Midway through the series' run, a theatrical spin-off was produced (Dragnet (1954)). This event marked two firsts in American TV history: the first time a TV series spawned a movie, and the first time a movie spin-off was released while the original series was still running.
Contrary to popular belief, Joe Friday never said "Just the facts, ma'am" in any episode. The actual phrase used was "All we want [or "know"] are the facts, ma'am".
Barton Yarborough, who portrayed Friday's first partner, was ill during production of the third episode and was expected to return (thus, in the opening of the show, Friday states, "My partner's Ben Romero"). But on the day the third episode was complete, Yarborough died of a heart attack.
Among the many real-life police officers who submitted story ideas for this series was future Star Trek (1966) creator Gene Roddenberry.
Much of the series was shot at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, CA, as Jack Webb agreed to finance the construction of live-action sets for Disney's production company in exchange for its use.
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