In the 1950s, "Dragnet" was one of the most popular shows on television. Nearly a decade after the series ended, new "Dragnet" shows went into production--with Jack Webb once again playing Sergeant Friday*. However, his old partners, such as Officer Smith (Ben Alexander), were now replaced by Officer Gannon (Harry Morgan). These later shows are the ones I grew up with and loved. Only recently have I begun watching the early "Dragnet" shows--and I am very glad I did. While in many ways the styles were very similar, the older shows were grittier and more violent--and frankly, I like that. The only big advantage the newer ones was that they looked nicer--with color film and they also did more outdoor shots. In fact, this studio-bound look was something you really notice in the older shows--so often action outside the office is DESCRIBED because apparently the budget didn't provide for location shots.
My advice is by all means watch the older shows. And, even better, if you can find the Dragnet movie from this same time period, this is well worth seeing--very well written and full of wonderful dialog.
My advice is by all means watch the older shows. And, even better, if you can find the Dragnet movie from this same time period, this is well worth seeing--very well written and full of wonderful dialog.