‘The Fugitive’ crime drama television series premieres on ABC 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 17 1963)


Video: 'The Fugitive (Extended Pilot, and remastered)'

(Tuesday, September 17, 1963, 10:00 p.m. EDT)The Fugitive, an American crime drama television series about a physician who is wrongfully convicted of his wife’s murder and sentenced to death, debuted tonight on ABC.

Created by Roy Huggins and produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television, the series starred David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimble.

En route to death row, Dr. Kimble’s train derails over a switch, allowing him to escape and begin a cross-country search for the real killer, a “one-armed man” (played by Bill Raisch). At the same time, Richard Kimble is hounded by the authorities, most notably by Police Lieutenant Philip Gerard (Barry Morse).

The Fugitive would air for four seasons, with 120 51-minute episodes produced.

The series would be nominated for five Emmy Awards and won the Emmy for Outstanding Dramatic Series in 1966.

In 2002, it was ranked number 36 on TV Guide‘s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. TV Guide named the one-armed man number five in their 2013 list of the 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time.