Adam-12 and Dragnet to MeTV?

[1069_KIFR]

I've been seeing teasers for Dragnet and now Adam-12 coming soon to MeTV!

 

[Robnoxious]

Makes sense since ME-TV has Emergency! that they'd follow through with the rest of Jack Webb's Mark VII properties.
However, since Dragnet and Adam-12 have been played to a crisp on Antenna TV throughout last year I'd hardly consider this a major "get".

 

[Nate Wesley]

However, since Dragnet and Adam-12 have been played to a crisp on Antenna TV throughout last year I'd hardly consider this a major "get".

It could be if you consider distribution of the two channels. Isn't MeTV carried by many more stations/affiliates than Antenna TV?

 

[ercjncpr]

However, since Dragnet and Adam-12 have been played to a crisp on Antenna TV throughout last year I'd hardly consider this a major "get".

It could be if you consider distribution of the two channels. Isn't MeTV carried by many more stations/affiliates than Antenna TV?

These two shows are also on Netflix

 

[tvradiogeek]

weren't these two shows on metv a few years ago?

 

[therealjm12]

Dragnet & Adam-12 have not been seen in my 500+ channel universe since WOR ran them in the 90's. We just picked up ME-TV in my market last year so I don't know what they ran prior to 2012. I, too, would like to see the original Dragnet from the 50's. The later version is just camp and is just good for laughs. Adam 12 is very dated but as I remember it, entertaining.

 

[LKellerIII]

Makes sense since ME-TV has Emergency! that they'd follow through with the rest of Jack Webb's Mark VII properties.
However, since Dragnet and Adam-12 have been played to a crisp on Antenna TV throughout last year I'd hardly consider this a major "get".

And last time I checked, many episodes Dragnet, at least, were available for free on Hulu.

 

[dave73]

weren't these two shows on metv a few years ago?

When MeTV was just in Chicago, it was seen on MeToo, the all drama channel. MeTV is now national, while MeToo is just in Chicago, & MeToo mainly carries shows that Weigel only has the Chicago rights to, including the Sony library, which Antenna TV has the national rights to.

 

[BD Sullivan]

Looks like the starting date will be May 6, with Dragnet on at 4 p.m., followed by Adam-12 at 4:30. That's a reduction from the two episodes per show that were seen on AntennaTV.

 

[onairb]

Is it 'Psychadelic 60s' Dragnet, which would probably fit better with Adam-12, or the original version?

 

[therealjm12]

It's the color episodes from the 60's.

 

[FredLeonard]

It will probably be the 60s version - unfortunately.

Jack Webb had one great idea for a radio show. But he was a hack TV director and as time passed, he got even worse.

60s Dragnet was little more than PR film for the LAPD, an organization we now know to be (and to have been) one of the most brutal and corrupt in the country. The Shield was a more accurate depiction than any Webb shows. Notice how it was either a "reefer madness" anti-drug lecture or about some housekeeping-administrative unit of the department. He didn't do murders, robberies and other real crimes very much.

Everybody Webb and Smith-Gannon met was a kook and wanted to talk their ears off - they wouldn't shut up. In contrast to Law & Order where people can't get away from the cops fast enough.

It's a fantasy-land cop show which crooked cops used to disguise what they were really like.

 

[tmanokc]

However, since Dragnet and Adam-12 have been played to a crisp on Antenna TV throughout last year I'd hardly consider this a major "get".

It could be if you consider distribution of the two channels. Isn't MeTV carried by many more stations/affiliates than Antenna TV?

Antenna TV has somewhere between 55-65 affiliates. As of this writing, Me-TV has close to 150 affiliates (which I guess would make it the seventh or eighth largest U.S. television network?). Me-TV has steadily added affiliates though, while Antenna TV hasn't really added any new affiliates in about a year.

 

[BD Sullivan]

It will probably be the 60s version - unfortunately.

Jack Webb had one great idea for a radio show. But he was a hack TV director and as time passed, he got even worse.

60s Dragnet was little more than PR film for the LAPD, an organization we now know to be (and to have been) one of the most brutal and corrupt in the country. The Shield was a more accurate depiction than any Webb shows. Notice how it was either a "reefer madness" anti-drug lecture or about some housekeeping-administrative unit of the department. He didn't do murders, robberies and other real crimes very much.

The first two seasons of the revived Dragnet were okay, save for the over-the-top "reefer madness" moments already mentioned. It was the third season where it became the mouthpiece of the LAPD, with numerous looks at behind the scenes (but relatively dull) duties. One episode in particular has always intrigued me: the one in which the LAPD deals with the aftermath of the MLK assassination. Considering the RFK assassination actually happened in Los Angeles two months later, you would think that would be a perfect choice. But then the many questions (not to mention Sirhan hadn't gone to trial yet) about the competence of the LAPD that night, coupled with the fact that LA had no riots after King's murder, allowed Webb to look the boys in blue look good.

 

[Braves2005]

I don't think that the 1950's version of Dragnet has been seen in syndication since at least the mid 1960's because I saw an retro schedule from 1965 that was carrying the original Dragnet at that time. I presume that Jack Webb's estate still owns the 50's episodes outright but someone with more knowledge on here could tell me why these episodes haven't been seen on TV in almost 50 years. I know about the DVD's of the original Dragnet but was wondering why it was withdrawn from syndication around the time of the newer Dragnet (1967-1970).

 

[FredLeonard]

Not sure who owns syndication rights to either TV version of Dragnet. Some of the original version could be in public domain by now, so one of the TV Oldies sub-channels could pick it up. Netflix streams some episodes.

The Bill Gannon series was produced at Universal and Webb had a production deal with them (they did all his late 60s - 70s shows). So Universal (meaning Comcast NBC) may control syndication rights. The Frank Smith series was an independent production (filmed at Disney) but NBC syndicated it (as Badge 714) until the networks were forced to give up their syndication arms. Not sure who took over NBC syndication but by then stations were staying away from black and white shows.

It's interesting to see 50s LA without all the high-rise buildings downtown and with Pacific Electric red cars on the streets. It's also interesting to see the cops routinely do stuff that would be illegal a decade later.

Webb filmed a feature film in 1954 for theatrical release, which pops up on cable movie channels. It features Palladin and Chester (both of whom regularly played on the radio show, as did Bill Gannon/Col. Potter) and most of the rest of the Jack Webb stock company (almost all of them had been LA radio actors). In the movie, Friday really rides roughshod over later Supreme Court rulings.

Netflix has the original Christmas episode ("You don't give a kid a gun for Christmas") which is much better, much edgier and more realistic than the Baby Jesus episode.

Webb progressively backed down on realism. In the early seasons, he say's "I'm a cop" in the intro. Reportedly, J. Edgar Hoover complained and Webb changed it to "I carry a badge" (something a cop would probably never say). This wasn't the first time Hoover pressured show producers. He got the producers of The Green Hornet to re-write the opening narration (read by Mike Wallace) from "criminals even the G-men can't catch" to "criminals who would destroy our America."

Webb did have a sense of humor, though. He provided use of his music for Stan Freberg's Dragnet parodies. And he did the famous Clappers skit on the Tonight Show.

 

[azumanga]

The Bill Gannon series was produced at Universal and Webb had a production deal with them (they did all his late 60s - 70s shows). So Universal (meaning Comcast NBC) may control syndication rights. The Frank Smith series was an independent production (filmed at Disney) but NBC syndicated it (as Badge 714) until the networks were forced to give up their syndication arms. Not sure who took over NBC syndication but by then stations were staying away from black and white shows.

National Telefilm Associates acquired NBC's syndication arm in 1971. After many mergers and renames later, CBS is the current owner of NBC's pre-1971 syndication output. (For what its worth, CBS also owns ABC's pre-1973 syndie output as well.) As for the classic 1950s Dragnet, I believe that most, if not all, episodes are in public domain.

 

[FredLeonard]

The Bill Gannon series was produced at Universal and Webb had a production deal with them (they did all his late 60s - 70s shows). So Universal (meaning Comcast NBC) may control syndication rights. The Frank Smith series was an independent production (filmed at Disney) but NBC syndicated it (as Badge 714) until the networks were forced to give up their syndication arms. Not sure who took over NBC syndication but by then stations were staying away from black and white shows.

National Telefilm Associates acquired NBC's syndication arm in 1971. After many mergers and renames later, CBS is the current owner of NBC's pre-1971 syndication output. (For what its worth, CBS also owns ABC's pre-1973 syndie output as well.) As for the classic 1950s Dragnet, I believe that most, if not all, episodes are in public domain.

Very interesting. CBS spun off their syndication division, as well. Years later, the former syndication division (Viacom) ended up owning CBS.

NTA started off trying to create a network using "first run" syndicated programs. They owned channel 13 in New York before it became a public television station. They placed programs and movie packages on independent stations and on network affiliates preempting network shows. Their big competitor in the field was Ziv, but NTA differed from Ziv in trying to appear to be a network, running a schedule of shows at the same time on stations in different markets. This was all before satellite distribution, when AT&T coaxial cable links were very expensive, so both Ziv and NTA had to send film prints out to stations.

 

[LKellerIII]

I don't think that the 1950's version of Dragnet has been seen in syndication since at least the mid 1960's because I saw an retro schedule from 1965 that was carrying the original Dragnet at that time. I presume that Jack Webb's estate still owns the 50's episodes outright but someone with more knowledge on here could tell me why these episodes haven't been seen on TV in almost 50 years.

Probably haven't been seen on TV in 50 years because they're awful. I bought a DVD of 5 or 6 episodes of the original TV Dragnet for $1.00 in the Target bargain bin, a couple of years ago.

Most of each episode is Webb's narration laid over silent footage of cops on the street sitting around talking, police cars driving around with their roof-lights lit-up, etc. Each episode probably has 10 - 12 minutes of actual original material in it acted by actors. Talk about low budget...

 

[BD Sullivan]

Each episode probably has 10 - 12 minutes of actual original material in it acted by actors. Talk about low budget...

Webb was notorious for churning episodes out in 2-3 days, roughly half the time it took for other shows. Also, a number of entire episodes took place in a single room, which cut costs even further. If you notice the tight closeups and quick cuts back and forth, it was because most of the actors were encouraged to read their lines on cue cards so that times wasn't wasted on blown lines, etc.