Why ‘The Fugitive’ Series Finale is Still One of TV’s Greatest Endings
Call this a tale of a one-armed man, a two-part finale, four years of delicious suspense and a master-class in how to write the perfect series ender: on August 29, 1967, after four seasons and an epic 120-episode chase, The Fugitive fans got what they had been waiting for — justice for pediatrician Dr. Richard Kimble. Wrongly convicted of murdering his wife, Kimble (played by Richard Diamond, Private Detective star David Janssen) escapes from his train ride to prison and spends life on the lam in search of the real killer, who has a very distinguishing feature. He’s … the One-Armed Man.
So how did The Fugitive end? And what made that heart-pounding finale so good? Let’s explore.
What happened in “The Judgement”?
After years on the run, taking menial jobs to keep his identity a secret and experiencing so so many close calls, Kimble is, at last, recaptured by dogged police detective Lt. Philip Gerard (Barry Morse). Though he often seems to doubt Kimble’s guilt, Gerard’s commitment to upholding the law kept him duty-bound to find the fugitive, to the point of almost destroying his own family. Now, the cop has new evidence that Kimble is, indeed, innocent. And Kimble finally caught up the One-Armed Man (Bill Raisch, who really did only have one arm).
The two men agree to a 24-hour truce so Kimble can confront the likely killer, whose real name is Fred Johnson. What results is a tense showdown at an abandoned amusement park between Kimble, Johnson, Gerard and the crime’s only witness, Kimble’s former friend Lloyd Chandler (J.D. Cannon). According to his wife, Chandler’s been blackmailed by Johnson to keep him quiet.
Everett Collection
When Gerard and Kimble arrive at the park, Johnson’s already caught in a shootout with Chandler. He wounds Gerard in the process, so the cop gives Kimble his gun and the chase is on. The two exchange gunfire until Johnson runs out of bullets.
As the killer scrambles up the towering “Mahi Mahi”ride (Imported South Sea Thrill!) in a desperate bid to escape Kimble, Gerard confronts Chandler about what he witnessed the night Helen Kimble died. Atop the tower, Kimble pulls his gun on Johnson, but the bad guy says the doctor won’t shoot him because Kimble needs him alive to confess. A tussle ensues, during which Kimble clobbers Johnson into confessing that he killed Helen after she caught him robbing their house and refused to back down. The admission gives Johnson time to grab Kimble’s gun, but Gerard fires first with Chandler’s weapon and the One-Armed Man finally tumbles to his death.
Gerard shames Chandler into revealing what he saw in court, and, at last, Dr. Kimble is free to begin a new life with his childhood friend and supporter Jean Carlisle (Diane Baker).
The impact of “The Judgement”
Cementing the combined power of The Fugitive‘s twisty storytelling, its actors’ skill and its audience’s investment in mystery that might never be solved “The Judgement” remained the most-watched episode of television for over a decade, until it was unseated by the series finale of M*A*S*H. The show was so popular that three-fourths of American TV viewers — over 78 million people — watched Kimble get justice. Bars, restaurants and workplaces even closed up early so folks could tune in.
By stretching the finale across two parts, The Fugitive fans got to savor the moment they finally see Kimble and the One-Armed Man face-to-face. Then, after four seasons of following their harrowing chase, both men got the outcome the audience believed they deserved.
Bob Vose / TV Guide / courtesy Everett Collection
In Gerard, fans also experienced a TV cop who was the epitome of fairness. He was intent on bringing Kimble in, but not because he was certain of the doctor’s guilt. Rather, Gerard wanted justice served, whether it confirmed Kimble as the killer or restored his good name.
When the latter happened, Gerard extended his hand in genuine congratulations outside the courthouse. Then, so as not to insult viewers’ intelligence by suggesting Kimble immediately shrugged off his wife’s murder and four years on the run, Kimble freezes in his tracks when a cop car stops in front of him and Jean as they walk away. That much trauma would take a while to walk off.
As TV’s obsession with cliffhangers and ambiguous endings ramped up, The Fugitive‘s “The Final Judgement” gave viewers everything they could ask for: a comeuppance for one of TV’s most notorious bad guys and freedom for its most diligent man on the run. So memorable was this show and its characters that, 26 years later, they returned on the big screen. Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones played Kimble and the now renamed Sam Gerard in an updated take on the tale that modernized The Fugitive‘s story but kept its nerve-shredding suspense intact.
The movie wowed film critics and audiences and earned seven Oscar nominations, including a best picture nod and a Best Supporting Actor win for Jones.
The judgement on ‘The Final Judgement’?
Though their favorite show had ended, viewers wrote to ABC in droves to applaud its satisfying ending. Critics loved it, too. And they weren’t the only ones who took notice: showrunners got the message that viewers deserved more than a pat ending to bid a beloved show farewell. At a time where there weren’t hundreds of networks and thousands of shows to fill the gap, audiences wanted epic finales.
So the next time you scratch your head when a show limps to an end or never returns at all, remember The Fugitive and a group of writers and show runners who gave their talent and their audience — all 78 million of them — the respect they deserved.
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