Dragnet is perhaps the most famous and influential police procedural drama in media history enacting 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. It debuted June 3, 1949 and ran through February 26, 1957 producing 382 episodes.

 

The series gave audience members a feel for the boredom and drudgery, as well as the danger and heroism, of police work. Dragnet earned praise for improving the public opinion of police officers. Actor and producer Jack Webb's aims in Dragnet were for realism and unpretentious acting. Any police drama on television today owes its very existence to this radio series.