Dragnet Follows 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. Details Casts Videos Galleries Posters Season Lists Title Dragnet Genres Drama Crime First Air Date 1951-12-16 Last Air Date 1959-08-23 Episode Runtime 00 Hours 30 Minutes Total Season(s) 8 Total Episode(s) on All Seasons 276 Runtime 30 Production Companies Mark VII Ltd., Universal Television Jack Webb... Joe Friday... Ben Alexander... Frank Smith... Dragnet 1951 (Opening Credits) Original Size (1296x730) Original Size (680x1000) Season 1 14 Episode(s) 1951-12-16 Season 2 33 Episode(s) 1952-09-11 Season 3 39 Episode(s) 1953-09-03 Season 4 39 Episode(s) 1954-08-26 Season 5 39 Episode(s) 1955-09-02 Season 6 34 Episode(s) 1956-09-27 Season 7 39 Episode(s) 1957-09-26 Season 8 39 Episode(s) 1958-09-23