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Radio's Dragnet became one of the most realistic and popular programs of all time. As played by Jack Webb, Sergeant Joe Friday played it by the book and understood the seriousness of his duties. The program’s debut in 1949 was bumpy as Webb and company worked out the format and grew more comfortable with their characters. Friday's deadpan, fast-talking persona emerged as a cop's cop, tough but not hard. Webb was a stickler for accuracy and Dragnet used authentic touches, such as the LAPD's actual radio call sign and the names of actual department officials. The crime stories were taken from actual case files of the Los Angeles Police Department. The ominous, four-note theme with brass and tympani entitled, "Danger Ahead," was composed by Walter Schumann. It is derived from Miklós Rózsa's score for the 1946 film The Killers. The notes are the same for both but the film’s faster, steady tempo disguises it from Dragnet's halted rhythmic version.

Friday took his orders from Ed Backstrand, Chief of Detectives, played initially by Raymond Burr, then Charles McGraw. Both left the series within a year for budding film careers. Friday had a partner, and each actor brought their own personality to the series. Barton Yarborough as Sergeant Ben Romero, perhaps provided the most realism. His untimely death in 1951 brought in character actor Barney Phillips as Sergeant Ed Jacobs for a short run. The longest-serving partner was Ben Alexander (below left) as Officer Frank Smith. Smith would talk to Friday about his family or give advice, often with amusing results. Friday offered voice-over narration throughout the episodes, noting the time, date and place of every scene. Dragnet handled controversial subjects such as sex crimes and drug addiction with unprecedented and even startling realism.

The sound effects artists were extraordinary and brought realism to the show. The pictures in a listener's mind were all that was needed. While most radio shows used one or two Foley experts, Dragnet used five. A script clocking just under thirty minutes could require up to 300 effects. Accuracy was key. The exact number of footsteps from one room to another at Los Angeles police headquarters were mimicked, and when a telephone rang at Friday's desk, the listener heard the same ring as the telephones in Los Angeles police headquarters.

The show's opening narration was alternately provided by announcers Hal Gibney and George Fenneman, just one of the show's trademarks: "Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent." Later versions dropped the words "only" and "ladies and gentlemen." Friday's oft-parodied catchphrase, "Just the facts, ma'am," was never actually uttered. The closest was "All we want are the facts, ma'am" and "All we know are the facts, ma'am." Fenneman took over narration duties full-time after 1957 and for the two television series.

Note: Due in part to Webb's fondness for radio drama, Dragnet persisted until 1957. The last two seasons were repeats, however. It was one of the last old-time radio shows to give way to television. A total of 314 original episodes were broadcast from 1949-1957. The TV show proved to be a visual version of the radio scripts, more in line with the Ben Alexander days with Harry Morgan as Friday's partner. The radio show was also adapted into a comic strip by Mel Keefer.