The Fugitive (TV series)

The Fugitive is an American network television dramatic series (ABC, 1963-1967) starring David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimble, an innocent man falsely convicted for his wife's murder and sentenced to death. He escapes custody after a train wreck and begins a cross-country search for the one-armed man he correctly believes to be the real killer. The one-armed man's name is Fred Johnson; played by Bill Raisch. Like Kimble, Johnson uses other aliases while on the run. While Johnson is being pursued by Kimble, Kimble is being pursued by the relentless police detective (Lt. Philip Gerard, played by Barry Morse). William Conrad provided voice-over narration for each episode.

Related Topics:
American - Television - ABC - 1963 - 1967 - David Janssen - Richard Kimble - Barry Morse - William Conrad - Voice-over

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The final episode in which Dr. Kimble finally confronted the one-armed man is among the highest-rated series television programs of all time, and was the single highest-rated episode of a regular program of its entire era. In a 1993 ranking, TV Guide named it the best dramatic series of the 1960s.

Related Topics:
1993 - 1960s

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The series was conceived by Roy Huggins and produced by Quinn Martin. It is generally believed that the series was inspired by the Sam Sheppard case of the 1950s, in which the wife of Cleveland osteopathic physician Sam Sheppard was brutally murdered in their home; Sheppard maintained she had been killed by an intruder, was found guilty, appealed against this judgment to the Supreme Court, and was finally acquitted, having by that point served years in prison. (Huggins, however, steadfastly denied that the Sheppard case had any role in his creation of the show.) It aired for four seasons, with 30 episodes per season, for a total of 120 episodes. The first three seasons were filmed in black and white, while the final season was in color.

Related Topics:
Roy Huggins - Quinn Martin - Sam Sheppard - 1950s - Cleveland - Osteopathic - Physician - Supreme Court - Prison - Black and white

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The series concept of a lead character who was forced to keep on the move, pursued by the law for a crime he did not commit proved to be perfect for television programming. While shows like Route 66 had employed the same anthology-like premise of wanderers finding adventure in each new place they came to, The Fugitive answered two questions that had bedeviled many similar series: "Why doesn't the protagonist settle down somewhere?" and "Why is the protagonist trying to solve these problems himself instead of calling in the police?" Numerous other television series since have imitated this basic series premise, with the twists being mostly in the nature of the fugitives: a scientist with a monstrous alter ego (The Incredible Hulk); a husband and wife (Hot Pursuit, 1984); a young man afflicted with lycanthropy (Werewolf, 1987)); and even a German shepherd (Run, Joe, Run, 1974).

Related Topics:
Route 66 - The Incredible Hulk - Hot Pursuit - 1984 - Lycanthropy - Werewolf - 1987 - Run, Joe, Run - 1974

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A total of 42 episodes have been released on home video (VHS) by NuVentures Video. Of these, 12 episodes were also released on laserdisc.

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The Fugitive, a feature film based on the series, was released in 1993, starring Harrison Ford as Kimble, Tommy Lee Jones as Gerard (now named "Samuel" instead of "Philip" and a U.S. Marshal rather than a police lieutenant) and Andreas Katsulas as the one-armed man. While some believe this movie and its success may have started the Hollywood trend of the 1990s for remaking old television series as feature films, this movie eschews the campy approach generally taken by such remakes, and treats its source material with respect. In particular, the script portrays Kimble as a man so good that he chooses to help others even when it poses a danger to his liberty or to his physical safety.

Related Topics:
The Fugitive - Harrison Ford - Tommy Lee Jones - U.S. Marshal - Andreas Katsulas - Camp

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A short-lived TV series remake (CBS, 2000-2001) of the same name also aired, starring Timothy Daly as Kimble, Mykelti Williamson as Gerard, and Stephen Lang as the one-armed man.

Related Topics:
CBS - 2000 - 2001 - Timothy Daly - Mykelti Williamson - Stephen Lang

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