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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. Kimble's murdered wife Helen was portrayed in several episodes by an uncredited Diane Brewster . In a 1993 ranking, ''TV Guide'' named ''The Fugitive'' the best dramatic series of the 1960s . 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.) Reportedly, ratings of ''The Fugitive'' dropped in the months following the acquittal. The program 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. 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 '''', 1978 ); a husband and wife ('' Hot Pursuit '', 1984 ); a young man afflicted with Lycanthropy ('' Werewolf '', 1987 ); and even a German shepherd ('' Run, Joe, Run '', 1974 ). Ironically, the state of Indiana had abolished capital punishment during the course of the show's original run. A total of 42 episodes have been released on home video (VHS) by NuVentures Video. Of these, 12 episodes were also released on laserdisc. FINAL EPISODE The final episode of the series aired on Tuesday, August 29 , 1967 , with the conclusion of an episode entitled, "The Judgement." In that last episode, Dr. Kimble has been captured by Gerard in Los Angeles and is being transported back to Indiana. During the lengthy train trip, Kimble convinces the detective to provide him one final opportunity to catch Johnson. The basis for his desperation is a bail bond slip allegedly signed by Kimble's brother-in-law, Leonard Taft. In fact, the bond was signed by a previously-unseen neighbor, Lloyd Chandler, a war hero who was at the house the night of the murder. Rather than stop the murder, Chandler had cowered from Johnson, and is now being blackmailed by the killer in order to protect his courageous reputation. Kimble and Gerard discover this and head to an abandoned amusement park, where Kimble has a dramatic confrontation on a water tower with Johnson. Following a scuffle, Johnson is shot to death by Gerard, which allows Chandler to finally admit what happened that night.
1993 FILM '' 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 (now called Fred Sykes instead of Fred Johnson). 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 Camp y 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. (This movie adaptation was in turn followed by a sequel, '' U.S. Marshals '', that followed Samuel Gerard, with no relationship to the Kimble character.) 2000 TV REMAKE 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. CBS cancelled the series before it could air the final episode. SPOOFS AND PARODIES Among the TV shows that spoofed ''The Fugitive'' were '' Alf '' and '' Get Smart ''. EXTERNAL LINKS
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