Dragnet

This new version of the popular 50s and 60s show had absolutely none of the magic of the old series. It still had the narration, the investigation, and the mugshots at the end. However with little star power, zombie-like acting, lame dialog and cheap production, it didn't exactly remind anyone of the original series. The producers tried to keep it serious like the old series but it simply did not work with the two actors. They seemed so awkwardly matched and their dialog seemed so forced that it was painful to watch at times. Many of the car rides scenes were so solemn that it was almost as if they were returning from a funeral. In their interactions with the criminals, they were always using corny lines, some of which were so bad they were unintentionally funny. Watching the plot develop was slow and painful and had essentially the same entertainment value as watching paint dry. I remember this show airing late at night in syndication which was perfect because I'm sure it helped many insomniacs fall asleep. One of the few things in it's favor was that it aired in conjunction with the new version of "Adam-12" which was much worse, making the new version of "Dragnet" look good by comparison.

"Dragnet" (1989) was a pretty straight-forward re-do of the classic Jack Webb series, just swapping out Joe Friday and Frank Smith (or Bill Gannon, depending on your era) for Daniels and Malina. The format was the same: a half-hour police procedural drawn from real LAPD cases, complete with the requisite "The story you are about to see is true; the names have been changed to protect the innocent." My only real problems were the omission of the classic "Danger Ahead" theme (you know: "da da-dum da"), and the obnoxious music-video-style opening titles. Not that anyone else noticed, as the show was gone in a year, a victim of really real police stories on "COPS". Note: Despite the time-frame, this show was unrelated to the 1987 Dan Ackroyd film.