One of the best: 21st Precinct

Everett Sloan as Captain Frank Kinnelly

One of my greatest joys in life is sitting down a cold afternoon in my warm abode, slipping on the headphones, sipping some hot cocoa and listening to The 21st Precinct.

The show is a lot like Jack Webb's Dragnet, but it has an east coast feel to it; it's smack in the middle of New York City. While Dragnet has a gritty, harsh, noir feel, The 21st Precinct seems more realistic - not some fictional tale.

The actors make mistakes and this lends to the realism. While most of the recordings we have are not in the best shape for this show, that somehow lends credence that we are dealing with history.

One of my favorite episodes was the one where this 14 or 15 year old boy had a "pet" copperhead snake and it had gotten loose somewhere. The kid, fearing for the safety of his snake refused to tell the coppers where he had hidden it.

Another episode that comes to mind instantly is the one where the kids stole some explosives and they had shot off several of them. While that doesn't sound like a horrible crime, you felt the sense of urgency the police had while you listened, as one kid had already been hurt by an explosion.

While the show is not Nightwatch (a reporter actually goes out with the police and records what really happens) this show is as close to real as it gets. It's definitely one of the better shows out there - and I suggest you download them now, if you don't already have them.

Find them here.