The Fugitive

I read a Roy Huggins novel called "Too Late For Tears" that was turned into a solid film noir movie. Huggins also is responsible for the western series "Maverick." With "The Fugitive" Huggins combines elements of noir (a man trapped in circumstances beyond his control) and the western (a loner wandering across the American landscape) for one of the best dramas in the history of television. David Janssen is perfectly cast as Doctor Richard Kimble -- fugitive. There's an aura of sadness that seems to cling to Janssen that feels just right for the situations the fugitive is always finding himself in. Despite his predicament Kimble is always putting the needs of others above his own. In the wrong hands such lofty morale aspirations might feel a bit forced, but The Fugitive manages to keep it well grounded.