The Finale That Changed Television

UNITED STATES – AUGUST 22: THE FUGITIVE – “The Judgment, Part I” -Season Four – 8/22/67, Richard Kimble (David Janssen, left) was finally exonerated of his wife’s murder in this two-part ending to the series. In a climactic chase scene, Kimble cornered Richard Johnson (Bill Raisch), the One-Armed Man, atop a tower at a Santa Monica amusement park. Lt. Gerard, in hot pursuit on the ground, realized that he had been wrong about Kimble and shot Johnson to save Kimble’s life. The One-Armed Man plunged to his death. , (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

Flashback to this day in 1967. At a time when television was dominated by westerns, variety hours, and sitcoms like Bonanza, The Red Skelton Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Lucy Show, The Jackie Gleason Show, Green Acres, Bewitched, and The Beverly Hillbillies, a landmark moment unfolded on ABC. More than 78 million viewers tuned in to watch Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) finally confront the elusive “One-Armed Man” (Bill Raisch) in the series finale of the original drama The Fugitive.

At the time, The Fugitive became the most-watched episode of a regularly scheduled television series – a record it held until CBS’ Dallas revealed “Who Shot J.R.?” on November 21, 1980.

What made finale especially groundbreaking was that it delivered something rare for the era: true closure. The central mystery that had driven the show from the start was resolved in a definitive ending, something television audiences were not accustomed to.

If anything, the conclusion of The Fugitive proved that viewers craved resolution in serialized storytelling. It set the stage for future “event” finales—from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, MASH, and Cheers to Newhart, Seinfeld, and The Sopranos – where the final episode became not just entertainment, but a cultural milestone. Above all, it was a testament to the audience itself: millions of loyal viewers who had invested four seasons in a story that truly mattered to them.

Fun fact: The two-part finale of The Fugitive drew a staggering 72 percent audience share, meaning nearly three out of every four households watching television that night were tuned in to see Kimble’s long-awaited showdown – a number that cemented its place in TV history.

A Franchise is Born

Needless to say, this was not the last we saw of The Fugitive. Its record-breaking finale paved the way for the hit 1993 feature film starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. In 2000, Tim Daly inherited the role of Richard Kimble in a one-season television adaptation. And the series’ influence continues to be felt today, as it remains a benchmark for suspenseful storytelling, serialized drama, and the power of a satisfying conclusion in television history.

Fifty-eight years later, we remember The Fugitive as a groundbreaking drama that set the standard for suspenseful storytelling, unforgettable finales, and television history itself.