The story of Dr. Richard Kimble is a familiar one—a doctor from Indiana who is falsely accused of his wife’s murder and attempts to flee from his spot on death row. The character’s story has been retold many times in movies and other television series.
On this day, August 29th, in 1967, “The Fugitive” ranked number 36 on TV Guide’s 2002 ranking of the greatest shows of all time.
The original television series ran on ABC for a total of 120 episodes from 1963 to 1967. The series is credited for being a prototype for later American drama shows. The series finale was the most watched television episode at that time with over 25 million households tuning in. “The Fugitive” held this record until 1980.