L.A. Dragnet

I respectfully disagree. I grew up with syndicated runs of the Jack Webb version of Dragnet (first began watching it as a teenager in the 1980's) and while I acquiesce that there will never be another show quite like it, this version more than captured the tone and pitch that made the series such a lasting part of Americana. Ed O' Neill and Ethan Embry were spot on in the first season . I also appreciate that the show was more concerned with the process of actual detective work-ie pursuing leads, following hunches and using their wits- rather than placing overt emphasis on shootouts and hardcore action. Indeed several episodes end at the moment of arrest, leading the audience to discover the eventual fate of the suspects in the famous "mug shot" postscript. In deference to the violence- well, I appreciate the sense of realism. The show really does give one a sense of what it's like to work Robbery Homicide in LA. . If you work homicide, you'll see some damaged corpses. By showing those images we are given a greater sense of how grim the circumstances under investigation are. In the second season, the absence of Embry and the addition of several younger cast members did cause the show to lose some of the flavor (though O'Neill was still excellent and his narration kept it in the family), so I can understand why some viewers might have been disappointed with it (though I personally a still enjoyed it). In any event, LA Dragnet deserved a better shot than what it was given and the two seasons we were fortunate enough to receive remain among my all-time favorite crime procedural dramas..Law & Order and Homicide never quite caught my attention the way this series did.