Directed by the distinctive, unwavering hand of Jack Webb and with Webb in the leading role of Detective Joe Friday, the "Dragnet" television series of the 1950s became the first highly successful TV cop show. Famous for its tense, staccato pacing, the monotone of its onscreen dialogue and its punchy musical theme, the show became a national obsession and a frequent subject of parody and humor on radio and television.
Episode 1 - The Big Girls: A woman described as attractive, shapely and remarkably tall has terrorized the city for weeks - robbing men, beating them senseless and in many cases shooting the victims. Inconsistencies in the victims' reports make the apprehension of prime suspect drag on.
Episode 2 - The Big Boys: Officers Smith and Friday receive a warning to be on the lookout for four armed fugitives who are heading for LA. The men, two escaped prisoners and two army deserters, are wanted for staging a series of auto thefts and burglaries in San Francisco.
Episode 3 - The Big Oscar: A theft report of missing valuables, taken from the home of an eccentric spinster takes a bizarre twist when the talkative woman insists that she gets the "scoop" on the story by being the first to report the crime to her local newspaper.
Episode 4 - The Big Thief: Sgt. Joe Friday is terribly shaken. For the first time in his career he has killed someone in the line of duty.