom in US history, it was interesting to see him back on tv in a new role. After burning the image of Al Bundy into our minds for so many seasons, I wondered whether he'd be forever type-cast (as, say, John Ritter's caricature Jack Tripper, or Michael J. Fox's Alex Keaton/Mike Flaherty).

But Ed O'Neill is an actor's actor, and we see clearly that he's immersed himself in the role, respecting the character of Friday, rather than schticking it up by exuding Bundyism. No, he's restrained, refined, and committed to being true to the role.

If you didn't dig the gumshoe style of Dragnet, you might or might not appreciate it anew with O'Neill. If you did, you'll probably agree with me that he hits the nail on the head.

It'll be interesting to see how they develop the supporting characters. Dragnet could have a decent run if there is enough dynamic between Friday and the rest of his crew. As I think about it now, I kinda see that Joe Friday character coming through in Morgan Freeman's Det. Somerset (Se7en, and what do you know? Somerset's office # in Se7en is 714, which just so happens to be Joe Friday's badge number) -- straight ahead, unglamorous, a committed cop, a good cop, who doesn't enjoy what he does, but takes satisfaction in doing the job well, doing his homework, being prepared for the odd break and catching some bad guys.

Looking foward to more...

Canceled--thank you

[yarborough · 10 November 2003]

I wrote a comment for this show the day it first aired and I feel the same way now, after the show's cancellation, as I felt then, and that is that the show reeked, and I am so, so glad that it was canceled. I am a major fan (and scholar)of the original, black-and-white "Dragnet" and I was extremely disappointed when I saw this update of the show (though, I must admit, I expected it to be rotten). All Dick Wolf did when he created this version was give us a fourth version of "Law and Order," which we didn't need. Things were close enough to "Law and Order" in the first season, when there were only two regular cops on the show. But then, due to an utter lack of chemistry between the two worst possible choices for Friday and Smith (O'Neill and Embry), they got a new partner along with several more characters, including an attorney, which really made the show look like "Law and Order." In case Dick Wolf doesn't know it, none of the original Jack Webb "Dragnet" shows had a lawyer who hounded Friday and his partner for more evidence. And I hated how this new "Dragnet" only covered robbery-homicide division, something that every other cop show on TV covers now. If this new show had covered divisions like armed robbery, forgery, burglary-auto, and even juvenile (all of which the original "Dragnet" shows covered) this show, guaranteed, would have won its time slot. Thank you very much, ABC, for canceling this new, disastrous show.

Not too shabby

[RKL-3 · 2 February 2003]

I enjoyed the first episode very much. I'm glad to see Ed O'Neill back on television again. I'm also glad the didn't borrow heavily from the original series. I think the two stars have some good chemistry, perhaps because the had each starred in Dutch 12 years or so ago. I hope the quality of the shows continue.

A pleasant surprise

[GLCorps2814 · 9 March 2003]

When I was a kid, I grew up on Nick at Nite's reruns of the late 60s version of Dragnet. I absolutely loved that show, even if my clearest memory of it is how the Blue Boy episode scared the pants off of me. So I was one of the first people to go "aw, crap, what are they doing?!" when I heard about a new Dragnet. I figured ABC had come along to destroy one of my favorite childhood things, just like their parent company Disney ruined Inspector Gadget with that hideous film. I watched the first episode out of a sense of loyalty to the original, so I could tell people every little thing that had been done wrong this time around. Instead, I was telling people how good it was. This new Dragnet may be very different, but there is still that Dragnet FEELING to the show. It feels just like the old one did when I was a kid. It's countless times more like the old one than I thought it would be, and have since watched every episode of it. And, frankly, the cast is great. Ed O'Neil is a fine Friday, and Ethan Embry has realy impressed me. Now here's hoping the network doesn't decide to "retool it"...

New Coke or New Beetle?

[Soukey · 28 February 2003]

I like this show but you won't if you look at it wrong.

If you see it as the New Coke version, all you can see is something that's different from Jack Webb's classic. It has a different feel and the same name, different style but the same character, and it's too much like other shows on the air. It won't be what you want.

I prefer to see it a akin to the New Beetle; A 21st century re-take of a classic old show. It's not the same as the original but it doesn't claim to be. Joe Friday is a hard, cynical cop of our times. He's seen it all and yet he still cares. The voice-overs let you see how he sees the situations. It's different than Jack Webb but TV is vastly different now and audiences are more savvy. Look at shows from the 50's and 60's; stilted dialogue, simple plots, and hokey criminals. Audiences today don't think all answers are simple. Webb had audiences that were used to Perry Mason; today they're used to Law & Order and NYPD Blue. The New Dragnet had to take that into account or they would have been competing with TV Land. It's by the producer of Law & Order and has many similarities but the same can be said of Adam 12 in its' day. Webb's Dragnet was right for its' time and the new Dragnet is right for the new millenium.

I like the New Beetle and that doesn't change my feelings about the classic Beetle. And I like the new Dragnet too.

Oh My God, I cannot believe what I am reading.....

[Celebrity_Wannabe · 23 November 2003]

How can anyone be disrespectful? I thought it was a good show and I was sadden to hear that it was canceled. I just hope the other actors (Yes, even Desi) will find something that is not only better, but will help there careers. Why Would people hate it? The shows were interesting, the actors didn't do a bad job... And no, Desmond's voice did not *suck* as you all put it. In Fact, out of all the actors, he was the sexiest of them all! Can we finally have something good to say? If there is anyone who hated the show, save it for another message board.....

Pointless remake.

[yarborough · 3 February 2003]

I saw the first episode of this show last night and, being a major "Dragnet" fan, I can safely say that this show is a disgrace. All Dick Wolf did here was create yet another "Law and Order" show with the title of a classic cop show. This second attempt to revive the show without Jack Webb makes all the classic mistakes. First, Ed O'Neill has a much too stiff personality here, and he's also a know-it-all jerk in this show. The original Joe Friday played by Jack Webb had stiff physical movements but his personality wasn't stiff at all--he was friendly to the good guys, tough on the bad guys, sympathetic to the victims. And in the original "Dragnet" the sidekick was almost always older than Friday, with family problems to talk about, instead of cocky and young like Ethan Embry's ridiculous portrayal of Frank Smith, who, in this show, is just another version of Mike Logan from "Law and Order." One of the things that irritates me the most about this new version is the camera movements. In the original "Dragnet" the camera was always still and it used great close-ups, which created a calm but intense atmosphere. But in this new version (just like in "Law and Order") the camera moves around from person to person, shaking constantly, as if it is being held by some idiot who can't keep it still. This camera-shaking technique is the trend today and it's annoying. Ladies and Gentlemen, this new version is garbage. Stick with the 1950s and 60s versions, if you can find them anywhere on the planet.

fantastic !!!!

[JoshsDad · 10 August 2003]

I love this programme. I can vaguely remember the original serieswhich was shown here in the 70s but have watched the two movie versions (not the Tom hanks monstrosity). This version is excellent, it is a pity it is shown here so late because I think it could be really popular. All the cast are superb and the stories really grip. The new version of the theme gets my foot tapping and it has become the highlight of my viewing week. Anyone else in the UK watching this ?

New beginning for a Classic

[Cobretti_1986 · 3 February 2003]

The new version of 'Dragnet' looks to be one of the best new shows of the year. Ed O'Neil is great as Joe Friday and the first episode was great. It flowed well and the chemistry was there between the two leads. Its about time we had a decent cop drama. The last great one was 'Homicide'

I look forward to my Sunday nights.

Jesus Christ, this is AWFUL

[RussianPantyHog · 7 October 2005]

Without a doubt the (2003) "Dragnet" is THE worst US TV series I've ever seen, and I'm particularly pained to say that as the star (Ed O'Neil) starred in what I'd say was the best (Married With Children). it's a "cop show" blah blah, and it doesn't work. The original 1950s series was fine and so was the 1980s with Dan Akroyd but ONLY because it was done as a "parody". This is a 'serious' police drama but done in a 1950s format - and it stinks. I can't understand how anyone with a 3 figure IQ could ever have thought this turkey would sell, and I'm delighted to see it was cancelled. So, WHY is this rubbish now being shown (Oct 2005) on British TV ???????? 1 out of 10