Production on the updated version of Dragnet, known as L.A. Dragnet, will halt after episode ten goes in the can.

ABC has pulled the cop show from its Saturday night schedule after the series failed to produce sufficient ratings. This Saturday, a repeat of 8 Simple Rules - the first episode to air since the death of John Ritter - will air in Dragnet's timeslot; for the two weeks after, still in the November sweeps season, America's Funniest Home Videos will be rebroadcast in the slot.

The decision to axe Dragnet is just the latest in a series of cancellations as broadcast networks clamour to achieve the highest ratings possible during the critical sweeps period.