The BEST episodes of The Fugitive
Every episode of The Fugitive ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Fugitive!
Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen), wrongly accused of murdering his wife, escapes custody while on the road to prison and must elude the police to continue his quest to find the real killer.
#1 - Landscape with Running Figures (2)
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/23/1965
In the conclusion to Part 1 (from last week), Kimble accompanies a temporarily-blinded Mrs. Gerard to a place where she can phone her husband for help. Mrs. Gerard, who is as inquisitive as her husband, continues to pepper Kimble with questions about himself and his life. As she starts to put the pieces together, she realizes that this man may be Richard Kimble. She begins to form a plan to trap him.
#2 - Landscape with Running Figures (1)
Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/16/1965
In Part 1 of a 2-part story, Lt. Gerard and his wife are on a much-needed vacation. When Gerard rushes off to answer the call to duty, an angry Mrs. Gerard decides that enough is enough, and leaves town on the bus. Unbeknownst to her, Kimble is on the same bus. When the bus crashes, Kimble helps her get away from the wreck. Due to a head injury, she is suffering from temporary blindness and doesn't recognize Kimble. Kimble, unaware of who SHE really is, decides to accompany her to a phone where she can contact her husband. Along the way Mrs. Gerard starts asking questions, and is starting to form an image of Kimble, and is intrigued with what she learns. Will she discover his true identity before they reach their destination?
#3 - Wife Killer
Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/11/1966
Reporter Barbara Webb spots Fred Johnson, the one-armed man, in a police roundup of suspicious character during a murder investigation. Calling to mind the Kimble case with her publisher boss Herb Malone, Barbara takes a photo of Johnson and publishes it in the local newspaper. The image of the one-armed man draws both Kimble and Gerard to the town. While Gerard waits for Kimble to show up at the police station, the fugitive is outside and sees Johnson in the jail courtyard. But the one-armed man spots Kimble and escapes from the jail and steals a getaway car. Barbara spots Kimble and tells him to get in her car as they chase after the one-armed man. During the chase down a winding mountain road, the one-armed man's car crashes, and Kimble has to tend to Johnson's injuries knowing that he's the only one to clear Kimble of his wife's murder. Unable to speak because of a head injury, Johnson nodds when Kimble asks if he murdered Helen. While Kimble rests, Barbara types a confession paper
#4 - Trial by Fire
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/5/1965
Kimble's sister Donna summons him home with a possible break in the case: a letter from James Eckhardt, a former U.S. Army captain whom also saw the one-armed man fleeing from the Kimble's house on the night of Helen's murder. Kimble meets with Eckhardt who agrees to help the fugitive out. Eckhardt's story seems strong enough to clear Kimble. But unknown to either men, another witness comes forward: a convict in prison for drug dealing, who reveals that he used to sell heroin to Eckhart for a Korean War battle wound and that Eckhardt was on his way to see him that night to buy some drugs, which is more than enough for Gerard to discredit Eckhardt's testimony.
#5 - Ill Wind
Season 3 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/8/1966
Gerard tracks Kimble to a migrant community in South Texas where he finally captures the fugitive who attempts to flee by train. But a violent hurricane strikes the area and forces them to seek shelter in a fragile barn where most of the farm workers are gathered. But when Gerard is badly injured when the roof collapses on him, Kimble, to the astonishment of the workers, actually helps try to save the lieutenant by helping transport him to another building where the fugitive pleads for a blood doner to save Gerard's life whom has weakened by the loss of blood.
#6 - Nemesis
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/13/1964
Kimble escapes from his workplace at a hatchery just as Gerard and the local sheriff come to arrest him. As Kimble drives off in the sheriff's car, he discovers that Gerard's son is hiding in the backseat.
#7 - The End Game
Season 1 - Episode 30 - Aired 4/21/1964
A discarded photograph, with Kimble in the background, leads Gerard to Chicago where he assembles a team of detectives where they trap Kimble within an eight-block radius of the city. With Kimble wondering from place to place, and being recognized by whomever he comes into contact with, he flees from both policemen and local citizens, finding refuge in a small house which is the home of two middle-aged men, named Jake Devlin and Sam Reed, whom have long argued over his innocence.
#8 - May God Have Mercy
Season 2 - Episode 25 - Aired 3/16/1965
While working as a hospital orderly, Kimble is recognized by Victor Leonetti and his wife Anne whom hold Kimble responsible for the death of their daughter. Kimble tries to flee, but gets shot and is forced to undergo surgery for the gunshot wounds. But when Victor learns that Kimble was trying to contact a specialist at the time of the girl's death, he tries to make amends by confessing to Gerard, whom arrives at the hospital, that he was the one who murdered Helen Kimble.
#9 - Escape Into Black
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/17/1964
On the verge of closing in on the shadowy one-armed man, Kimble is renderd amnesiac after a freak gas explosion at a roadside diner. While the Fugitive fights to regain his memory, a struggle ensues at the local hospital between Margaret Ruskin, a sympathic social worker whom regonizes Kimble and belives him to be innocent, while a local physician, named Dr. Towne, belives Kimble to be guilty. Meanwhile, the one-armed man slips away, but not before he makes an anonymous phone call to the police and Gerard about Kimble's whereabouts.
#10 - The Judgment (2)
Season 4 - Episode 30 - Aired 8/29/1967
In the continuation of this story Kimble and Gerard are on a train for his hometown in Indiana. And Kimble then reveals that the person who sent the bail money is his brother-in-law Leonard Taft. Kimble doesn't think it was him but someone from his hometown did send the money and used his brother-in-law's name. The one armed-man calls the Tafts demanding that they meet with him, someone does go to the meeting but it's not Leonard Taft but the one-armed man assumes that he is, and says that he remebers him. Obviously this was the man who sent the money and the one-armed man is demanding more money which he doesn't have. Kimble and Gerard arrive at the Taft residence and talk to Len, who tells them that someone called claiming the same thing and arranged a meeting, Kimble ans Gerard arrive at the place and find some bullets. But for Gerard there is nothing more that can be done; they then go back to the Taft house so that Kimble can say good-bye to his sister, and it's at that moment tha
#11 - World's End
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/22/1964
Kimble answers a classified ad from a certain Ellie Burnett, the daughter of his former defense attorney. They arrange to meet in Kansas City to discuss the information she received about a one-armed man from a private detective hired by her father. But Gerard sees the ad and knows who wrote it because he and Ellie's father were close friends and that Ellie may be in love with Kimble. While Gerard has Ellie investigated, she and Kimble find out that the one-armed man was killed in a fire only a week before. Kimble is devastated, but vows to confirm it. A little later, Ellie's private detective informs her that the one-armed man whom died in a fire was actually in prison at the time of Helen Kimble's murder. But Ellie withholds this news from Kimble and convinces him that they should leave the country, realizing that this may be her only chance at a life with him.
#12 - The End Is But the Beginning
Season 2 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/12/1965
Kimble takes advantage of a deadly car accident as a way to try and convince Gerard that he is now dead.
#13 - Search in a Windy City
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/4/1964
Beliving that the one-armed man is in Chicago, Kimble contacts Mike Decker, a newspaper columnist who defended Kimble during his trial. Kimble and Decker organize a city-wide search for the one-armed man. But things get complicated with the arrival of Decker's alcholic wife, Paula, whom gets nervous of Kimble's presence and falls off the wagon. Meanwhile, Gerard learns about Decker's search for a one-armed man and decides to use the writer to set a trap for Kimble.
#14 - See Hollywood and Die
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/5/1963
While working as a gas station attendant in New Mexico, Kimble is taken hostage, along with customer Joanne, by two holdup men, named Miles and Vinnie. Once on the road, Kimble pretends that he is a criminal and is heading towards Los Angels for a ""big job."" At the same time, he lets Joanne know that he's on her side, but she's suspicious to his true motives. Once arriving in L.A., Kimble decides to set up Miles and Vinnie to be arrested. But Miles, not trusting Kimble enough, wants him to kill Joanne to prove himself.
#15 - The Girl from Little Egypt
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/24/1963
In San Francisco, Kimble is nearly run over by a car driven by Ruth Norton, a young flight attendent distraught over discovering that the man she has been dating for the past four months is married with two children. While recuperating in the hospital, a delirious Kimble flashes back to the months leading upto the night of Helen Kimble's murder and Kimble first seeing the one-armed man fleeing from his house. Followed by Kimble's trial, sentence, and escape from the train wreck. Ruth, who has been keeping a vigil at Kimble's bedside, hears him mutter Helen's name. Thinking that he's in some kind of trouble, Ruth takes Kimble (now going by the alias George Browning) to her apartment to recover. Kimble then gives Ruth advice on her relationship with her boyfriend, Paul, and to put her life problems in perspective.
#16 - Nightmare at Northoak
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/26/1963
Kimball is injured while helping save some children from a fiery crash. While recuperating at a local home, he learns that his caretakers are the local sheriff and his wife. As if this weren't bad enough, a news article describing Kimball's heroic deeds goes nationwide. The all-seeing Lt. Gerard reads the article, and then goes to the small town to arrest Kimball.
#17 - Man in a Chariot
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/15/1964
Kimble happens to watch a TV debate in which a once-renowned attorney, named G. Stanley Lazer, claims that he could reverse Kimble's criminal conviction if the case went back to trial. Lazer once a respected lawyer, had his license revoked after getting into a car accident years before while driving drunk in which his wife was killed. Lazer now spends his days teaching law at a small college in Harrisburg. Kimble travels to Pennsylvania and meets with Lazer and his assistant, Nancy Gilman, to enlist their help. To prove his theory, Lazer decides to conduct a mock trial with his students playing the prosecutor, defense lawyer, and jury in front of a live TV audience. But while the mock trial continues, Kimble becomes aware that Lazer is really putting himself on trial for his past misdeeds.
#18 - The 2130
Season 3 - Episode 27 - Aired 3/29/1966
While working as a chauffeur in Denver, Colorado, Kimble reluntantly covers for teenager Lauire Ryder after she dents her father's car. But Kimble flees after discovering that Laurie was involved in a hit-and-run. After learning Kimble's idenity, Laurie's father, Dr. Mark Ryder, summons Gerard (along with the entire Kimble file) to Denver where he introduces Gerard to the 2130, a computer that can help capture the fugitive by determining a pattern to his travels. As the 2130 makes progress, Kimble's new travels all over the country end with one close escape after another with the police.
#19 - Wings of an Angel
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/14/1965
Kimble is riding on a bus when the police stop it, not to arrest Kimble, but to capture an escaped convict who takes a woman hostage. Kimble disarmes the man, but gets stabbed during the struggle while the convict is shot dead. Not knowing his true identity, the police treat Kimble as a hero and transport him to a hospital for treatment, the prison hospital. When two inmates recognize Kimble in the prison infirmary, they threaten to reveal his identity unless he assists them in their drug smuggling scheme by stealing morphine from the medicine cabinet. Kimble goes along with it, but the drugs get discovered by a guard. One of the prisoners, a innocent orderly named Mickey Deming, gets accused being involved with the smuggling. Kimble recovers and is released. But he risks his freedom when he returns to try to clear Mickey of the charges.
#20 - Corner of Hell
Season 2 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/9/1965
On the run from Gerard, Kimble stumbles onto private property belonging to a family of moonshiners. When Gerard gives chase on foot, he too is caught by the backwoods family, and is accused of attacking one of the girls in the family. Kimble has to decide whether or not to keep the family from killing Gerard.
#21 - Never Wave Goodbye (2)
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/15/1963
After finding that the one-armed man is not the same man he saw fleeing his house the night of Helen's murder, Kimble flees from Los Angeles, bearly escaping Gerard's dragnet. Tired of running, Kimble hopes to lie low in Santa Barbara and finally confides with Karen his secret. But Gerard tracks Kimble to Santa Barbara from a single clue that Kimble leaves behind at the L.A. County Jail: a match with the word ""sails"" printed on it. When Kimble discovers that Gerard has arrived in town looking for him, with the assistance of Eric, Kimble and Karen flee by sailboat and hope to end the running by faking his and Karen's death in a sailboat accident during a storm at sea.
#22 - Angels Travel on Lonely Roads (1)
Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 2/25/1964
On the run from the Nevada State Police, Kimble hitches a ride with Sister Veronica, a nun traveling to Sacramento where she plans to renounce her vows. After fixing her car when it breaks down, Kimble agrees to travel with Veronica only to the nearest train station. But Veronica belives Kimble to be her savior and insists that he tag along with her all the way to Sacramento.
#23 - Never Wave Goodbye (1)
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/8/1963
Kimble, working as an apprentice sailmaker in Santa Barbara, California, falls in love with Karen, the daughter of his stern but compassionate boss Lars Christian. But earns scorn from Karen's jealous and overprotective brother Eric. When Lars suffers a heart attack his last wish on his deathbed is to implore Kimble to stay with Karen. Meanwhile, Gerard flies to nearby Los Angeles when he hears about the arrest of a one-armed man for armed robbery and lets the story hit the newspapers, hoping it will flush out Kimble.
#24 - Angels Travel on Lonely Roads (2)
Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/3/1964
Kimble and Sister Veronica continue their journey to Sacramento, unaware that the Nevada State Police have put up a roadblock at the state line. While Kimble deals with a disgruntled ranch hand, named Chuck Mathers, whom suspects his true idenity, Sister Veronica accidently discovers Kimble's idenity through a TV news report. But she does not tell Kimble about her knowledge of who he really is.
#25 - Home Is the Hunted
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/7/1964
Kimble returns to his home town in Illinois after learning that his father, John Kimble, has suffered a heart attack and has donated his medical library to the University of Wisconsin and in the process of selling the family house. While Kimble hides out at the home of his sister Donna and her sympathetic husband Leonard, Kimble blames himself for his father's condition, but is more troubled by his younger brother Ray, whom belives Kimble is guilty and thinks he's to blame for ruining his life since people see Ray as ""the brother of a killer."" Meanwhile, Gerard arrives in town to search for Kimble and focuses on Donna and Leonard whom try to shake off the relentless detective long enough for Kimble to get out of town before Gerard finds him.