A television set sure can be a frenzied workplace. Especially when the stakes are high, as they are in making a weekly prime-time network thriller, efforts and attitudes might strain under the pressure. All that desire to succeed, and the financial security that comes with it, would make any job on a TV set stressful. Your paycheck is in the court of public opinion, and if you don't do your job well enough, folks just might not tune in.

Projects like that demand a strong central figure who can set the tone for the work ahead. If everybody on a set can look at that one leader, and feel a contagious focus, then the show just might work. On the set of The Fugitive, the spiritual figurehead that drove everything forward and buoyed the show was David Janssen.

As Dr. Richard Kimble, Janssen was in nearly every scene of The Fugitive. So, while he was right there in the middle of every story, he was also central to production every day. A 1964 article in The Indianapolis Star stated that Janssen worked, at minimum, 14 hours a day, five days a week. He was fully committed to making The Fugitive the best show it could be.

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"I'm walking in my sleep," Janssen told the Star reporter. He'd grown hagride in his nonstop schedule and gave the interview in a hoarse, overworked voice. "A TV show isn't all bottles, bangles, and beads."

The article revealed that Janssen was motivated by a three-season goal. If he was The Fugitive's motor for three seasons, it would all be worth it when he and his co-workers would later rake in the residuals. Everyone involved would be better off, financially, when the series reached that three-season mark. Janssen knew he'd have to adapt to make The Fugitive compelling, long-term.

"For one thing, we found out that we needn't always make Richard Kimble so furtive," he said.

The creators of the series found that the audience connected most with Kimble's hope.

"We can make him a little more positive," said Janssen.

Another important discovery was that, while viewers loved the action, they tuned back in again because of the story. It was Kimble, more so than explosive stunts, that kept the audience coming back for more.

"We also found out that the show doesn't have to be a chase week after week."

The Fugitive would produce four seasons, in total.