The Fugitive
The Fugitive
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The Fugitive

"He has lost everything but hope."

7.3
Yr 1963
Rt 60m
Status Ended
Action & Adventure Drama Mystery
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Series Brief

Overview

Richard Kimble is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death penalty. En route to death row, Kimble's train derails and crashes, allowing him to escape and begin a cross-country search for the real killer, a "one-armed man". At the same time, Dr. Kimble is hounded by the authorities, most notably dogged by Police Lieutenant Philip Gerard.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 94 /100

The Fugitive is widely regarded as a classic landmark in television history, praised as one of the finest drama series to ever air. Critics and reviewers frequently highlight its high-stakes storytelling and relentless tension, noting that the show maintained a breathless pace across its four-season run as Dr. Richard Kimble fought for his life in every episode.

Retrospective commentary also focuses on the unique characterization of David Janssen's Kimble. Rather than fitting the mold of a typical brave or dynamic American hero, Kimble is remembered as a reluctant anti-hero—a soft-spoken man caught in extraordinary circumstances, perpetually running from the law while seeking justice.

“The Fugitive was the more breathless of the two, its Kimble character literally running for his life in every hourlong segment.”

“A true anti-hero, through it all, Kimble is not brave, not dynamic, not an AmeriCAN, but an AmeriCAN'T.”

“one of my favorite TV series of all-time....and certainly my very favorite drama series ever shown on television.”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

Tubi TV
US • CA • UK
Why fans love it

The Fugitive turns a simple crime premise into a prolonged study of exhaustion and moral clarity. Richard Kimble exists in a state of permanent motion, moving from one industrial town to another while maintaining a quiet, unshakable integrity. David Janssen anchors the tension with a performance that emphasizes the psychological weight of being an innocent man in a country that believes only in his guilt.

The series finds its rhythm in the push and pull between the hunted and the hunter. Police Lieutenant Philip Gerard serves as a relentless physical manifestation of the law, tracking the protagonist across the country even when he occasionally doubts the official story. This sustained pursuit creates a unique narrative structure where the goal is never conquest, but rather a desperate, elusive attempt to reset a life damaged by injustice.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 3
Longest run 120 eps
David Janssen
David Janssen
as Richard Kimble
120 episodes
Barry Morse
Barry Morse
as Lieutenant Gerard
120 episodes
William Conrad
William Conrad
as Narrator
120 episodes
Eileen Heckart
Eileen Heckart
as Sister Veronica
3 episodes
Jon Lormer
Jon Lormer
as Pastor
3 episodes
Frank Maxwell
Frank Maxwell
as Lt. Garlock
4 episodes
Walter Brooke
Walter Brooke
as Moderator
4 episodes
George Mitchell
George Mitchell
as John Petri Alsup
3 episodes
Show 67 more
Joseph V. Perry as Police sergeant 4 episodes Val Avery as Burns 5 episodes Paul Comi as 1st Deputy 3 episodes Woodrow Parfrey as Mr. Newlin 3 episodes John Clarke as Bill 3 episodes Lois Nettleton as Marcia Stone 3 episodes Eugene Iglesias as Deputy George 3 episodes Jason Wingreen as Accountant Nebbs 5 episodes Don Quine as Vin Briggs 3 episodes Paul Birch 42 episodes Ed Asner as Joe Bantam 3 episodes Stuart Nisbet as Richardson 3 episodes Malcolm Atterbury as Sheriff Mead 3 episodes Sue Randall as Nurse Thompson 3 episodes Carol Eve Rossen as Anne Leonetti 5 episodes Dabney Coleman as Steve 4 episodes Telly Savalas as Victor Leonetti 3 episodes Lin McCarthy as Leonard Taft 4 episodes Laurence Naismith as John Mallory 3 episodes Bing Russell as Officer 6 episodes Ned Glass as Lee Troy 3 episodes Bill Erwin as Bar patron 3 episodes Phillip Pine as Pete Ragan 3 episodes David Sheiner as Lieutenant Hess 5 episodes Richard Anderson as Leonard Taft 6 episodes John Lasell as Michael Pryor 4 episodes Ed Deemer as Sergeant Rainey 3 episodes Robert Sorrells as Deputy 3 episodes Harold Gould as Tom Crailer 3 episodes Ted Gehring as Fogarty 4 episodes Diana Hyland as Alison Priestley 4 episodes Jud Taylor as Sergeant Rainey 5 episodes Vaughn Taylor as Mayor Otis Penfield 5 episodes Lloyd Haynes as Officer 3 episodes Lou Antonio as Don 3 episodes Dabbs Greer as Jensen 6 episodes Michael Constantine as Lt. Ben Wyckoff 3 episodes Patricia Smith as Norma Bartlett 3 episodes Edward Binns as George Savano 3 episodes Harlan Warde as Detective Wallace 3 episodes John Milford as Leonard Hull 4 episodes Jimmy Stiles as Joey 3 episodes Bill Quinn as Chief Terry 3 episodes Joanna Moore as Nurse Ruth Bianchi 3 episodes Harry Townes as Joshua Simmons 5 episodes Hugh Sanders as Leo 4 episodes Mort Mills as George Mangus 3 episodes Don Ross as Policeman 6 episodes Geraldine Brooks as Lucia Mayfield 3 episodes Edward Faulkner as Sheriff 3 episodes Tim O'Connor as Dr. Davis 4 episodes Elizabeth Allen as Ruth Harmon 3 episodes Marlowe Jensen as Sgt. Fountain 5 episodes Robert Duvall as Eric Christian 3 episodes Don Eitner as Officer 3 episodes Antoinette Bower as Andrea Cross 3 episodes Crahan Denton as George 5 episodes Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. as Pancho Sancho 5 episodes Garry Walberg as Jasper 4 episodes Buck Young as Police Sergeant 5 episodes Noam Pitlik as Davey 4 episodes Bruce Dern as Charley 5 episodes Bill Zuckert as Officer Henry Mesta 5 episodes Joseph Campanella as Deputy Harry Banner 4 episodes John Ward 4 episodes Bill Raisch as The One-Armed Man (uncredited) 10 episodes Jacqueline Scott as Donna Kimble Taft 5 episodes
Signal Match

Similarity

Where The Fugitive overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

escape fugitive pursuit one armed man integrity
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
September 17, 1963
Status
Ended
Episode Runtime
60 minutes
Origin
US
TMDB Votes
62