[L.N. Smithee]

And while I'm at it, how come Joe Friday never had ONE, not ONE, innocent man arrested in all his years on TV? Were we supposed to believe that everyone arrested by the cops was really innocent??

Dragnet was based on actual LAPD cases that resulted in convictions. Joe Friday was a composite figure.

That's why.

[Stone Mountain]

Sure, and Perry Mason was based on fictional cases that resulted in acquittals. The point I was trying to make is that on TV, the main character of a series generally tends to win.