THE GOSPEL IN TELEVISION — DRAGNET
DRAGNET — “THE BIG LITTLE JESUS”
The Big Little Jesus (Original TV Episode)
Aired: December 24, 1953 on the original Dragnet television series.
The Christmas Story (Remake in Dragnet 1967)
Aired: December 21, 1967 with Jack Webb and Harry Morgan
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Some Christmas stories arrive with trumpets and tinsel, but Dragnet’s holiday tale strolls in with its hands in its pockets, speaking in that steady Joe Friday tone that somehow makes the simple things feel important. The color episode with Jack Webb and Harry Morgan has a warmth to it—a kind of calm December breeze drifting through Los Angeles. It starts with a church missing its Baby Jesus statue, and nobody’s panicking, but everyone’s a little bothered, the way you feel when you misplace something meaningful even if it’s not expensive.
Friday and Gannon step into the case with their usual straight faces, but there’s a twinkle in the background—Christmas decorations here and there, a choir practicing around the corner, a sense that the city is trying its best to be cheerful even if the traffic still refuses to cooperate. They move from one person to the next, asking their questions, doing their job, but the episode lets you breathe. Nothing intense, nothing heavy—just two good men trying to help a pastor who feels like his Nativity scene isn’t quite itself without that little figure lying in the straw (Luke 2:7).
The charm of the episode is how human it all is. Nobody’s cynical. Nobody’s shouting. Even Friday seems softer around the edges. And as the day goes on, you get the feeling that the heart of Christmas doesn’t hide behind big events—it hides in ordinary people doing ordinary things with a little extra kindness (Colossians 3:12).
And then comes the boy. He walks in with the missing Christ Child tucked in his arms, innocent as can be. No crime, no mischief—he just wanted Jesus to have the first ride in his brand-new wagon. That’s the kind of moment that makes you smile without even realizing it. Friday and Gannon don’t scold him. They just listen, almost amused, while the pastor’s eyes soften from worry to gratitude. It’s a gentle reminder that sometimes the sweetest parts of faith come from people who aren’t trying to teach us anything—they just love Jesus in their simple, honest way (Matthew 18:3).
When the statue goes back into the manger, the whole scene settles into a kind of quiet joy. Nothing dramatic, nothing earthshaking—just a small restoration in a small church, the kind of thing that feels like Christmas in the best way. Dragnet doesn’t push the lesson; it just lets it settle: sometimes we “lose” Jesus in the shuffle, but He’s never far. And sometimes the ones who bring Him back to us are the ones we least expect.
Lord Jesus, let this season be simple again. Help me smile more, worry less, and welcome You into the everyday parts of my life. When I get distracted or hurried, gently guide me back. And give me a childlike heart that delights in You without overthinking it. Amen.
BDD
