I saw the first episode of this show last night and, being a major "Dragnet" fan, I can safely say that this show is a disgrace. All Dick Wolf did here was create yet another "Law and Order" show with the title of a classic cop show. This second attempt to revive the show without Jack Webb makes all the classic mistakes. First, Ed O'Neill has a much too stiff personality here, and he's also a know-it-all jerk in this show. The original Joe Friday played by Jack Webb had stiff physical movements but his personality wasn't stiff at all--he was friendly to the good guys, tough on the bad guys, sympathetic to the victims. And in the original "Dragnet" the sidekick was almost always older than Friday, with family problems to talk about, instead of cocky and young like Ethan Embry's ridiculous portrayal of Frank Smith, who, in this show, is just another version of Mike Logan from "Law and Order." One of the things that irritates me the most about this new version is the camera movements. In the original "Dragnet" the camera was always still and it used great close-ups, which created a calm but intense atmosphere. But in this new version (just like in "Law and Order") the camera moves around from person to person, shaking constantly, as if it is being held by some idiot who can't keep it still. This camera-shaking technique is the trend today and it's annoying. Ladies and Gentlemen, this new version is garbage. Stick with the 1950s and 60s versions, if you can find them anywhere on the planet.
Review of Dragnet
