does anyone here like "The Fugitive"? If so, which one do you like better? The one w/David Jannsen from the 6os, on ABC? Or the CBS one from a couple years ago, w/Tim Daley? Or do you like them both equally?

I want to watch the original one. I wasn't interested in it when TV Land aired it around fall 2000 to coincide with the new series. Now I wish I had.

Originally posted by BJL
I want to watch the original one. I wasn't interested in it when TV Land aired it around fall 2000 to coincide with the new series. Now I wish I had.

The TVLand airings severely cut out large chunks of the show. I was supremely disappointed. If I had a time machine, I would jump back to the early 90's when both A&E and WWOR were airing it - with little cut out for commercials. OH how I wish I had taped it then on good tapes! But alas, I didn't.

Now I have to be content with another person's tapes which I paid for and are only so so in quality. But it's better than nothing.

My hope is that it will come out on DVD, but right now that hope is a long shot.

B&W "the original is so far superior to the new version, it isn't even funny" fan

the final episode is available on VHS, and it has been for years. I think the first episode, along with a few other episodes, are also on VHS.

Originally posted by treky
the final episode is available on VHS, and it has been for years. I think the first episode, along with a few other episodes, are also on VHS.

Yep. I've got both the first and last episodes on those "official tapes." They actually made about 20 VHS tapes (40 episodes) of the series a long time ago. You can't get them now, except on eBay and places like that. But even those were manufactured so long ago that the quality isn't gonna be that great. That's why DVD's are so valuable!

B&W "it's gotta come out on DVD - PLEASE" fan

The Fugitive is one of my all time favorite shows. David Jansen did a great job of appearing paranoid but alert, and coming off as a compassionate figure living the life of a fugitive. The movie with Harrison Ford wasn't bad either. It was strange to me at the time of that movie to discover how many people didn't realize that the movie was based on a sixties TV show, and an actuall real life doctor who was accused of killing his wife in - I think - 1959. What was the real Doctor's name who Kimble was portraying?

Dr. Sam Shepard. He died in the 60 or 70s sometime. I heard, I think in the 90s sometime, that his son is trying to clear his fathers name, cause some oeople still think he did it.

Yep. I've got both the first and last episodes on those "official tapes." They actually made about 20 VHS tapes (40 episodes) of the series a long time ago. You can't get them now, except on eBay and places like that. But even those were manufactured so long ago that the quality isn't gonna be that great. That's why DVD's are so valuable!

B&W "it's gotta come out on DVD - PLEASE" fan

I prefer the original 1960s version of The Fugitive better because it was rerunned by METV during that time.

I am a huge fan of the original series of 'The Fugitive' with David Janssen and Barry Morse back in the 60's. I used to spend hours just watching the episodes. It was perfectly written and cast well.

Barry Morse caught so much flack for being a "bad policeman" who "had it in" for Kimble. But each time Lieutenant Philip Gerard entered the picture, you knew the action was going to get good!

I keep watching episodes of 'The Fugitive' I find from YouTube. I watched one just now, "Dark Corner" with Tuesday Weld.

There was something interesting about the first three seasons, which were filmed in black and white. There was a "film noir" quality about the show that highlighted the psychological drama between characters. In the final season, when it switched to color, the emphasis became more on action.

I like how, every once in a while Lt. Girard will think that Kimble MIGHT
just MIGHT be innocent.

I like how, every once in a while Lt. Girard will think that Kimble MIGHT
just MIGHT be innocent.
I always noticed that, in spite of his incessant determination, he left clues every so often that he wasn't even completely sure that Kimble was guilty. That was part of the suspense.

does anyone here like "The Fugitive"? If so, which one do you like better? The one w/David Jannsen from the 6os, on ABC? Or the CBS one from a couple years ago, w/Tim Daley? Or do you like them both equally?

I just finished watching the final 2 seasons of the Fugitive, for the first time in my life....I am 64 years old. I've seen episodes here and there over the years, I even owned the final 2 episodes on VHS.....but never really took the time to get involved with the series. Now I am glad that I did.

I think the main attraction for me was that I recall my mother being so fond of this show back when it was in first runs....and the curiosity was to find what about it appealed to her so.

I guess that I can say that I enjoyed the last 2 seasons enough that I'll keep watching as they reset and start back at the beginning.

One thing that I remember mom saying about the show was that Gerard was the smartest cop she ever saw. Obviously being a scripted show that's more a result of the writing than actual real-world persona....but maybe that was just my moms way of "dumbing down" to my 6 year old level?

It is inspiring to watch the segments where Gerard picks up on cues and clues suggesting that someone other than Kimble might have had legitimate motive, too.

I don't think that is any result of compassion for Kimble, I think it's more the product of Gerard's police instincts and his willingness to never underestimate anybody, guilt-wise.

Good show!!

My local library has all 4 seasons of The Fugitive on DVD. Over the last couple years, I have watched almost every episode. When it aired originally in the mid 60s, I was a young child and was not able to stay up until 10:00 pm on a weeknight to watch. Although my mom did let me watch the final episodes - they aired while I was still on summer vacation.

I wonder how many people know that Barry Morse (Lt. Gerard) was British and naturally spoke with a British accent, but spoke with an American accent as Lt. Gerard.

I think that many episodes of “The Fugitive” are on both YouTube and DailyMotion.

That's All, Folks: After 4 Seasons of Escapes and Fistfights, The Fugitive Finally Stopped Running (https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/the-fugitive-1963-tv-series-ending/)

By Kenneth Lowe | February 20, 2023 | 10:32am

Most scripted television shows end in cancellation, so there’s something special about the ones that get the chance to go out on their own terms. This year, Ken Lowe is revisiting some of the most influential TV shows that made it to an officially planned final episode. That’s All, Folks is a look back at television’s most unforgettable series finales.

It’s interesting to think of what a show like The Fugitive would look like today, 60 years after the original debuted. Peacock’s Poker Face is reasonably close (a desperate fugitive fleeing from a dogged and humorless pursuer, encountering adventures at every bump in the road), but it’s nowhere near the same tone. Pitching the show these days, I imagine a showrunner trying to cast a sharp and charismatic leading man playing a hypercompetent doctor,as the writers room engineers a slow-burn multi-season plot with twists and turns and conspiracies.

It would probably feature overarching plots and recurring characters, lots of reveals of things that were planned from the earliest days of the series: You could probably feel the actors’ choices in every scene.

The Fugitive was not really that kind of show.