Dragnet

What began as an outstanding updated version of the classic cop/detective show was picked and hacked at by TV executive dolts until it finally bore little or no resemblance to the original, and did away with a central character.

TV executives are absolutely clueless. The show did not instantly get top rating, and therefore Mr. Moneybags or Mr. Big Cigar or whoever over at the network called up and said, "Change it so we get more sponsorship and I can afford to put another wing on my chalet in the south of France. Oh, and my wife wants a solid gold Maserati for her birthday."

If they had left the show alone, it would have gained steam and become a very successful series. Instead, they ruined it and then threw it away.

Ed O'Neil was excellent as Joe Friday.

One must really wonder why Hollywood execs are so damn stupid. Okay, Dragnet wasn't a powerhouse, runaway hit. But it was a solid show. So which is better: a show that develops a loyal following who watch it regularly, or a show that is tinkered with to get people interested, but so similar to everything else on the market that it dies a quick death?

Apparently ABC thinks the latter. Which is why we now have numerous tight-shirt-clad model-quality women wandering around the station house, pretending to be cops. Including the always annoying Rosalyn Sanchez, who is neither as attractive nor as good of an actress as she or her handlers seem to think. There's nothing wrong with having female cops on a show, but why are they always so stereotypically "attractive", and always wearing tight rayon shirts to show off their bulging silicone? Sure, breasts are fun. But is it necessary to dump sugar on our every meal? Do these catalog women really belong on a purportedly serious cop show with rumpled old Ed O'Neill?

Dragnet is an ancient franchise, one that was supposedly built on the strength of the stories. Ed O'Neill is a very good actor (and I wish the posters would stop with the lame "Married With Children" jokes, they're not funny). It is possible to have a good show that doesn't rely upon the tired formula of scantily-clad women pretending to be professionals in a professional environment. Look at the X-Files, which although flawed towards its end, started out as the tale of a rather mousy-looking guy and a kind of dumpy girl solving weirdo crimes. It gained acclaim from its stories. Even "ER" started with a lot of less-than-Fabios on its staff. Same goes for "NYPD Blue", which used to have "real" New Yorkers on its stage. Notice a pattern? After each of these shows started to add more and more models to the set, the show quality disintegrated. Sure, one of them is still a powerhouse, and one lasted for a while. But that's because they were spending good will they had built up with the audience. Dragnet wasn't left on its own long enough to build up good will; so now we have a cookie-cutter show that is trying to earn a place. And now it is sure to fail.

Please, for the love of god, stop tinkering with these shows to meet the teenage demographic! There are enough damn shows out there for small-minded, short-attention-span teenage boys. Give us some stories and something to figure out - you know, the things television crime shows used to be about.

No, this is not the 1967 version.

And this is not 1967 anymore.

This show has been rebooted in a very effective manner. I think this is not only the best show in ABC's lineup, but it is one of the best shows on network television. This show is a textbook example of how you update an old television show into the 21st century. Furthermore, the casting and acting is very effective. Ed O'Neill and Ethan Embry play their roles very well. I hope this show remains on the air for some time. It is well worth it.

Well, I liked this show from it's initial outing on Sunday nights on ABC Television. It was in a great time slot, and I liked the chemistry on the show. Plus, the Dick Wolf factor is there. Gritty, ripped from the headlines sort of stories.

But, ABC has decided to tinker with the formula. Change the title of the show, move it to Saturday nights, and remove one of the leads. I liked Ethan Embry, a lot. I'd love to know why he was dropped from the show.

I will continue to watch, as I like Ed O'Neill, and the whole concept of the show. I'd like to see a tie in, perhaps with some of the other Dick Wolf family of shows, like what was done with "Law & Order/Homicide" in the 90's. Tie all four of the Wolf shows together in a week long plot.

Might be fun to see Katey Sagal turn up on a show, too. "Awwww, Pegggggg!" But that might be just too much.

Watch It!

This show takes a cast of top-notch pros (like Lindsay Crouse and Erick Avari, just to name two) and uses their talents to the hilt.

The storytelling is taut and well-paced, the secondary characters very well-written (check out Cleo the hooker in "Silver Strangler").

In a word, I like this show.