High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! This is an episode list for the 1951 crime drama series Dragnet. The series pilot premiered on NBC on December 16, 1951. A total of 276 episodes aired between December 1951 and August 1959.Dragnet was on both radio and television from December 1951 through February 1957. When the first Dragnet movie came out in September 1954, it was available on radio, TV and in the theatres for a while. Jack Webb directed all the episodes and also helped write a few of the stories but James E. Moser and John Robinson wrote the majority of the screenplays during the 8 season run of the show. Barton Yarborough portrayed partner Sgt. Ben Romero in episodes 1 2. In episode 3, although announced as Sgt. Friday`s partner, Romero does not appear, and Friday works with Sgt. Bill Cummings (portrayed by Ken Peters). After Yarborough`s death on December 19, 1951, Friday`s partner became Sgt. Ed Jacobs, portrayed by Barney Phillips, effective from episode #4 until the end of season one. For season two, Kenneth Patterson portrayed Officer Bill Lockwood in episode #15, after which Herb Ellis took the role of Officer Frank Smith. Ellis was replaced by Ben Alexander after five episodes, but because the shows didn`t air in production order, Alexander`s debut was episode #20, and Ellis` final appearance as Smith was episode #21. Alexander continued as Smith until the program`s cancellation in 1959.