A review in the trade publication
Variety called
21st Precinct "an exciting show" and noted that the program essentially imitated
Dragnet, "down to the last, authentic, understated detailing of police procedure and the curtain-line explanation: 'Names have been changed to protect the innocent.'" It added, however, that
21st Precinct offered more insights than
Dragnet into a police captain's routine, making the character "seem all the more human". ==References==