I've been a police officer for the past 24 years (2000 - 2024) and grew up watching Adam-12 on prime time along with Emergency (my favorite). I'd watch Dragnet on afternoon reruns (I'm 56). My father started his police career in 1970. He would watch those shows with me. He liked how Adam-12 presented officers as being competent and professional. Middle class America needed those tv cops during that time. But by 83 Webbs version of cops would have seen wildly out of place. If the show had last for more than one season it would have seemed clunky as hell when Miami Vice premiered in 1984. Times change and eventually we find ourselves no longer one of the cool kids. Great site you have.

Great video! I am a huge Dragnet fan and I had no idea that Webb was looking to revive the series in the early 80s. Early Law and Orders have a lot in common with Dragnet. The story is told from the police point of view with very little of their personal lives being shown. Dragnet has to be the only property with a version to appear in 7 decades (40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s).

It wasn’t known if McCord would reprise Jim Reed for the third version of Dragnet. It would be nice if a prequel film showing Friday ace his exam and drill in the academy in 1940, then drawing “Tex” as his first partner…Ben Romero. Joe referred to him as Tex as a teen growing up. His first night on the job, a prostitute tears his blue uniform to rags. Ben would give him the riot act every night in the car. It would be based on the radio program. Christopher Nolan could direct.

Love Dragnet and Adam 12. These are two shows that I personally dont think could recapture the magic of when they were originally made.

I loved dragnet show & still do ,I really miss it.

As far has who Kent McCord would play , I could see two possibilities, first , Jim Reed , the final episodes of Adam12 imply that going into the detective division was where Reed’s career was headed, but another possibility that would have been interesting would be the character of Paul Culver the character McCord played on an episode of Dragnet.

aw, I love Kent McCord!

I love the Dragnet Radio shows and both the Black & White episodes and the episodes with Harry Morgan.

Grew up with the original Dragnet but never even heard of the last two you mentioned. The newspaper clip you showed had some TV listings and I remember all of the names and had not thought of them for over fifty years. Thanks for sharing and best of luck.

To bad they did not cast Dan Aykroyd as Friday in a TV show. He was great in the movie!

webb looks a little like harpo marx. now that i'm retired i've had time to watch shows i never saw. dragnet and adam 12 are good especially the retro vibe.

Good question and hard to answer. I think McChord would've been awesome playing a newer, less experienced cop next to Webb. They would've filled it full of 80's action scenes that Webb wouldn't have been able to do and would probably look ridiculous anyway: All to emulate Starsky & Hutch and other successful cop shows of the seventies and eighties. 'Or maybe Webb could've insisted that it stand alone . . He seemed like a pretty stubborn guy. I just can't foresee . .

I loved him. Great actor

Dragnet Los Angeles with Ed O Neil was a good show.

This was a good video. Enjoy your success, I got demonetized and I am now a bitter old man. lol

Hey I'm about to watch this video, but I was just thinking of you when I thought of an idea you might like. Of course, maybe you already know about it. There was an old sitcom in 1992 called "Baby Talk" that ripped off the talking baby concept of Look Who's Talking. Probably a goldmine for content. They used that "He likes bread and butter" song lol. I'd do it but its not my style :)

I wonder if the actor who played Friday’s partner had any success after this? 😂😂😂

i miss this being on nick at nite along with dick van dyke, get smart and alfred hitchcock presents etc