A veteran of the television industry, David Janssen never had any issue sharing his honest opinions, no matter how many feathers he ruffled. While he was primarily known as Richard Kimble in the hit series The Fugitive, Janssen also starred in programs like Richard Diamond, Private Detective, and O’Hara.

Janssen also played the title role in Harry O, a series centered around a former police officer who becomes a private investigator. The series only lasted for two seasons, after which it was cancelled.

During an interview with The Daily Item, Janssen blamed the show’s ending on differing goals. As the series star, the actor felt that the show should focus on human stories and interpersonal relationships. By contrast, the higher-ups at ABC, including then-president Fred Silverman, wanted the series to focus on the action.

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“Silverman wanted more sex and violence in the show,” Janssen said. “I wanted more humor, more of a relationship between myself and the show’s police lieutenant, Anthony Zerbe.”

The show’s cancellation was a slight against Janssen that he never forgot. It altered his perspective on television.

“The hour-long weekly series is untenable in today’s market,” Janssen said. “Anything called a ‘special’ can beat it in the ratings. The only way an hour’s series can make it is if it is full of gimmicks.”

In fact, Janssen even questioned whether a show like The Fugitive, successful as it was during its time, would make it in a modern television schedule.

“It was a very non-violent show,” Janssen said of The Fugitive. “It has that appeal to networks— the nonviolence. Whether it could appeal to today’s TV viewers...I don’t know.”