‘Dragnet,’ ‘Kingpin’ give viewers a choice in drama

One should never doubt Dick Wolf.

With the success of his three “Law & Order” series, Wolf is the closest to a sure thing when it comes to TV producers. Still, it must have given many pause when Wolf decided to update that hoary video classic, “Dragnet.”

Some vintage series are timeless, seeming equally relevant decades after their original airings. But “Dragnet” was definitely a snapshot of Los Angeles in the 1950s and ’60s. In its best remembered ’67-’70 run, “Dragnet” was a reaction to turbulent times, a reassuringly black-and-white show even though it was shot in color.

Well, Wolf and his fellow producers have managed to resurrect “Dragnet” in a new millennium without sacrificing its true essence. “Dragnet,” debuting at 10 p.m. Sunday on ABC, is first and foremost a no-frills police procedural, and that’s no change. Joe Friday’s world is now filled with computers and forensics, but solving crimes still comes down to playing hunches and burning shoe leather (or, since this is L.A., tires).

“Dragnet” works largely because Ed O’Neill doesn’t try to duplicate Jack Webb’s Friday, with his stone face and “just the facts, ma’am” dialogue. His Friday is a serious Cop (with a capital c), but his sympathies and deadpan sense of humor still peek through. O’Neill’s Al Bundy character from “Married … With Children” will never be forgotten, but he proves again that he’s got serious dramatic chops.

Another dynamic that works is giving Friday a youthful partner, Frank Smith, played by Ethan Embry (“Sweet Home Alabama”), to whom he serves as a mentor. Although they haven’t been together long, they’re already finishing each other’s sentences, in that TV cop kind of way.

Wolf’s “Dragnet” is a worthy heir to a TV legacy. It doesn’t try to duplicate the original, but rather to be a logical extension of it.

Fans of strong drama better have their VCRs working tonight, as “Kingpin” premieres on NBC, also at 10.

As envisioned by Emmy Award-winning writer-producer David Mills (“The Corner,” “Homicide”), “Kingpin,” which focuses on the drug trade, strives to be the Hispanic version of “The Sopranos.” In its first two episodes, it never quite reaches the operatic scope of that HBO hit, but it does offer much to recommend it.

In an interesting approach, “Kingpin” is billed as a limited series. It runs at 10 p.m. Sundays and Tuesdays for three weeks. It will wrap up like a miniseries, but if ratings demand so, it could return as a series in the future. NBC must believe in the show, as it will run in a more explicit version on Bravo and the broadcast version will repeat on Telemundo, both in March.

“Kingpin” centers on Stanford-educated Miguel Cadena (Yancey Arias, “The Time Machine”), a savvy businessman who has risen through and wants to take over his family’s drug cartel. He’s aided by Marlene (Sheryl Lee, “Twin Peaks”), his coke-snorting gringa wife; and Chato (Bobby Cannavale, “Third Watch”), his ruthless brother.

The series examines the infighting within the cartel and challenges both from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and other rival families. One of its strengths are its supporting characters, including Brian Benben (“Dream On”) as an L.A. plastic surgeon who’s in over his head as a drug dealer, and Danny Trejo (“Spy Kids”) as a loco, violent in-law who wants his piece of the action.

The problem that “Kingpin” faces, which “The Sopranos” handles so successfully, is making sympathetic characters out of those involved in an ugly business. It’s hard to feel sorry for, or identify with, these people who are behind the smuggling of drugs into the United States. That’s a hurdle that “Kingpin” has failed to clear in the early going. Still it manages to be a sharp-edged character study of Miguel and his inner circle.

So, which one is better? “Dragnet” is there for those who like their drama in tasty, self-contained morsels. “Kingpin” is more involved and therefore more challenging. It’s up to the individual viewer to decide what works best for him or her.