document_title: The Fugitive (TV series)

question_text: who played richard kimble in the tv series the fugitive

question_tokens: who played richard kimble in the tv series the fugitive

text: The Fugitive (TV series)

text: Plot[edit]

text: The series premise was set up in the opening narration, but the full details about the crime were not offered in the pilot episode; at the time of the pilot, Kimble has been on the run for six months, having exhausted all of his appeals against his death sentence. While in transit, the train carrying Kimble derails, and Kimble becomes the titular 'fugitive' in an attempt to clear his name. In the series' first season, the premise (heard over footage of Kimble handcuffed to Gerard on a train) was summarized in the opening title sequence of the pilot episode as follows:

text: Name: Richard Kimble. Profession: Doctor of Medicine. Destination: Death Row, state prison. Richard Kimble has been tried and convicted for the murder of his wife. But laws are made by men, carried out by men, and men are imperfect. Richard Kimble is innocent. Proved guilty, what Richard Kimble could not prove was that moments before discovering his wife's body, he encountered a man running from the vicinity of his home. A man with one arm. A man who has not yet been found. Richard Kimble ponders his fate as he looks at the world for the last time, and sees only darkness. But in that darkness, fate moves its huge hand.

text: This title sequence was shortened for the remainder of the first season as follows:

text: The name: Dr. Richard Kimble. The destination: Death Row, state prison. The irony: Richard Kimble is innocent. Proved guilty, what Richard Kimble could not prove was that moments before discovering his murdered wife's body, he saw a one-armed man running from the vicinity of his home. Richard Kimble ponders his fate as he looks at the world for the last time, and sees only darkness. But in that darkness, fate moves its huge hand.

text: The main title narration, as read by William Conrad, was changed for the first episode of the second season on through the last episode of the series:

text: The Fugitive, a QM Production...starring David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimble, an innocent victim of blind justice. Falsely convicted for the murder of his wife...reprieved by fate when a train wreck freed him en route to the death house...freed him to hide in lonely desperation...to change his identity...to toil at many jobs...freed him to search for a one-armed man he saw leave the scene of the crime...freed him to run before the relentless pursuit of the police lieutenant obsessed with his capture.

text: It was not until episode 14, "The Girl from Little Egypt", that viewers were offered the full details of Richard Kimble's plight. A series of flashbacks reveals the fateful night of Helen Kimble's death, and for the first time offers a glimpse of the "One-Armed Man".

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text: Main cast[edit]

text: Dr. Richard Kimble[edit]

text: The show's lead, and the only character seen in all 120 episodes, was Dr. Richard David Kimble (David Janssen), based in part on the story of Sam Sheppard.[3]

text: Though Dr. Richard Kimble was a respected pediatrician in the fictional small town of Stafford, Indiana, it was generally known that he and his wife Helen had been having arguments prior to her death. Helen's pregnancy had ended in a stillborn birth of a son, and surgery to save her life had also rendered her infertile. The couple was devastated, but Helen refused to consider adopting children as Richard wanted. On the night of Helen's murder, the Kimbles had been heard, earlier the same day, arguing heatedly over this topic by their neighbors. Richard later went out for a drive to cool off; as he was returning home, he nearly struck, with his car, a man with only one arm, who was seen fleeing five blocks away from the house. Richard then found that Helen had been killed. But no one had seen or heard Richard go out for his drive, or seen him while he was out, and so he was unjustly convicted of Helen's murder and sentenced to death in the electric chair.

text: After the train wreck and his escape from custody, Kimble moves from town to town, always trying to remain unobtrusive and unnoticed as he evades capture and hopes to find the one-armed man. He adopts many nondescript aliases, toils at low-paying menial jobs (i.e. those that require no identification or security checks, and bring about little social attention), and has a romance with a damsel in distress. He then chooses to put his anonymity at risk by aiding a deserving person, usually a woman or child. A frequent plot device is for someone to discover Kimble's true identity and use it to manipulate him, under the threat of turning him in to the police.

text: Dr. Richard Kimble is smart and resourceful, and is usually able to perform well at any job he takes. He also displays considerable prowess in hand-to-hand combat. In the episode "Nemesis", he distracts, then knocks out, a forest ranger (played by Kurt Russell's father Bing), then quickly unloads the man's rifle to ensure he cannot shoot him if pursued. In the sixth episode, Kimble revealed that he had served as a doctor in the Korean War.

text: David Janssen's understated portrayal skillfully captured the essence of Dr. Richard Kimble's plight. David Janssen won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 1965, and was nominated three times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

text: Lt. Philip Gerard[edit]

text: Dr. Richard Kimble is pursued by the relentless Indiana State Police detective Lt. Philip Gerard (Morse), a formidably intelligent family man and dedicated public servant. Gerard directly appears in 37 episodes and also in the main title sequences of all 120 episodes; Barry Morse is also listed in the closing credits of every episode.

text: Morse portrayed Gerard as a man duty-bound to capture Kimble. Guilt or innocence was of no consequence to Gerard, whose own beliefs have been stated as follows:

text: "I enforce the law. The law pronounced him guilty; I enforce the law.... Whether the law was right or wrong [in convicting him] is not my concern. Let others debate and conclude; I obey ... and when I begin to question, doubt -- I can't permit it. Others found him guilty; others were about to execute him. I was merely an instrument of the law ... and am." ("Fear in a Desert City", 1963.)

text: In "Never Wave Goodbye Pt. I", he states again, "The law pronounced him guilty, not me." In "Nightmare at Northoak" and "Wife Killer", he states with certainty that the one-armed man does not exist and that Kimble is guilty; in "Corner of Hell", even after his own Kimble-like experience, he still scoffs at the existence of the one-armed man. ("Still the same fairy tale," he sneers.) He also tells Kimble, "The truth is, you're still guilty before the law."

text: Contributing to Gerard's obsession with re-capturing Kimble is the personal responsibility he feels for Kimble's escape, which happened while he was under Gerard's custody. As he remarks to an LA police captain in "The Judgment, Part 1", the show's penultimate episode, "I've lost a lot of things these past four years ... starting with a prisoner the state told me to guard."

text: Over time, Gerard also appeared to have gained some doubts as to Kimble's guilt. In one episode, when a woman witness remarks that Kimble killed his wife, Gerard simply replies, "The law says he did." But there is a tone of doubt audible in his voice. In the episode "Nemesis", the local sheriff (John Doucette) states, "You said he's a killer." To this, Gerard sharply replies, "The jury said that!" Gerard's doubts are augmented after Kimble rescues Gerard in episodes such as "Never Wave Goodbye", "Corner of Hell", "Ill Wind", "The Evil Men Do", and "Stroke of Genius". "The Evil Men Do", in particular, played on the respect that develops between the two men when Gerard is pursued by former Mob hitman Arthur Brame (James Daly), who is rescued from a runaway horse by Kimble; Kimble rescues Gerard from Brame. When Kimble escapes from Gerard, the lieutenant, instead of pursuing Kimble, goes after, and kills Brame. In the epilogue, Gerard explains to Brame's widow Sharon (Elizabeth Allen) that he wanted to go after both men, but that Arthur was a career killer and far more dangerous while Kimble "has done the one murder he'd probably ever do." Gerard comes close to acknowledging Kimble's innocence when he concludes, "Until I find him, and I will, he's no real menace to anyone but himself."[4]

text: In the course of the series, Gerard's family becomes entangled in Gerard's obsession with finding Kimble. In "Nemesis", Kimble unintentionally kidnaps Gerard's young son Philip Junior (played by 12-year-old Kurt Russell). Though as concerned as any father should be, Gerard is confident that Kimble will not do his boy any real harm. After his experience with Kimble, Philip Junior questions whether he is guilty and his father openly admits that he could be wrong, though it does not change his duty. This almost inhuman dedication to his duty strains his relationship with his wife Marie (Barbara Rush) almost to the breaking point and causes her to leave him in season three's two-part episode "Landscape with Running Figures;" her actually coming into contact with Kimble (unknowingly at first) causes an emotional collapse when she realizes who he is, with her screaming at Kimble, "It began with you--it'll END with you!" It is clear that Gerard does indeed love his wife when he finally chooses to go and find her over chasing Kimble. (Gerard admits to Marie, however, that he will go again when the next time comes: "He's stuck in my throat and I can't swallow him.")

text: There are parallels to be seen between Gerard's pursuit of Kimble and the pursuit of Jean Valjean by Inspector Javert in Les Misérables, though Javert never lets go of his obsession to follow the letter of the law and hunts down his fugitive, even killing himself when he discovers that he cannot reconcile his tenets with the mercy Valjean shows him. Gerard, on the other hand, was portrayed externally as a man like Javert, but internally as more of a thinking man who could balance justice and duty. According to some of those who worked on the show, these parallels were not coincidental. Stanford Whitmore, who wrote the pilot episode "Fear in a Desert City", says that he deliberately gave Kimble's nemesis a similar-sounding name to see if anyone would recognize the similarity between "Gerard" and "Javert".[5] One who recognized the similarity was Morse; he pointed out the connection to Quinn Martin, who admitted that The Fugitive was a "sort of modern rendition of the outline of Les Misérables".[5] Morse accordingly went back to the Victor Hugo novel and studied the portrayal of Javert, to find ways to make the character more complex than the "conventional 'Hollywood dick'" as whom Gerard had originally been conceived. "I've always thought that we in the arts...are all 'shoplifters,"' Morse said. "Everybody, from Shakespeare onwards and downwards... But once you've acknowledged that...when you set out on a shoplifting expedition, you go always to Cartier's, and never to Woolworth's!"[5]

text: The One-Armed Man[edit]

text: "The One-Armed Man" (Bill Raisch) is a shadowy figure, seen fleeing Kimble's house by Kimble after the murder of Helen. The series revealed little about the man's personal life, especially not how or when he lost his right arm.

text: In the 29th episode of the first season (Storm Center), it is revealed that Helen Kimble was strangled. This is not the method of choice for a man with only one arm.

text: The One-Armed Man was rarely seen in the series, appearing in person in only ten episodes. He also appears in the opening credits beginning with season two, and in a photograph in the episode "The Breaking of the Habit". He is seen extremely infrequently in the first three seasons, and has almost no actual dialogue until season four, when his character begins to take a more prominent part in the plotline.

text: The One-Armed Man is aware that Kimble is after him, and frequently tips off the police as to Kimble's whereabouts, most notably in "Nobody Loses All The Time", when he telephones his girlfriend (Barbara Baxley) at a hospital and orders her to call the police--even though Kimble risked arrest to save her life.

text: Like Kimble, he uses a variety of aliases and holds down various jobs while on the run. In the episode "A Clean And Quiet Town", he is credited as "Steve Cramer" and works as a mob-employed numbers runner. In the episode "The Ivy Maze", he poses as a college janitor and groundskeeper named "Carl Stoker". He goes by the name "Fred Johnson" in several episodes; first in the season-two episode "Escape Into Black", where he works as a dishwasher using this name. In the season-three episode "Wife Killer", reporter Barbara Webb (Janice Rule) discovers that the One-Armed Man carries a wide range of identification using various names.  As "Fred Johnson", he has a membership in an athletic club, and a receipt for the sale of a pint of blood--this particular receipt shows that his blood type is B negative, and that he claims his age as 47. (Raisch himself was 60 years of age when this episode was filmed.) The other identities used by the One-Armed Man are not revealed in the episode, although as Barbara flips through a wallet full of I.D., she notes that he is "a man of many identities, not one of them the same."

text: The One-Armed Man is identified as Fred Johnson in the two-part series finale, "The Judgment". He is also referred to as Johnson in "The Ivy Maze" (where he is posing as "Carl Stoker") and at one point Fritz Simpson (William Windom) addresses him as "Fred". (That episode is where Kimble, Gerard, and the One-Armed Man all appear in the same scene for the first time). This is the only consistent name that they have to go by, and both Gerard and Kimble refer to the One-Armed Man as "Fred Johnson" in a few later episodes; in the series finale Lloyd Chandler (J.D. Cannon) also refers to him as Johnson. However, when interrogated by Lt. Gerard in "The Judgment", the One-Armed Man denies that Fred Johnson is his real name. While the character's real name is never definitively established, a case could be made that it is "Gus Evans"; as revealed in "The Judgment", that was the name that he used before killing Helen Kimble, when he would presumably have had no need to adopt an alias.

text: Bill Raisch played a bitter war veteran who starts a bar fight with Kirk Douglas' John W. Burns in the 1962 film Lonely are the Brave. The role was a natural lead-in to his part in The Fugitive.

text: Minor characters[edit]

text: Dr. Richard Kimble's murdered wife Helen (née Waverly) was portrayed in flashbacks in two episodes, season one's "The Girl from Little Egypt" and uncredited in season four's "The Judgment: Part II" by Diane Brewster. Brewster's uncredited voice is also heard in recorded messages of Helen's voice in season two's "The Survivors". Jacqueline Scott as Dr. Richard Kimble's married sister, Donna Taft, appeared in 4 stories, including the 2-part series finale. Her husband, Dr. Richard Kimble's brother-in-law, Leonard Taft, appeared in 3 of those stories and was played by a different actor each time: James B. Sikking in Season 1, Lin McCarthy in Season 3, and Richard Anderson in the Season 4 2-part finale. Paul Birch appeared as Captain Carpenter, Gerard's superior at the Stafford, IN police department, in 13 episodes of seasons 1 & 2. Gerard's wife, Marie Gerard appeared in 3 stories, played by a different actress each time. In "Never Wave Goodbye, Part One" she was briefly played by Rachel Ames, in "Nemesis" she was briefly played by an uncredited actress who remained unidentified as of late March 2017, and in the 2-part story "Landscape with Running Figures", the only story in which hers is a major role, she is played by Barbara Rush. The nun Sister Veronica (played by Eileen Heckart) appears in two stories: season one's two-part episode "Angels Travel on Lonely Roads" and season four's "The Breaking of the Habit". She is the only character with no direct ties to Kimble's family or the murder of Helen Kimble to appear in more than one story.

text: There were 4 two-part episodes over the course of the series, all of them featuring characters in both parts. "Never Wave Goodbye" features in both parts, in addition to Gerard, Susan Oliver as Karen Christian, Robert Duvall as her brother Eric, and Lee Philips as Dr. Ray Brooks, with Karen and Richard Kimble falling in love, while Ray pines for Karen. "Angels Travel on Lonely Roads" has in both parts, in addition to Sister Veronica, Albert Salmi as Chuck Mathers, the brutish owner of a gas station who gives Kimble trouble and later tries to collect the reward money when he finds out who Kimble is; and, filling in for Gerard (this is the only two-parter in which Gerard does not appear) Sandy Kenyon as a local sheriff and Ken Lynch as a local plainclothes police detective. "Landscape with Running Figures" has in both parts, in addition to Lt. Gerard and Mrs. Gerard, Herschel Bernardi and Jud Taylor as two local plainclothes police officers assisting Gerard in the manhunt. The series finale, "The Judgement", has, in both parts, in addition to Gerard, Donna, Leonard, and the One-Armed Man, also Diane Baker as a Kimble family friend from Stafford, Jean Carlisle, and she leaves arm in arm with Dr. Richard Kimble in the final scene of the series.

text: Only the character of Dr. Richard Kimble is present onscreen in every episode; off-screen narrator William Conrad is also heard at the beginning and end of each episode even though he was never credited, while a different voice announces the title of the episode and the names of the episode's guest stars in the opening teaser. This announcer (an uncredited Dick Wesson) also says, "The Fugitive" aloud at the end of the closing credits leading into studio sponsorships of the series ("'The Fugitive' has been brought to you by..."). The Untouchables, which was Martin's first series as a producer, also contained both a narrator (Walter Winchell) and an announcer (Les Lampson), as did The New Breed, the first series QM Productions ever produced, with Wesson as the announcer and Art Gilmore as the narrator.

text: Guest cast[edit]

text: With 120 episodes and typically two or more guest stars per episode, the series offered a massive who's who of stars from stage and screen, character actors, and up-and-coming talent. Many guest stars appeared as different characters in multiple episodes. Here is a partial list:

text:
6 Episodes: Richard Anderson, Dabbs Greer
5 Episodes: Crahan Denton, Bruce Dern, Carol Eve Rossen, Jud Taylor, Harry Townes
4 Episodes: Joseph Campanella, Dabney Coleman, Diana Hyland, Lin McCarthy, David Sheiner
3 Episodes: Elizabeth Allen, Lou Antonio, R. G. Armstrong, Ed Asner, Malcolm Atterbury, Edward Binns, Antoinette Bower, Geraldine Brooks, Michael Constantine, Robert Doyle, Robert Duvall, Harold Gould, Arch Johnson, Shirley Knight, John Milford, Joanna Moore, Laurence Naismith, Lois Nettleton, Tim O'Connor, Phillip Pine, Don Quine, Telly Savalas, Patricia Smith
2 Episodes: John Anderson, Ed Begley, Beau Bridges, James T. Callahan, J.D. Cannon, Paul Carr, Russell Collins, James Daly, Kim Darby, Ivan Dixon, Robert Drivas, Andrew Duggan, Norman Fell, Lloyd Gough, Murray Hamilton, June Harding, Pat Hingle, Celeste Holm, Clint Howard, Steve Ihnat, Johnny Jensen, Georgann Johnson, Wright King, Jack Klugman, Ted Knight, John Larch, Nancy Malone, Paul Mantee, Joe Maross, Nan Martin, Ed Nelson, Leslie Nielsen, Sheree North, Warren Oates, Arthur O'Connell, Collin Wilcox Paxton, Suzanne Pleshette, Andrew Prine, Madlyn Rhue, Paul Richards, Peter Mark Richman, Gilbert Roland, Carlos Romero, Janice Rule, Kurt Russell, Brenda Scott, Milton Selzer, Madeleine Sherwood, Tom Skerritt, Julie Sommars, Michael Strong, Malachi Throne, Joan Tompkins, Diana Van Der Vlis, Ruth White, Nancy Wickwire

text: Other notable guest star appearances (in alphabetical order):[6]

text:
Martin Balsam
Peter Brocco
Charles Bronson
Richard Carlson
Michael Conrad
Patricia Crowley
Ossie Davis
Ruby Dee
Angie Dickinson
Melvyn Douglas
James Farentino
Anne Francis
James Frawley
Betty Garrett
Gloria Grahame
Lee Grant
Arthur Hill
Ronny Howard
Dean Jagger
Brian Keith
DeForest Kelley
Diane Ladd
Hope Lange
Carol Lawrence
Jack Lord
Kevin McCarthy
John McGiver
Vera Miles
Greg Morris
Carroll O'Connor
Susan Oliver
Jerry Paris
Larry Pennell
Slim Pickens
Donald Pleasence
Percy Rodriguez
Mickey Rooney
Bing Russell
Pippa Scott
Vin Scully
William Shatner
Frank Sutton
Pamela Tiffin
Brenda Vaccaro
George Voskovec
Jessica Walter
Jack Warden
Fritz Weaver
Robert Webber
Tuesday Weld
Jack Weston
William Windom
Lana Wood

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: The series was conceived by Roy Huggins and produced by Quinn Martin. It is popularly believed that the series was based in part on the real-life story of Sam Sheppard, an Ohio doctor accused of murdering his wife.[7]  However, Huggins repeatedly denied basing the series on Sheppard.

text: Although convicted and imprisoned, Sheppard claimed that his wife had been murdered by a "bushy-haired man". Sheppard's brothers hired F. Lee Bailey to appeal the conviction. Bailey defended Sheppard and won an acquittal in the second trial.  Coincidentally, the show's music supervisor, Ken Wilhoit, was married to Susan Hayes, who had had an intimate relationship with Sheppard prior to the murder and testified during the first trial in 1954.[8]

text: Another inspiration may have been another case Bailey defended, the murder trial of George Elderly.  Elderly, a car mechanic, was charged with murdering his wife. When Elderly's attorney was incapacitated by a heart attack, Bailey took over the defense, and Elderly was acquitted.[9]

text: The show presents a popular plot device of an innocent man on the run from the police for a murder he did not commit while simultaneously pursuing the real killer. It had its antecedents in the Alfred Hitchcock movies The 39 Steps, Saboteur, and North by Northwest. The theme of a doctor in hiding for committing a major crime had also been depicted by James Stewart as the mysterious Buttons the Clown, who never removed his makeup, in The Greatest Show on Earth. Writer David Goodis claimed that the series was inspired by his 1946 novel Dark Passage, about a man who escapes from prison after being wrongly convicted of killing his wife. Goodis' litigation over the issue continued for some time after his 1967 death.

text: It has also been speculated[by whom?] that another part of the plot device of a fugitive living a life on the run from the authorities was loosely inspired by Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables, and that the Richard Kimble character was inspired by the novel's protagonist, Jean Valjean, an ex-convict living a life as a fugitive and having numerous aliases as well as helping people around him. The character of Lt. Gerard, who hounds Kimble throughout the series, is also loosely inspired by a character from the same novel, a relentless police inspector named Javert, who is obsessed with capturing the fugitive.

text: Other shows, such as Route 66, had employed the same anthology-like premise of wanderers finding adventure in each new place they came to. The Fugitive, however, answered two questions that had bedeviled many similar series--those of why the protagonist never settled down anywhere and of why the protagonist tried to solve these problems himself instead of calling in the police. Casting a doctor as the protagonist also provided the series a wider "range of entry" into local stories, as Kimble's medical knowledge would allow him alone to recognize essential elements of the episode (e.g., subtle medical symptoms or an abused medicine), and the commonplace doctor's ethic (e.g., to provide aid in emergencies) would naturally lead him into dangerous situations.

text: Musical score[edit]

text: Pete Rugolo, who had worked on David Janssen's earlier series Richard Diamond, Private Detective, composed the original music for The Fugitive. (Rugolo would later work with creator Roy Huggins on Run for Your Life and other projects.) Tracking music was standard practice at the time, but unlike virtually all primetime scripted series of the 1960s, no episode--not even "The Judgment"--received an original score;[10] all the original music used for the series was composed by Rugolo and recorded in London before the series was filmed. In fact, many episodes had Rugolo as the sole credited composer for the episode's scores. However, only a fraction of all the music heard throughout the series was original Rugolo music. Library music (either from other classic TV shows or from stock music libraries, as was the case with The Adventures of Superman) provided a majority of the episodes' scores. For example, Dominic Frontiere cues became common in the season four; a keen listener could find himself listening to such cues from the Outer Limits series during the climactic final episode of The Fugitive. Numerous ominous, dramatic and suspenseful cues from The Twilight Zone episodes such as "The Invaders", among others are used to strong effect throughout the series. The old pop songs "I'll Never Smile Again" and "I'll Remember April" each appear several times in the series, often associated with Kimble's deceased wife, Helen.

text: What little original melody was actually written and recorded was built around a fast-paced tempo representing running music. Different variations, from sad to action-oriented, would be used, with many arrangements developed for the music supervisor to select as best suited for particular scenes. There was also an original "Dragnet"-type theme for Lt. Gerard.

text: It should be noted that in the unreleased longer version of the show's pilot, a different ('canned') music score was used in the opening and closing sequences. There are also several deleted scenes, including one, with Lt. Gerard talking to Captain Carpenter, that was re-shot. Quinn Martin felt it made Gerard out to be a bit deranged in his obsession. That version also listed William Conrad as the narrator in the end credits.

text: Episodes[edit]

text: SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedFirst airedLast aired130September 17, 1963 (1963-09-17)April 21, 1964 (1964-04-21)230September 15, 1964 (1964-09-15)April 20, 1965 (1965-04-20)330September 14, 1965 (1965-09-14)April 26, 1966 (1966-04-26)430September 13, 1966 (1966-09-13)August 29, 1967 (1967-08-29)

text: The Fugitive premiered in the United States on September 17, 1963. A total of 120 episodes were produced over the course of the show's four seasons, with the last original episode airing in the United States on August 29, 1967.[11]

text: The series aired Tuesdays at 10:00 PM on ABC.

text: Final episode[edit]

text: This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (August 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: The two-part final episode, titled "The Judgment", aired on Tuesday, August 22, and Tuesday, August 29, 1967.

text: Part 1

text: The one-armed man, going by the alias "Fred Johnson", is arrested after tearing up a Los Angeles strip bar. When Kimble reads about it in a newspaper while working in Arizona, he travels to Los Angeles. However, Gerard has already arrived in Los Angeles and is working with the local police, convinced Kimble will come to LA.  Gerard is spotted by an old friend of the Kimble family, a woman named Jean Carlisle (Diane Baker), who is working as a typist with the Los Angeles Police Department. She immediately contacts Kimble's sister Donna, who, after failing to reach Kimble at his last job in Tucson, manages to find out and tell Jean where Kimble might be arriving in Los Angeles. Jean manages to reach Kimble just as the police start searching the area and gets him safely away to her apartment. Later, she reveals that she has been fond of him since she was a child, when her father's arrest for embezzlement and disgrace left her family with no friends save the Kimbles. Meanwhile, Gerard interrogates Johnson and begins to question that Kimble may be telling the truth after all. (It is mentioned that Johnson worked near Stafford, two weeks before Helen Kimble was murdered). After Kimble learns that Johnson has been arrested, he elects to turn himself in in a final hope of confronting Johnson and making him tell the truth. Before he can carry out his plan, Johnson is bailed out of jail by a corrupt bail bondsman who formulates a plan to blackmail the person who supplied the bail and who is himself killed by Johnson after revealing that the money came from someone in Kimble's home town of Stafford, Indiana. Kimble decides that he must leave Los Angeles and head back home immediately. Just as he is about to catch a taxi to the airport, Gerard moves in and arrests Kimble after years of pursuing him. "I'm sorry," Gerard tells him, "you just ran out of time."

text: Part 2

text: While taking the train back from Los Angeles to Stafford, Kimble informs Gerard that he found something that might lead him to the truth and that he believes Johnson is going to Stafford to use the information for which he killed the bail bondsman. He asks Gerard to allow him to try to find Johnson and prove his innocence. Gerard sets a 24-hour deadline for Kimble to do so once the train returns to Stafford, and Kimble vows to turn himself in if he does not find what he is looking for.

text: The key piece of evidence Kimble has is the bail bond slip signed by a man using the name "Leonard Taft", the name of Richard's brother-in-law, married to his sister Donna. The man is actually the Tafts' neighbor, Stafford city planner Lloyd Chandler (J. D. Cannon). Chandler learns from Donna that she had received a phone call from someone who claimed that he knew who really killed Helen Kimble and arranging a meeting that night at an abandoned riding stable. While Donna and Leonard dismiss the call as a prank, Chandler keeps the meeting. Even though Chandler is armed with a loaded pistol, Johnson easily overpowers and disarms him and blackmails him for $50,000. Later, after learning from Donna about the phone call, Kimble and Gerard investigate the stable, but find only a dropped, unfired cartridge from Chandler's gun.

text: Chandler tries to get the money while hiding it from his wife, Betsy (Louise Latham), even resorting to putting his house up for sale. Eventually, he cracks and tells her what he had done and why, revealing that he had actually witnessed the murder of Helen Kimble. In a frightful panic after her husband had driven off and after drinking heavily, Helen had called Chandler and he had come over to the house to try to calm her down. While upstairs with Helen, both she and Chandler heard Johnson breaking into the house and witnessed his attempted robbery. Chandler watched as Helen confronted Johnson, but he quickly turned on her and began beating her with a lamp. Frozen in shock and fear at what he saw Johnson did, Chandler watched Helen being beaten to death by the one-armed robber and did nothing to stop it from happening. Johnson spotted him as he was leaving, but seeing that Chandler was too stunned to act, he left the Kimble residence. Chandler never told anybody out of shame because he was afraid that his standing in the community would be ruined; he had fought in World War II and earned a Silver Star while in combat, and feared that if anyone found out about his moment of cowardice in the Kimble home he would never live it down.

text: Jean Carlisle returns to Stafford and she and Kimble are briefly reunited. However, because Kimble is unsuccessful in finding his evidence within the 24 hours he was given, he is about to leave with Gerard when Donna finds a bullet hidden in one of her sons' dresser drawers. Shown the bullet, Gerard identifies it as being identical to the one they found at the riding academy the night before. Donna tells her husband and the lieutenant that the bullet must have come from Chandler, who had taken a group of boys to a shooting range the day before. Kimble and Gerard head over to the Chandler residence and learn that Chandler has headed to an abandoned amusement park and is luring Johnson there so he can make up for his earlier unwillingness to talk by killing Johnson.

text: By the time Kimble and Gerard arrive at the amusement park, Chandler and Johnson are shooting at each other, Johnson's pistol against Chandler's rifle. Gerard is shot in the thigh by Johnson, temporarily disabling him. The lieutenant tosses Kimble his weapon, and Kimble heads off to finally confront his wife's murderer. Chandler is forced to help Gerard walk, and during the whole time Gerard tries to convince him to speak up so Kimble can be exonerated.

text: The climax takes place on top of a carnival tower where Kimble has chased Johnson. They engage in hand-to-hand fighting, while Gerard and Chandler watch from the ground. Kimble is able to extract a confession from Johnson, as he desired. Johnson then tells Kimble that he plans to kill him next, as he has grown tired of being chased. Johnson picks up Gerard's pistol, but before he can shoot, Gerard uses Chandler's rifle to hit Johnson with a well-placed shot from the ground, and Johnson falls to his death.

text: Kimble climbs down and informs Gerard that he was able to get Johnson to confess, but the confession is no good because nobody else heard it. As Kimble resigns himself to fate decreed to him four years earlier, Chandler after being prodded by Gerard decides to testify in court as to what he witnessed.  "For four years," Gerard tells Chandler, "you and I have kept an innocent man in hell.  And that ends now."

text: In the final scene of the series, an exonerated Kimble leaves the courthouse and, after hesitating, shakes Lt. Gerard's extended hand. Dr. Kimble walks off toward his new life, accompanied by Jean Carlisle. Narrator William Conrad intones, "Tuesday, August 29th. The day the running stopped." – Tuesday, August 29th 1967 being the date this final episode was first broadcast in the U.S..

text: According to Ed Robertson's book The Fugitive Recaptured (the first book written about the series), the final episode aired in Canada on September 5, 1967 with an alternate closing narration, giving that date. The "Special Features" DVD states that the final episode was interrupted in some parts of the U.S.[specify] This version was also seen in some areas in syndication and was later released on VHS tape.[citation needed] Both versions are available on DVD.

text: Part two of the finale was the most-watched television series episode up to that time. It was viewed by 25.70 million households (45.9 percent of American households with a television set and a 72 percent share), meaning that more than 78 million people tuned in.[12]  That record was held until the November 21, 1980 episode of Dallas, titled "Who Done It", viewed by 41.47 million households (53.3 percent of households and a 76 percent share), which was later surpassed by the series finale of M*A*S*H, titled "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen", on February 28, 1983, viewed by 50.15 million households (60.2 percent of households and a 77 percent share). According to producer Leonard Goldberg, the network was simply going to end the series with a regular episode without any kind of denouement, as network executives were totally oblivious to the concept that a television audience actually tuned in week after week and cared about the characters of a TV series.[13] The timing of the broadcast was unusual: Rather than ending the regular season, the finale was held back while suspense continued through the summer reruns.

text: In 1997, "The Judgment, Part 2" was ranked No. 23 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.[14]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Ratings[edit]

text: In its debut season, The Fugitive was 28th in the U.S. Nielsen ratings (with a 21.7 rating), and it jumped to 5th in the second season (27.9). It fell out of the top 30 during the last two seasons,[15] but the series finale, in which Dr. Kimble's fate was shown, currently holds the third rank for the all-time highest U.S. television household share, at 72%.

text:
The Fugitive season rankings in the U.S. television market

Season

Episodes

Original air dates

TV season

Nielsen ratings

Season premiere

Season finale

Rank

Rating

Viewers(millions)

1

30

September 17, 1963

April 21, 1964

1963-64

#28

21.7%

11,197,200[16]

2

30

September 15, 1964

April 20, 1965

1964-65

#5

27.9%

14,703,300[17]

3

30

September 14, 1965

April 26, 1966

1965-66

#34[18]

N/A

N/A

4

30

September 13, 1966

August 29, 1967

1966-67

#50[19]

N/A

N/A

text: Awards[edit]

text: The Fugitive was nominated for five Emmy Awards and won the Emmy for Outstanding Dramatic Series in 1966.[2] In 2002, it was ranked No. 36 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.[20] TV Guide named the one-armed man No. 5 in their 2013 list of The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time.[21]

text: The show also came away with other honors. In 1965, Alan Armer, the producer and head writer of the series, received an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for his work. And in a 1993 ranking, TV Guide named The Fugitive the best dramatic series of the 1960s.

text: Home media[edit]

text: This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience. Please help by spinning off or relocating any relevant information, and removing excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia's inclusion policy. (October 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: A total of 40 episodes have been released on VHS by NuVentures Video (Volumes 1–10 were later re-released with Barry Morse providing introductions to each episode, as in Volumes 11–20), with selected shows from the 40 later issued by Republic Pictures. Twelve episodes were also released on laserdisc.

text: Currently, Republic Pictures and CBS Television Studios own the copyrights to the series (while CBS itself now owns distribution rights); CBS DVD (with distribution by Paramount) released Season 1, Volume 1 on DVD in Region 1 in late 2007. Reviews of the first DVD set have been very positive as the show appears uncut and uncompressed, re-mastered from the original negatives and magnetic soundtrack, although a disclaimer by CBS mentions some episodes are "edited from their original broadcast versions" and some music changed for home video. Incidental music was altered in at least two episodes, "Where the Action Is" and "The Garden House". There are no subtitles or alternate languages, but English closed captions are provided, and the "liner notes" consist merely of TV-Guide-style episode synopses inside the four-disc holder. Season 1, Volume 2 was released on February 26, 2008.[22] Season 2, Volume 1 was released on June 10, 2008.[23] Many reviews of this third DVD set were highly negative due to the replacement of the original used music tracks with the aforementioned synthesizer music (see Musical score section above for details.) Season 3, volume 1 was released on October 27, 2009,[24] and Season 3, volume 2 was released on December 8, 2009,[25] with most, but not all, of the original music intact. Season 4, volume 1 was released on November 2, 2010. This volume was the first to include any extras, including a Featurette titled "Season of Change: Composer Dominic Frontiere".[26] Season 4, volume 2 was released on February 15, 2011.[27]

text: On October 23, 2012, CBS released The Fugitive: The Most Wanted Edition on DVD in Region 1. This 34-disc set featured all 120 episodes of the series as well as bonus features, such as the unaired version of the pilot with different footage. The set was recalled due to possible music issues, but some sets were released.[28] The set was later re-released with 5 replacement discs, so that now all original music is intact.

text: On February 9, 2015, CBS Home Entertainment announced they would release a repackaged The Fugitive: The Complete Series on DVD at a lower price on May 5, 2015 but did not include the bonus disc that was part of the original complete series set.[29]

text: CBS' rights only cover the original series; the later productions were handled by Warner Bros. Entertainment.

text:
DVD name

No. ofepisodes

Release date

Season 1, Volume 1

15

August 14, 2007[30]

Season 1, Volume 2

15

February 26, 2008[31]

Season 2, Volume 1

15

June 10, 2008[32]

Season 2, Volume 2

15

March 31, 2009[33]

Season 3, Volume 1

15

October 27, 2009[34]

Season 3, Volume 2

15

December 8, 2009[35]

Season 4, Volume 1

15

November 2, 2010[36]

Season 4, Volume 2

15

February 15, 2011[37]

The Most Wanted Edition

120

October 23, 2012[28]

The Complete Series

120

May 5, 2015[29]

text: In other media[edit]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: In 1963, a soundtrack was issued containing the key music that Rugolo wrote and recorded for the series. In 2001, it was released on CD from Silva Screen Records. About 40 minutes in length, this CD contains mono yet hi-fidelity cuts and cues that were recorded in London.

text:
Theme From The Fugitive (1:18)
The Kimbles (2:48)
Tragic Homecoming (3:53)
Under Arrest (1:43)
Lt. Gerard (1:46)
The Verdict/Train Wreck (2:07)
On The Run (1:57)
The Life Of A Fugitive (1:27)
Main Title Theme (:39)
Life On The Road (1:35)
Main Theme – Jazz Version (1:30)
The One-Armed Man's Name Is Fred Johnson (2:38)
Brass Interlude (2:53)
Sorrow (1:03)
Dreams Of The Past (1:11)
Youthful Innocence (1:35)
Back On The Road (1:11)
A New Love (2:16)
Family Reunion (2:34)
Watching And Waiting (1:33)
Kimble vs. The One-Armed Man/Hand To Hand (5:11)
The Day The Running Stopped (2:12)
Freedom And Finale (:43)
End Credits (1:09)

text: Syndication/Cable[edit]

text: The Fugitive was part of the original lineup on the "Arts & Entertainment Network," commonly known as A&E, beginning in February 1984. It ran until the summer of 1994. The show also appeared on the nationwide WWOR EMI Service and briefly on the TV Land network in 2000.

text: In February 2015, reruns of The Fugitive appeared on Decades, a new Digital TV (DTV) subchannel network co-owned by Weigel Broadcasting and CBS. The Fugitive was seen as part of its "Countdown to Decades," in which all four seasons of The Fugitive was played in sequence 24 hours a day. The two part finale was shown on Monday May 25, 2015, at 5 am and 6 am ET. Decades was available in over 45% of all US TV viewing households at that time, including markets where CBS owned & operated a DTV station.[38] MeTV airs "The Fugitive" on Sunday nights at 1 am CT (2018) [39]

text: Spin-offs and remakes[edit]

text: Film[edit]

text: A feature film of the same name, based on the series, was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on August 6, 1993, starring Harrison Ford as Kimble, Tommy Lee Jones as Gerard (now named 'Samuel' instead of 'Philip'), and Andreas Katsulas as the one-armed man (now called Fredrick Sykes instead of Fred Johnson). The movie's success came as Hollywood was embarking on a trend of remaking old television series into features. In the film, Kimble is portrayed as a prominent Chicago vascular surgeon instead of a small town Indiana pediatrician, while Gerard is portrayed as a U.S. Marshal rather than a police lieutenant. Kimble's wife is killed in an attempt on his own life (rather than during a robbery attempt, as in the TV series) as the result of a conspiracy involving a pharmaceutical company called Devlin MacGregor, by which the one-armed man is employed.

text: However, the film remained true to its source material--in particular, the notion that Kimble's kindness led him to help others even when it posed a danger to his liberty or physical safety. The film also showed Gerard pursuing his own investigation into the murder as part of his pursuit of Kimble and coming up with his own doubts as to the case. To coincide with the theatrical release, NBC aired the show's first and last episodes in the summer of 1993, and later hosted the film's broadcast television premiere in 1996. Jones received the 1993 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film was nominated for six other Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It also spawned a spin-off, U.S. Marshals, in which Jones reprised his role as Gerard. The motion picture was later developed into a parody film as well called Wrongfully Accused, with actor Leslie Nielsen portraying the lead character.

text: In Other Languages

text: Malayalam movie named Nirnayam was produced following same storyline which was directed by Santosh Sivan

text: Television[edit]

text: A short-lived TV series remake (CBS, October 6, 2000 – May 25, 2001) of the same name also aired, starring Tim Daly as Kimble, Mykelti Williamson as Gerard, and Stephen Lang as the one-armed man. It was filmed in various places, including Seattle, Washington. CBS cancelled the series after one season, leaving a cliffhanger unresolved.

text: Influence[edit]

text: Several television series have imitated the formula of characters on the run being chased by the authorities who wanted to capture him and compelled to help others along the way, with the twists being mostly in the nature of the fugitives:

text:
a man with immunity to almost any disease, even aging, who was fleeing those wishing to take unfair advantage of his unique immunology (The Immortal in 1970);
a German Shepherd dog (Run, Joe, Run in 1974);
a scientist with a monstrous alter ego (the TV series interpretation of The Incredible Hulk, a Marvel Comics character, 1978);
a group of ex-US Army Special Forces accused of a war crime they committed under orders (The A-Team, named after the term for the basic Green Beret unit, 1983);
a husband and wife (Hot Pursuit, 1984);
a boy afflicted with lycanthropy (Werewolf, 1987);
a former police officer turned bounty hunter (Renegade, 1992); and
a reinstated detective (Life, 2007).

text: The 2002 film adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel Minority Report turned the same concept on its head, in that a police officer is accused of a future murder (foreseen by "precogs") and must figure out why his future shows this happening, becoming a fugitive in the process. The US Marshal initially tasked with bringing him in ultimately uncovers the fact he is being framed due to corruption at the highest levels.

text: Bibliography[edit]

text:
Proctor, Mel (1995), The Official Fan's Guide to the Fugitive, Stamford, Conn.: Longmeadow Press, ISBN 978-0-681007-54-3, OCLC 31606751
Robertson, Ed (1993), The Fugitive Recaptured: The 30th Anniversary Companion to a Television Classic, Introduction by Stephen King, Foreword by Barry Morse, Los Angeles, Calif.: Pomegranate Press, Ltd., ISBN 978-0-938817-34-5
Starman, Ray TV Noir: The Twentieth Century (2006). Troy Bookmakers Press, Troy NY.  Theme and major chapters on film noir and TV noir related to the American TV program The Fugitive.


document_title: List of NFL franchise post-season droughts

question_text: when was the last time the raiders made the playoffs

root

text: Active team droughts[edit]

text: Post-season droughts[edit]

text: Updated through the 2016-17 post season.

tag: p

text:
0^0
Longest drought in team history

0†0
Tied for Longest drought in team history

tag: table

text:
Playoff Droughts [1][2]

0Team0
Last earned appearance in post-season
Seasons

Buffalo Bills ^
1999 AFC Wild Card Playoffs
17

Cleveland Browns ^
2002 AFC Wild Card Playoffs
14

Los Angeles Rams ^
2004 NFC Divisional Playoffs
12

Jacksonville Jaguars ^
2007 AFC Divisional Playoffs
9

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2007 NFC Wild Card Playoffs
9

Tennessee Titans †
2008 AFC Divisional Playoffs
8

New York Jets
2010 AFC Championship Game
6

Chicago Bears
2010 NFC Championship Game
6

Philadelphia Eagles
2013 NFC Wild Card Playoffs
3

Los Angeles Chargers
2013 AFC Divisional Playoffs
3

New Orleans Saints
2013 NFC Divisional Playoffs
3

San Francisco 49ers
2013 NFC Championship Game
3

Baltimore Ravens
2014 AFC Divisional Playoffs
2

Indianapolis Colts
2014 AFC Championship Game
2

Cincinnati Bengals
2015 AFC Wild Card Playoffs
1

Minnesota Vikings
2015 NFC Wild Card Playoffs
1

Washington Redskins
2015 NFC Wild Card Playoffs
1

Arizona Cardinals
2015 NFC Championship Game
1

Denver Broncos
Super Bowl 50
1

Carolina Panthers
Super Bowl 50
1

2016 Playoff Teams

Miami Dolphins
2016 AFC Wild Card Playoffs
—

Oakland Raiders
2016 AFC Wild Card Playoffs
—

New York Giants
2016 NFC Wild Card Playoffs
—

Detroit Lions
2016 NFC Wild Card Playoffs
—

Kansas City Chiefs
2016 AFC Divisional Playoffs
—

Houston Texans
2016 AFC Divisional Playoffs
—

Dallas Cowboys
2016 NFC Divisional Playoffs
—

Seattle Seahawks
2016 NFC Divisional Playoffs
—

Pittsburgh Steelers
2016 AFC Championship Game
—

Green Bay Packers
2016 NFC Championship Game
—

New England Patriots
Super Bowl LI
—

Atlanta Falcons
Super Bowl LI
—

text: At 17 seasons, the Bills' playoff drought is also the longest in major North American professional sports.[3]

text: Playoff game victory droughts[edit]

text:
Updated through the 2016 season.
Sortable table, click on header arrows.

text:
0^0
Longest drought in team history

0†0
Tied for longest drought in team history

0♦0
Most consecutive losses in team history

0¤0
Tied for most consecutive losses in team history

0♣ ♣0
Most consecutive losses in NFL history

text:
Current Playoff Loss Streak[1]

Team
Last playoff game win
Seasons
Since Win
Loss
Streak
Playoff Losses - Teams

Cincinnati Bengals ^
1990 AFC Wild Card Playoffs
26
♦ 8
1990 Divisional - Los Angeles
2005 Wild Card - Pittsburgh
2009 Wild Card - New York Jets
2011 Wild Card - Houston
2012 Wild Card - Houston
2013 Wild Card - San Diego
2014 Wild Card - Indianapolis
2015 Wild Card - Pittsburgh

Detroit Lions
1991 NFC Divisional Playoffs*
25
♣ ♣ 9
1991 NFC Championship - Washington
1993 Wild Card - Green Bay
1994 Wild Card - Green Bay
1995 Wild Card - Philadelphia
1997 Wild Card - Tampa Bay
1999 Wild Card - Washington
2011 Wild Card - New Orleans
2014 Wild Card - Dallas
2016 Wild Card - Seattle

Buffalo Bills ^
1995 AFC Wild Card Playoffs
21
♦ 4
1995 Divisional - Pittsburgh
1996 Wild Card - Jacksonville
1998 Wild Card - Miami
1999 Wild Card - Tennessee

Cleveland Browns ^
1994 AFC Wild Card Playoffs
19**
2
1994 Divisional - Pittsburgh
2002 Wild Card - Pittsburgh

Miami Dolphins ^
2000 AFC Wild Card Playoffs
16
4 ¤
2000 Divisional - Oakland
2001 Wild Card - Baltimore
2008 Wild Card - Baltimore
2016 Wild Card - Pittsburgh

Oakland Raiders ^
2002 AFC Championship*
14
2 ¤
2002 Super Bowl - Tampa Bay
2016 Wild Card - Houston

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Super Bowl XXXVII*
14
2
2005 Wild Card - Washington
2007 Wild Card - New York Giants

Tennessee Titans
2003 AFC Wild Card Playoffs
13
3 ¤
2003 Divisional - New England
2007 Wild Card - San Diego
2008 Divisional - Baltimore

Los Angeles Rams
2004 NFC Wild Card Playoffs
12
1
2004 Divisional - Atlanta

Washington Redskins
2005 NFC Wild Card Playoffs
11
4 ¤
2005 Divisional - Seattle
2007 Wild Card - Seattle
2012 Wild Card - Seattle
2015 Wild Card - Green Bay

Jacksonville Jaguars ^
2007 AFC Wild Card Playoffs
9
1
2007 Divisional - New England

Philadelphia Eagles
2008 NFC Divisional Playoffs
8
4
2008 NFC Championship - Arizona
2009 Wild Card - Dallas
2010 Wild Card - Green Bay
2013 Wild Card - New Orleans

Minnesota Vikings
2009 NFC Divisional Playoffs*
7
3
2009 NFC Championship - New Orleans
2012 Wild Card - Green Bay
2015 Wild Card - Seattle

New York Jets
2010 AFC Divisional Playoffs
6
1
2010 AFC Championship - Pittsburgh

Chicago Bears
2010 NFC Divisional Playoffs*
6
1
2010 NFC Championship - Green Bay

New York Giants
2011 !Super Bowl XLVI
5
1
2016 Wild Card - Green Bay

Los Angeles Chargers
2013 AFC Wild Card Playoffs
3
1
2013 Divisional - Denver

New Orleans Saints
2013 NFC Wild Card Playoffs
3
1
2013 Divisional - Seattle

San Francisco 49ers
2013 NFC Divisional Playoffs
3
1
2013 NFC Championship - Seattle

Baltimore Ravens
2014 AFC Wild Card Playoffs
2
1
2014 Divisional - New England

Dallas Cowboys
2014 NFC Wild Card Playoffs
2
2
2014 Divisional - Green Bay
2016 Divisional - Green Bay

Indianapolis Colts
2014 AFC Divisional Playoffs
2
1
2014 AFC Championship - New England

Kansas City Chiefs
2015 AFC Wild Card Playoffs
1
2
2015 Divisional - New England
2016 Divisional - Pittsburgh

Arizona Cardinals
2015 NFC Divisional Playoffs*
1
1
2015 NFC Championship - Carolina

Carolina Panthers
2015 NFC Championship*
1
1
2015 Super Bowl - Denver

Denver Broncos
Super Bowl 50*
1
0
3 game win streak

2016 Playoff0
Winners

Houston Texans
2016 AFC Wild Card Playoffs
—
1
2016 Divisional - New England

Seattle Seahawks
2016 NFC Wild Card Playoffs
—
1
2016 Divisional - Atlanta

Pittsburgh Steelers
2016 AFC Divisional Playoffs
—
1
2016 AFC Championship - New England

Green Bay Packers
2016 NFC Divisional Playoffs
—
1
2016 NFC Championship - Atlanta

Atlanta Falcons
2016 NFC Championship*
—
1
2016 Super Bowl - New England

New England Patriots
Super Bowl LI*
—
0
3 game win streak

Team
Last playoff game win
Seasons
Since Win
Loss
Streak
Playoff Losses - Teams

text:
(*): Franchise earned a bye in the Wild Card round.
(**): Franchise dormant 1996–1998.

text: AFC/NFC Championship game appearance droughts[edit]

text: This is also a list of the last time a particular club won a Divisional playoff game.

text:
Drought Reference [1]

Seasons
Team
Last appearance
in Conference Championship Game
Result

28
Cincinnati Bengals ^
1988 AFC
Won vs. Buffalo

25
Washington Redskins ^
1991 NFC
Won vs. Detroit

25
Detroit Lions ^
1991 NFC
Lost vs. Washington

24
Miami Dolphins ^
1992 AFC
Lost vs. Buffalo

24**
Cleveland Browns ^
1989 AFC
Lost vs. Denver

23
Buffalo Bills ^
1993 AFC
Won vs. Kansas City

23
Kansas City Chiefs †
1993 AFC
Lost vs. Buffalo

21
Dallas Cowboys ^
1995 NFC
Won vs. Green Bay

17
Jacksonville Jaguars ^
1999 AFC
Lost vs. Tennessee

15
Houston Texans ^
1985Never*
y —

15
Los Angeles Rams ^
2001 NFC
Won vs. Philadelphia

14
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2002 NFC
Won vs. Philadelphia

14
Oakland Raiders ^
2002 AFC
Won vs. Tennessee

14
Tennessee Titans
2002 AFC
Lost vs. Oakland

9
Los Angeles Chargers
2007 AFC
Lost vs. New England

8
Philadelphia Eagles
2008 NFC
Lost vs. Arizona

7
New Orleans Saints
2009 NFC
Won vs. Minnesota

7
Minnesota Vikings
2009 NFC
Lost vs. New Orleans

6
New York Jets
2010 AFC
Lost vs. Pittsburgh

6
Chicago Bears
2010 NFC
Lost vs. Green Bay

5
New York Giants
2011 NFC
Won vs. San Francisco

4
Baltimore Ravens
2012 AFC
Won vs. New England

3
San Francisco 49ers
2013 NFC
Lost vs. Seattle

2
Indianapolis Colts
2014 AFC
Lost vs. New England

2
Seattle Seahawks
2014 NFC
Won vs. Green Bay

1
Denver Broncos
2015 AFC
Won vs. New England

1
Arizona Cardinals
2015 NFC
Lost vs. Carolina

1
Carolina Panthers
2015 NFC
Won vs. Arizona

.75
Z2016 Conference Finalists
2015
z

—
Pittsburgh Steelers
2016 AFC
Lost vs. New England

.5 —
New England Patriots
2016 AFC
Won vs. Pittsburgh

—
Green Bay Packers
2016 NFC
Lost vs. Atlanta

—
Atlanta Falcons
2016 NFC
Won vs. Green Bay

text:
(*): Franchise first played in 2002 season
(**): Franchise dormant 1996–1998.

text: Super Bowl or NFL Championship appearance droughts[edit]

text:
Last appearance in Super Bowl or
NFL Championship[1][4]

Seasons
Team
Last appearance
in Super Bowl
NFL
Season
Result

59
Detroit Lions
7003195700000000000♠ 1957 NFL Championship Game
1957
Won vs. Cleveland

48
New York Jets
7003196800000000000♠ Super Bowl III
1968
Won vs. Baltimore Colts

47
Kansas City Chiefs
7003196900000000000♠ Super Bowl IV
1969
Won vs. Minnesota

44*
Cleveland Browns*
7003196910000000000♠1969.1 1969 NFL Championship Game
1969
Lost vs. Minnesota

40
Minnesota Vikings
7003197700000000000♠ Super Bowl XI
1976
Lost vs. Oakland

32
Miami Dolphins
7003198400000000000♠ Super Bowl XIX
1984
Lost vs. San Francisco

28
Cincinnati Bengals
7003198800000000000♠ Super Bowl XXIII
1988
Lost vs. San Francisco

25
Washington Redskins
7003199100000000000♠ Super Bowl XXVI
1991
Won vs. Buffalo

23
Buffalo Bills
7003199300000000000♠ Super Bowl XXVIII
1993
Lost vs. Dallas

22
Jacksonville Jaguars
7000100000000000000♠ Never (enfranchised 1995)

Y —

22
Los Angeles Chargers
7003199400000000000♠ Super Bowl XXIX
1994
Lost vs. San Francisco

21
Dallas Cowboys
7003199500000000000♠ Super Bowl XXX
1995
Won vs. Pittsburgh

17
Tennessee Titans
7003199900000000000♠ Super Bowl XXXIV
1999
Lost vs. St. Louis Rams

15
Houston Texans
7000200000000000000♠ Never (enfranchised 2002)

Y —

15
Los Angeles Rams †
7003200100000000000♠ Super Bowl XXXVI
2001
Lost vs. New England

14
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7003200200000000000♠ Super Bowl XXXVII
2002
Won vs. Oakland

14
Oakland Raiders
7003200210000000000♠ Super Bowl XXXVII
2002
Lost vs. Tampa Bay

12
Philadelphia Eagles
7003200400000000000♠ Super Bowl XXXIX
2004
Lost vs. New England

10
Chicago Bears
7003200600000000000♠ Super Bowl XLI
2006
Lost vs. Indianapolis

8
Arizona Cardinals
7003200800000000000♠ Super Bowl XLIII
2008
Lost vs. Pittsburgh

7
New Orleans Saints
7003200900000000000♠ Super Bowl XLIV
2009
Won vs. Indianapolis

7
Indianapolis Colts
7003200900000000000♠ Super Bowl XLIV
2009
Lost vs. New Orleans

6
Green Bay Packers
7003201000000000000♠ Super Bowl XLV
2010
Won vs. Pittsburgh

6
Pittsburgh Steelers
7003201010000000000♠ Super Bowl XLV
2010
Lost vs. Green Bay

5
New York Giants
7003201100000000000♠ Super Bowl XLVI
2011
Won vs. New England

4
Baltimore Ravens
7003201200000000000♠ Super Bowl XLVII
2012
Won vs. San Francisco

4
San Francisco 49ers
7003201210000000000♠ Super Bowl XLVII
2012
Lost vs. Baltimore Ravens

2
Seattle Seahawks
7003201420000000000♠ Super Bowl XLIX
2014
Lost vs. New England

1
Carolina Panthers
7003201500000000000♠ Super Bowl 50
2015
Lost vs. Denver

1
Denver Broncos
7003201500000000000♠ Super Bowl 50
2015
Won vs. Carolina

0
Atlanta Falcons
7003201600000000000♠ Super Bowl LI
2016
Lost vs. New England

0
New England Patriots
7003201600000000000♠ Super Bowl LI
2016
Won vs. Atlanta

text:
(*): Cleveland's drought does not include three seasons (1996–1998) where the franchise was dormant.
(†): Team was based in St. Louis.

text: Super Bowl win droughts[edit]

text: This list also counts all seasons since a team last won the league championship.

text:
Drought References[1][4]

Seasons
Team
Last Super Bowl crown
(1966–present)
NFL
Season
Last League Championship crown
Before 1970 Merger
(1920–1969)
Seasons

51
Arizona Cardinals[a]
Never
—
1947 NFL Championship
69

51
Detroit Lions
Never
—
1957 NFL Championship
59

51
Philadelphia Eagles
Never
—
1960 NFL Championship
56

51
Tennessee Titans[b]
Never
—
1961 AFL Championship
55

51
Los Angeles Chargers
Never
—
1963 AFL Championship
53

51
Buffalo Bills
Never
—
1965 AFL Championship
51

48
Cleveland Browns [d]
Never
—
1964 NFL Championship
49

51
Minnesota Vikings
Never
—
1969 NFL Championship[c]
47

51
Atlanta Falcons
Never (enfranchised 1966)
—

49
Cincinnati Bengals
Never (enfranchised 1968)
—

48
New York Jets[e]
Super Bowl III
1968

47
Kansas City Chiefs[e]
Super Bowl IV
1969

43
Miami Dolphins
Super Bowl VIII
1973

33
Oakland Raiders[f]
Super Bowl XVIII
1983

31
Chicago Bears
Super Bowl XX
1985

25
Washington Redskins
Super Bowl XXVI
1991

22
Jacksonville Jaguars
Never (enfranchised 1995)
—

22
Carolina Panthers
Never (enfranchised 1995)
—

22
San Francisco 49ers
Super Bowl XXIX
1994

21
Dallas Cowboys
Super Bowl XXX
1995

17
Los Angeles Rams[g]
Super Bowl XXXIV
1999

15
Houston Texans
Never (enfranchised 2002)
—

14
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Super Bowl XXXVII
2002

10
Indianapolis Colts
Super Bowl XLI
2006

8
Pittsburgh Steelers
Super Bowl XLIII
2008

7
New Orleans Saints
Super Bowl XLIV
2009

6
Green Bay Packers
Super Bowl XLV
2010

5
New York Giants
Super Bowl XLVI
2011

4
Baltimore Ravens
Super Bowl XLVII
2012

3
Seattle Seahawks
Super Bowl XLVIII
2013

1
Denver Broncos
Super Bowl 50
2015

0
New England Patriots
Super Bowl LI
2016

text:
a Team won as the Chicago Cardinals in 1947.
b Team won as the Houston Oilers in 1961.
c AFL and NFL league champions met in Super Bowls I thru IV before the 1970 merger (1966–1969). They are not generally counted in the overall league championship list.
d Cleveland's drought does not include three seasons (1996–98) when the franchise was dormant.
e Super Bowl winner was not the NFL league champion till after 1970 merger (Super Bowl V).
f Team was based in Los Angeles when it won Super Bowl XVIII.
g Team was based in St. Louis when it won Super Bowl XXXIV.

tag: ul

text: Super Bowl crown droughts by division[edit]

text:
Division
Last Super Bowl crown
Seasons

AFC South
XLI — Colts
10

NFC South
XLIV — Saints
7

NFC North
XLV — Packers
6

NFC East
XLVI — Giants
5

AFC North
XLVII — Ravens
4

NFC West
XLVIII — Seahawks
3

AFC West
50 — Broncos
1

AFC East
LI — Patriots
0

text: Cities/regions awaiting first Super Bowl crown[edit]

text: Listed according to seasons waited. Current NFL cities/regions only

text:
Last city to leave list - Seattle, 2013 season

City/region
Seasons waited
Conference Title(s)
Team(s)
Notes

Detroit
51
None
Detroit Lions (1966–)
Played in the 1991 NFC Championship Game

Philadelphia
51
1980, 2004
Philadelphia Eagles (1966–)
Played in Super Bowls XV and XXXIX

Buffalo
51
1990, 1991, 1992, 1993
Buffalo Bills (1966–)
Played in Super Bowls XXV, XXVI, XXVII, and XXVIII

Atlanta
51
1998, 2016
Atlanta Falcons (1966–)
Played in Super Bowls XXXIII and LI

Minneapolis–St. Paul
51
1969, 1973, 1974, 1976
Minnesota Vikings (1966–)
Played in Super Bowls IV, VIII, IX, and XI

Cincinnati
49
1981, 1988
Cincinnati Bengals (1968–)
Played in Super Bowls XVI and XXIII

Cleveland
48
None
Cleveland Browns (1966–)
Played in the 1986, 1987, and 1989 AFC Championship Games

Houston
46
None
Includes 31 Oilers seasons (1966–1996) and 15 Texans seasons (2002–)
Played in the 1978 and 1979 AFC Championship Games

Phoenix
29
2008
Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals (1988–)
Played in Super Bowl XLIII

Jacksonville
22
None
Jacksonville Jaguars (1995–)
Played in the 1996 and 1999 AFC Championship Games

Charlotte
22
2003, 2015
Carolina Panthers (1995–)
Played in Super Bowls XXXVIII and 50

Nashville
20
1999
Tennessee Oilers/Titans (1997–)
Played in Super Bowl XXXIV

text: Division title droughts[edit]

text: Listed according to seasons waited. Updated through the 2016 season.

text:
Franchise
0 0 Most recent0 0
division title
0Year0
Seasons

Cleveland Browns^
AFC Central
1989
24**

Detroit Lions^
NFC Central
1993
23

Buffalo Bills^
AFC East
1995
21

Jacksonville Jaguars^
AFC Central
1999
17

Oakland Raiders^
AFC West
2002
14

New York Jets
AFC East
2002
14

Los Angeles Rams†
NFC West
2003
13

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC South
2007
9

Miami Dolphins^
AFC East
2008
8

Tennessee Titans
AFC South
2008
8

Los Angeles Chargers
AFC West
2009
7

Chicago Bears
NFC North
2010
6

New York Giants
NFC East
2011
5

New Orleans Saints
NFC South
2011
5

Baltimore Ravens
AFC North
2012
4

San Francisco 49ers
NFC West
2012
4

Philadelphia Eagles
NFC East
2013
3

Indianapolis Colts
AFC South
2014
2

Cincinnati Bengals
AFC North
2015
1

Denver Broncos
AFC West
2015
1

Washington Redskins
NFC East
2015
1

Minnesota Vikings
NFC North
2015
1

Carolina Panthers
NFC South
2015
1

Arizona Cardinals
NFC West
2015
1

2016 Division Champions

New England Patriots
AFC East
2016
—

Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC North
2016
—

Houston Texans
AFC South
2016
—

Kansas City Chiefs
AFC West
2016
—

Dallas Cowboys
NFC East
2016
—

Green Bay Packers
NFC North
2016
—

Atlanta Falcons
NFC South
2016
—

Seattle Seahawks
NFC West
2016
—

text: **Does not include the three seasons (1996–1998) during which the franchise suspended operations.

text: Historical team droughts[edit]

text: Playoff droughts of 5 plus seasons[edit]

text:
0^0
Denotes active streak

text:
Last place NFL finishes
Last place AFL finishes (1960–1969)

text:
List of Droughts[1]

Seasons
Team
Drought Duration
Division or Conference Last Place
finishes during drought
League Worst win-loss record
during drought

Last Place
Seasons

7001250000000000000♠25
Washington Redskins A !Washington Redskins
1946–1970
4
1950, 1952, 1960–1961
1961

7001250000000000000♠25
Arizona Cardinals A !Chicago / St. Louis Cardinals
1949–1973
5
1951, 1953–1954, 1957, 1959
1953, 1954, 1957 tie, 19591959 tie

7001240000000000000♠24
Pittsburgh Steelers A !Pittsburgh Steelers
1948–1971
5
1955, 1965, 1967–1969
1965, 1969 tie

7001200000000000000♠20
New Orleans Saints A !New Orleans Saints
1967–1986
9
1967, 1970–1972, 1975, 1977, 1980–1981, 1986
19751975 tie, 1980

7001170000000000000♠17
Denver Broncos A !Denver Broncos
1960–1976
8
1960, 1963–1967, 1970–1971
1960, 1963, 1964, 1965 tie, 1967

7001170000000000000♠17
Philadelphia Eagles A !Philadelphia Eagles
1961–1977
7
1962–1963, 1968–1970, 1972, 1975
1968 tie

7001170000000000000♠17
New York Giants D !New York Giants
1964–1980
9
1964, 1966, 1971, 1973–1974, 1976–1978, 1980
1964, 1966, 1974 tie

7001170000000000000♠17 ^
Buffalo Bills A !Buffalo Bills
2000–2016
8
2001–2002, 2008–2013
—

7001160000000000000♠16
Detroit Lions A !Detroit Lions
1936–1951
4
1942, 1946–1948
1942, 1946, 1948

7001150000000000000♠15
Arizona Cardinals B !Chicago Cardinals
1932–1946
10
1933, 1935–1936, 1938–1940, 1943–1946
1933, 1938 tie, 1939, 1943, 1944 tie[a], 1945

7001150000000000000♠15
Green Bay Packers A !Green Bay Packers
1945–1959
4
1949, 1953, 1957, 1958
1957 tie, 1958

7001150000000000000♠15
Arizona Cardinals C !St. Louis / Phoenix / Arizona Cardinals
1983–1997
7
1985–1986, 1990–1992, 1995, 1997
—

7001140000000000000♠14
Pittsburgh Steelers B !Pittsburgh Pirates / Steelers
1933–1946
7
1933–1934, 1938–1939, 1941, 1944–1945
1938 tie, 1941, 1944 tie[a]

7001140000000000000♠14
Philadelphia Eagles B !Philadelphia Eagles
1933–1946
5
1935–1937, 1940, 1942
1935, 1936, 1940

7001140000000000000♠14
Kansas City Chiefs A !Kansas City Chiefs
1972–1985
5
1977–1979, 1983, 1985
19771977 tie

7001140000000000000♠14
Tampa Bay Buccaneers A !Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1983–1996
8
1983, 1985–1986, 1989, 1991, 1993–1995
19831983 tie, 1985 tie, 1986

7001140000000000000♠14
Cincinnati Bengals A !Cincinnati Bengals
1991–2004
6
1991–1993, 1998, 2001–2002
1993, 1998 tie, 2002

7001140000000000000♠14 ^
Cleveland Browns A !Cleveland Browns
2003–2016
12
2003–2006, 2008–2009, 2011–2016
2015 tie, 2016

7001130000000000000♠13
Chicago Bears A !Chicago Bears
1964–1976
5
1969–1970, 1972–1974
1969 tie

7001130000000000000♠13
San Diego Chargers A !San Diego Chargers
1966–1978
3
1972–1973, 1975
1975 tie

7001130000000000000♠13
Oakland Raiders A !Oakland Raiders
2003–2015
6
2004–2007, 2013–2014
2003 tie, 2006

7001120000000000000♠12
Detroit Lions B !Detroit Lions
1958–1969
2
1966, 1968
—

7001120000000000000♠12
San Francisco 49ers A !San Francisco 49ers
1958–1969
3
1963–1964, 1969
1963

7001120000000000000♠12
New England Patriots A !Boston / New England Patriots
1964–1975
4
1967, 1970, 1972, 1975
1970

7001120000000000000♠12
Atlanta Falcons A !Atlanta Falcons
1966–1977
3
1967–1968, 1974
1967, 1968 tie

7001120000000000000♠12 ^
Los Angeles Rams A !St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams
2005–2016
6
2007–2009, 2011, 2013–2014
2009, 2011 tie

7001110000000000000♠11
Los Angeles Rams B !Los Angeles Rams
1956–1966
4
1956, 1959, 1962, 1965
19591959 tie, 1962

7001110000000000000♠11
New York Jets A !New York Jets
1970–1980
1
1980
—

7001110000000000000♠11
Detroit Lions C !Detroit Lions
1971–1981
1
1979
19791979 tie

7001110000000000000♠11
Detroit Lions D !Detroit Lions
2000–2010
6
2001–2003, 2006, 2008–2009
2008

7001100000000000000♠10
Philadelphia Eagles C !Philadelphia Eagles
1950–1959
2
1956, 1958
1956

7001100000000000000♠10
Green Bay Packers B !Green Bay Packers
1983–1992
1
1988
—

7001100000000000000♠10
Seattle Seahawks A !Seattle Seahawks
1989–1998
4
1992–1994, 1996
1992 tie

7000900000000000000♠9
Green Bay Packers C !Green Bay Packers
1973–1981
2
1976, 1980
—

7000900000000000000♠9
Indianapolis Colts A !Baltimore / Indianapolis Colts
1978–1986
4
1978 - 1979, 1982, 1986
1981 tie, 1982

7000900000000000000♠9
San Diego Chargers B !San Diego Chargers
1983–1991
4
1984, 1986, 1989, 1991
—

7000900000000000000♠9
Los Angeles Rams C !Los Angeles / St. Louis Rams
1990–1998
6
1991–1994, 1997–1998
—

7000900000000000000♠9
Arizona Cardinals E !Arizona Cardinals
1999–2007
4
2000, 2002–2003, 2006
2003 tie

7000900000000000000♠9
Houston Texans A !Houston Texans
2002–2010
5
2002–2003, 2005–2007
2005

7000900000000000000♠9 ^
Tampa Bay Buccaneers B !Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2008–2016
6
2009, 2011–2015
20142014 tie

7000900000000000000♠9 ^
Jacksonville Jaguars A !Jacksonville Jaguars
2008–2016
4
2008–2009, 2012, 2016
2012 tie

7000800000000000000♠8
New York Jets B !New York Titans / Jets
1960–1967
2
1962–1963
—

7000800000000000000♠8
Tennessee Titans A !Houston Oilers
1970–1977
4
1970, 1972–1973, 1976
1972, 1973

7000800000000000000♠8
San Francisco 49ers B !San Francisco 49ers
1973–1980
2
1978–1979
1978, 1979 tie

7000800000000000000♠8
Atlanta Falcons B !Atlanta Falcons
1983–1990
7
1983–1985, 1987–1990
1987

7000800000000000000♠8
San Diego Chargers C !San Diego Chargers
1996–2003
5
1997–1998, 2000–2001, 2003
2000, 2003 tie

7000800000000000000♠8
San Francisco 49ers C !San Francisco 49ers
2003–2010
2
2004–2005
2004

7000800000000000000♠8 ^
Tennessee Titans B !Tennessee Titans
2009–2016
3
2010, 2014–2015
20142014 tie, 2015 tie

7000700000000000000♠7
Los Angeles Rams D !Cleveland Rams
1937–1944 [b]
2
1937, 1941
1937

7000700000000000000♠7
San Francisco 49ers D !San Francisco 49ers
1950–1956
0
—
—

7000700000000000000♠7
Oakland Raiders B !Oakland Raiders
1960–1966
2
1961–1962
1961, 1962

7000700000000000000♠7
Minnesota Vikings A !Minnesota Vikings
1961–1967
3
1961, 1966–1967
—

7000700000000000000♠7
Buffalo Bills B !Buffalo Bills
1967–1973
2
1968, 1971

1968
1971

7000700000000000000♠7
Cleveland Browns B !Cleveland Browns
1973–1979
3
1974–1975, 1977
—

7000700000000000000♠7
Seattle Seahawks B !Seattle Seahawks
1976–1982
3
1976, 1980–1981
—

7000700000000000000♠7
Detroit Lions E !Detroit Lions
1984–1990
1
1987
—

7000700000000000000♠7
New England Patriots A !New England Patriots
1987–1993
2
1990, 1992
1990, 1992 tie

7000700000000000000♠7
Indianapolis Colts B !Indianapolis Colts
1988–1994
2
1991, 1993
1991

7000700000000000000♠7
New Orleans Saints B !New Orleans Saints
1993–1999
3
1995–1996, 1999
—

7000700000000000000♠7
Miami Dolphins A !Miami Dolphins
2009–2015
1
2015
—

7000600000000000000♠6
Chicago Bears B !Chicago Bears
1957–1962
0
—
—

7000600000000000000♠6
Dallas Cowboys A !Dallas Cowboys
1960–1965
1
1960
1960

7000600000000000000♠6
Arizona Cardinals E !St. Louis Cardinals
1976–1981
2
1979, 1981
—

7000600000000000000♠6
Tennessee Titans C !Houston Oilers
1981–1986
4
1983–1986
19831983 tie

7000600000000000000♠6
Buffalo Bills C !Buffalo Bills
1982–1987
2
1984–1985
1984, 1985 tie

7000600000000000000♠6
Philadelphia Eagles D !Philadelphia Eagles
1982–1987
1
1984
—

7000600000000000000♠6
New York Jets C !New York Jets
1992–1997
3
1994–1996
1995, 1996

7000600000000000000♠6
Washington Redskins B !Washington Redskins
1993–1998
2
1993–1994
—

7000600000000000000♠6
Oakland Raiders C !Los Angeles / Oakland Raiders
1994–1999
0
—
—

7000600000000000000♠6
Chicago Bears C !Chicago Bears
1995–2000
4
1997–2000
—

7000600000000000000♠6
Carolina Panthers A !Carolina Panthers
1997–2002
2
2001–2002
2001

7000600000000000000♠6
Miami Dolphins B !Miami Dolphins
2002–2007
3
2004, 2006–2007
2007

7000600000000000000♠6 ^
New York Jets D !New York Jets
2011–2016
2
2014, 2016
—

7000600000000000000♠6 ^
Chicago Bears E !Chicago Bears
2011–2016
3
2014–2016
—

7000500000000000000♠5
New York Giants D !New York Giants
1951–1955
0
—
—

7000500000000000000♠5
Chicago Bears D !Chicago Bears
1951–1955
0
—
—

7000500000000000000♠5
Indianapolis Colts C !Baltimore Colts
1953–1957
1
1954
—

7000500000000000000♠5
Cleveland Browns C !Cleveland Browns
1959–1963
0
—
—

7000500000000000000♠5
Buffalo Bills D !Buffalo Bills
1975–1979
2
1976–1977
—

7000500000000000000♠5
Cincinnati Bengals B !Cincinnati Bengals
1976–1980
3
1978–1980
—

7000500000000000000♠5
Washington Redskins C !Washington Redskins
1977–1981
0
—
—

7000500000000000000♠5
Cincinnati Bengals C !Cincinnati Bengals
1983–1987
1
1987
—

7000500000000000000♠5
Dallas Cowboys B !Dallas Cowboys
1986–1990
2
1988, 1989
1988, 1989

7000500000000000000♠5
Tennessee Titans D !Houston / Tennessee Oilers
1994–1998
1
1994
1994

7000500000000000000♠5
Kansas City Chiefs B !Kansas City Chiefs
1998–2002
1
2002
—

7000500000000000000♠5
Washington Redskins D !Washington Redskins
2000–2004
1
2004
—

7000500000000000000♠5
Jacksonville Jaguars B !Jacksonville Jaguars
2000–2004
0
—
—

7000500000000000000♠5
New Orleans Saints C !New Orleans Saints
2001–2005
1
2005
—

7000500000000000000♠5
Denver Broncos B !Denver Broncos
2006–2010
1
2010
—

Seasons
Team
Drought Duration
Last Place
Seasons
League Worst win-loss record
during drought

Division or Conference Last Place
finishes during drought

text: Most consecutive post-season losses in team history[edit]

text: This is a sortable table of all 32 current NFL teams. Ten teams have multiple losing streaks where they lost an equal number of post season games before breaking the drought.

text: Updated through the 2016 regular season.

text:
0^0
Denotes active drought

text:
Team
Streak lasted
Last win
Games Lost
Playoff Losses
Score
Opponent
Next win

Arizona Cardinals
7001510000000000000♠ 51 years
1947
Championship
4.1 !4
1948 NFL Champ.
1974 Div.
1975 Div.
1982 1st Round
-1 !0–7
14–30
23–35
16–41
Eagles
Vikings
Rams
Packers
1998 Wild Card

Atlanta Falcons
7000800000000000000♠ 8 years
2004 Divisional
4.2 !4
2004 NFC Champ.
2008 Wild Card
2010 Div.
2011 Wild Card
10–27
24–30
21–48
2–24
Eagles
Cardinals
Packers
Giants
2012 Divisional

Baltimore Ravens
7000700000000000000♠ 7 years
2001
Wild Card
3.1 !3
2001 Div.
2003 Wild Card
2006 Div.
10–27
17–20
6–15
Steelers
Titans
Colts
2008 Wild Card

Buffalo Bills^
7001210000000000000♠ 21 years
1995
Div !1995
Wild Card
4.3 !4
1995 Div.
1996 Wild Card
1998 Wild Card
1999 Wild Card
21–40
27–30
17–24
16–22
Steelers
Jaguars
Dolphins
Titans
TBD

Carolina Panthers
7000800000000000000♠ 8 years
2005
Divisional
3
2005 NFC Champ.
2008 Div.
2013 Div.
14–34
13–33
10–23
Seahawks
Cardinals
49ers
2014 Div !2014 Wild Card

Chicago Bears
7001120000000000000♠ 12 years
1994
AF !1994
Wild Card
3.2 !3
1994 Div.
2001 Div.
2005 Div.
15–44
19–33
21–29
49ers
Eagles
Panthers
2006 Divisional

Cincinnati Bengals^
7001260000000000000♠ 26 years
1990 Div !1990
Wild Card
8
1990 Div.
2005 Wild Card
2009 Wild Card
2011 Wild Card
2012 Wild Card
2013 Wild Card
2014 Wild Card
2015 Wild Card
10–20
17–31
14–24
10–31
13–19
10–27
10–26
16–18
Raiders
Steelers
Jets
Texans
Texans
Chargers
Colts
Steelers
TBD

Cleveland Browns
7001170000000000000♠ 17 years
1969 Divisional
6
1969 NFL Champ.
1971 Div.
1972 Div.
1980 Div.
1982 1st Round
1985 Div.
7–27
3–20
14–20
12–14
10–27
21–24
Vikings
Colts
Dolphins
Raiders
Raiders
Dolphins
1986 Divisional

Dallas Cowboys
7001130000000000000♠ 13 years
1996
Div !1996
Wild Card
6.2 !6
1996 Div.
1998 Wild Card
1999 Wild Card
2003 Wild Card
2006 Wild Card
2007 Div.
17–26
7–20
10–27
10–29
20–21
17–21
Panthers
Cardinals
Vikings
Panthers
Seahawks
Giants
2009 Wild Card

Denver Broncos
7000900000000000000♠ 9 years
1977
Conference
Championship
5.1 !5
1977 !Super Bowl XII
1978 Div.
1979 Wild Card
1983 Wild Card
1984 Div.
10–27
10–33
7–13
7–31
17–24
Cowboys
Steelers
Oilers
Seahawks
Steelers
1986 Divisional

Detroit Lions^
7001250000000000000♠ 25 years
1991
Divisional
9
1991.2 !1991 NFC Champ.
1993 Wild Card
1994 Wild Card
1995 Wild Card
1997 Wild Card
1999 Wild Card
2011 Wild Card
2014 Wild Card
2016 Wild Card
10–41
24–28
12–16
37–58
10–20
13–27
28–45
20–24
6-26
Redskins
Packers
Packers
Eagles
Buccaneers
Redskins
Saints
Cowboys
Seahawks
TBD

Green Bay Packers
005 (2 loss) streaks
7000400000000000000♠ 4 years
1997 Conference
Championship
2.2 !2
1997.2 !Super Bowl XXXII
1998 Wild Card
24–31
27–30
Broncos
49ers
2001 Wild Card

7000200000000000000♠ 2 years
2001
Wild Card
2.3 !2
2001.1 !2001 Div.
2002 Wild Card
17–45
7–27
Rams
Falcons
2003 Wild Card

7000400000000000000♠ 4 years
2003
Wild Card
2.4 !2
2003.1 !2003 Div.
2004 Wild Card
17–20 (OT)
17–31
Eagles
Vikings
2007 Divisional

7000300000000000000♠ 3 years
2007
Divisional
2.5 !2
2007.2 !2007 NFC Champ.
2009 Wild Card
20–23 (OT)
45–51 (OT)
Giants
Cardinals
2010 Wild Card

7000200000000000000♠ 2 years
2012
Wild Card
2.6 !2
2012 Div.
2013 Wild Card
31–45
20–23
49ers
49ers
2014 Divisional

Houston Texans
7000400000000000000♠ 4 years
2012 Wild Card
2
2012.1 !2012 Divisional
2015 Wild Card
28–41
0–30
Patriots
Chiefs
2016 Wild Card

Indianapolis Colts
002 (5 loss) streaks
7001240000000000000♠24 years
1971
Divisional
5.2 !5
1971.1 !1971 AFC Champ.
1975 Div.
1976 Div.
1977 Div.
1987 Div.
0–21
10–28
14–40
31–37 (2 OT)
21–38
Dolphins
Steelers
Steelers
Raiders
Browns
1995 Wild Card

7000800000000000000♠ 8 years
1995
Divisional
5.3 !5
1995.3 !1995 AFC Champ.
1996 Wild Card
1999 Div.
2000 Wild Card
2002 Wild Card
16–20
14–42
16–19
17–23 (OT)
0–41
Steelers
Steelers
Titans
Dolphins
Jets
2003 Wild Card

Jacksonville Jaguars
002 (2 loss) streaks
2 years
1996
Divisional
2.6 !2
1996.2 !1996 AFC Champ.
1997 Wild Card
6–20
17–42
Patriots
Broncos
1998 Wild Card

7000800000000000000♠ 8 years
1999
Divisional
2.7 !2
1999.2 !1999 AFC Champ.
2005 Wild Card
14–33
3–28
Titans
Patriots
2007 Div !2007 Wild Card

Kansas City Chiefs
7001210000000000000♠ 21 years
1993
Divisional
8
1993.2 !1993 AFC Champ.
1994 Wild Card
1995 Div.
1997 Div.
2003 Div.
2006 Wild Card
2010 Wild Card
2013 Wild Card
13–30
17–27
7–10
10–14
31–38
8–23
7–30
44–45
Bills
Dolphins
Colts
Broncos
Colts
Colts
Ravens
Colts
2015 Wild Card

Los Angeles Chargers
7001130000000000000♠ 13 years
1994
AFC Championship
4.8 !4
1994.2 !Super Bowl XXIX
1995 Wild Card
2004 Wild Card
2006 Div.
26–49
20–35
17–20 (OT)
21–24
49ers
Colts
Jets
Patriots
2007 Div !2007 Wild Card

Los Angeles Rams
7001230000000000000♠ 23 years
1951
Championship
5.5 !5
1952 Nat. Conf.
1955 NFL Champ.
1967 NFL W Conf.
1969 NFL W Conf.
1973 Div.
21–31
14–38
7–28
20–23
16–27
Lions
Browns
Packers
Vikings
Cowboys
1974 Divisional

Miami Dolphins
002 (4 loss) streaks
7000900000000000000♠ 9 years
1973
Super Bowl
4.5 !4
1974 Div.
1978 Wild Card
1979 Div.
1981 Div.
26–28
9–17
14–34
38–41 (OT)
Raiders
Oilers
Steelers
Chargers
1982 First Round

7001160000000000000♠ 16 years
2000
Wild Card
4.9 !4
2000 Div.
2001 Wild Card
2008 Wild Card
2016 Wild Card
0–27
3–20
9–27
12–30
Raiders
Ravens
Ravens
Steelers
TBD

Minnesota Vikings
7000900000000000000♠ 9 years
1988
Wild Card
6.3 !6
1988 Div.
1989 Div.
1992 Wild Card
1993 Wild Card
1994 Wild Card
1996 Wild Card
9–34
13–41
7–24
10–17
18–35
15–45
49ers
49ers
Redskins
Giants
Bears
Cowboys
1997 Wild Card

New England Patriots
7001220000000000000♠ 22 years
1963
Divisional
4.6 !4
1963 AFL Champ.
1976 Div.
1978 Div.
1982 1st Round
10–51
21–24
14–31
13–28
Chargers
Raiders
Oilers
Dolphins
1985 Wild Card

New Orleans Saints
7001320000000000000♠ 32 years
1967 Enfranchised
No Playoff
Wins
till 2000
4.7 !4
1987 Wild Card
1990 Wild Card
1991 Wild Card
1992 Wild Card
10–44
6–16
20–27
20–36
Vikings
Bears
Falcons
Eagles
2000 Wild Card

New York Giants
7001180000000000000♠ 18 years
1938
Championship
6.4 !6
1939 NFL Champ.
1941 NFL Champ.
1943 East Div.
1944 NFL Champ.
1946 NFL Champ.
1950 Am. Conf.
0–27
9–37
0–28
7–14
14–24
3–8
Packers
Bears
Redskins
Packers
Bears
Browns
1956 Championship

New York Jets
005 (2 loss) streaks
7001140000000000000♠ 14 years
1968
Super Bowl III
2.8 !2
1969 AFL Div.
1981 Wild Card
6–13
27–31
Chiefs
Bills
1982 First Round

7000400000000000000♠ 4 years
1982 2nd Round
2.9 !2
1982.1 !1982 AFC Champ.
1985 Wild Card
0–14
14–26
Dolphins
Patriots
1986 Wild Card

7001120000000000000♠ 12 years
1986 Wild Card
2.91 !2
1986 Div.
1991 Wild Card
20–23 (2 OT)
10–17
Browns
Oilers
1998 World !1998 Divisional

7000400000000000000♠ 4 years
1998 Divisional
2.92 !2
1998.1 !1998 AFC Champ.
2001 Wild Card
10–23
24–38
Broncos
Raiders
2002 Div !2002 Wild Card

7000500000000000000♠ 5 years
2004
Wild Card
2.93 !2
2004.1 !2004 Divisional
2006 Wild Card
17–20 (OT)
16–37
Steelers
Patriots
2009 Wild Card

Oakland Raiders
004 (2 loss) streaks
7000300000000000000♠ 3 years
1970
Divisional
2.94 !2
1970 AFC Champ.
1972 Div.
17–27
7–13
Colts
Steelers
1973 Divisional

7000700000000000000♠ 7 years
1983
Super Bowl XVIII
2.95 !2
1984 Wild Card
1985 Div.
7–13
20–27
Seahawks
Patriots
1990 Divisional

7000300000000000000♠ 3 years
1990 Divisional
2.96 !2
1990.2 !1990 AFC Champ.
1991 Wild Card
3–51
6–10
Bills
Chiefs
1993 Wild Card

7001140000000000000♠ 14 years
2002 AFC Championship
2.96 !2
1990.2 !Super Bowl XXXVIII
2016 Wild Card
24-41
14-27
Bucs
Texans
TBD

Philadelphia Eagles
7001120000000000000♠ 12 years
1980
Conference
Championship
5.4 !5
1980.1 !Super Bowl XV
1981 Wild Card
1988 Div.
1989 Wild Card
1990 Wild Card
10–27
21–27
12–20
7–21
6–20
Raiders
Giants
Bears
Rams
Redskins
1992 Wild Card

Pittsburgh Steelers
002 (3 loss) streaks
7000500000000000000♠ 5 years
1989
Wild Card
3.3 !3
1989.1 !1989 Div.
1992 Div.
1993 Wild Card
23–24
3–24
24–27
Broncos
Bills
Chiefs
1994 Divisional

7000400000000000000♠4 years
2010 AFC Championship
3
2010.1 !Super Bowl XLV
2011 Wild Card
2014 Wild Card
25–31
23–29
17–30
Packers
Broncos
Ravens
2015 Wild Card

San Francisco 49ers
7000400000000000000♠4 years
1984
Super Bowl XIX
3.4 !3
1985 Wild Card
1986 Div.
1987 Div.
3–17
3–49
24–36
Giants
Giants
Vikings
1988 Divisional

Seattle Seahawks
7001210000000000000♠ 21 years
1984
Su !1984
Wild Card
6.5 !6
1984.2 !1984 Div.
1987 Wild Card
1988 Div.
1999 Wild Card
2003 Wild Card
2004 Wild Card
10–31
20–23 (OT)
13–21
17–20
27–33 (OT)
20–27
Dolphins
Oilers
Bengals
Dolphins
Packers
Rams
2005 Divisional

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
002 (3 loss) streaks
7001180000000000000♠ 18 years
1979
Divisional
3.5 !3
1979.2 !1979 NFC Champ.
1981 Div.
1982 1st Round
0–9
0–38
17–30
Rams
Cowboys
Cowboys
1997 Wild Card

7000300000000000000♠3 years
1999
Divisional
3.6 !3
1999.3 !1999 NFC Champ.
2000 Wild Card
2001 Wild Card
6–11
3–21
9–31
Rams
Eagles
Eagles
2002 Divisional

Tennessee Titans^
004 (3 loss) streaks
7001170000000000000♠ 17 years
1961 AFL
Championship
3.7 !3[Hou]
1962 AFL Champ.
1967 AFL Champ.
1969 AFL Div.
17–20 (2 OT)
7–40
7–56
Chief !Dallas Texans
Raiders
Raiders
1978 Wild Card

7000300000000000000♠ 3 years
1988
Wild Card
3.8 !3[Hou]
1988 Div.
1989 Wild Card
1990 Wild Card
10–17
23–26 (OT)
14–41
Bills
Steelers
Bengals
1991
Wild Card

7000800000000000000♠ 8 years
1991
Div !1991
Wild Card
3.9 !3[Hou]
1991.1 !1991 Divisional
1992 Wild Card
1993 Divisional
24–26
38–41 (OT)
20–28
Broncos
Bills
Chiefs
1999
Wild Card

7001130000000000000♠ 13 years
2003
Wild Card
3.91 !3
2003.3 !2003 Div.
2007 Wild Card
2008 Div.
14–17
6–17
10–13
Patriots
Chargers
Ravens
TBD

Washington Redskins
002 (4 loss) streaks
7001100000000000000♠ 10 years
1972
NFC Championship
4.9 !4
1972.2 !Super Bowl VII
1973 Div.
1974 Div.
1976 Div.
7–14
20–27
10–19
20–35
Dolphins
Vikings
Rams
Vikings
1982 First Round

7001110000000000000♠ 11 years
2005
Wild Card
4.9 !4
2005 Div.
2007 Wild Card
2012 Wild Card
2015 Wild Card
10–20
14–35
14–24
18–35
Seahawks
Seahawks
Seahawks
Packers
TBD

Team
Streak lasted
Last win
Games Lost
Playoff Games
Score
Opponent
Next win

text: Hou These three streaks occurred when the team was known as the Houston Oilers.

text: Longest post-season droughts in team history[edit]

text:
Updated through the 2016 season.
Note that the NFL did not institute a permanent playoff tournament until 1967 and that the NFL Championship Game and any impromptu one-game playoffs (played only in the event of a tie atop the division standings) were the only postseason matchups in this era (the Bert Bell Benefit Bowl is considered an exhibition game for the purpose of this list).

text:
0^0
Denotes active streak

text:
No post season appearances

Team
Longest streak with
no post-season appearances
Seasons

Washington Redskins
1946–1970
25

Arizona Cardinals
1949–1973
25

Pittsburgh Steelers
1948–1971
24

New Orleans Saints
1967–1986
20

Denver Broncos
1960–1976
17

Philadelphia Eagles
1961–1977
17

New York Giants
1964–1980
17

Buffalo Bills^
2000–2016^
17

Detroit Lions
1936–1951
16

Green Bay Packers
1945–1959
15

Kansas City Chiefs
1972–1985
14

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1983–1996
14

Cincinnati Bengals
1991–2004
14

Cleveland Browns^
2003–2016^
14

Chicago Bears
1964–1976
13

Los Angeles Chargers
1966–1978
13

Oakland Raiders
2003–2015
13

San Francisco 49ers
1958–1969
12

New England Patriots
1964–1975
12

Atlanta Falcons
1966–1977
12

Los Angeles Rams^
2005–2016^
12

New York Jets
1970–1980
11

Seattle Seahawks
1989–1998
10

Indianapolis Colts
1978–1986
9

Houston Texans
2002–2010
9

Jacksonville Jaguars^
2008–2016^
9

Tennessee Titans
1970–1977
8

Minnesota Vikings
1961–1967
7

Miami Dolphins
2009–2015
7

Dallas Cowboys
1960–1965
6

Carolina Panthers
1997–2002
6

Baltimore Ravens
1996–1999
4

Team
Longest streak with
no post-season appearances
Seasons

No post season victories

Team
Longest streak with
no post-season victories
Seasons

Arizona Cardinals
1948–1997
50

Pittsburgh Steelers
1933–1971
39

Detroit Lions
1958–1990
33

New Orleans Saints
1967–1999
33

Washington Redskins
1944–1971
28

Cincinnati Bengals^
1991–2016^
26

Indianapolis Colts
1972–1994
23

Los Angeles Rams
1952–1973
22

New York Giants
1959–1980
22

New England Patriots
1964–1984
21

Kansas City Chiefs
1970–1990
1994–2014
21

Buffalo Bills^
1996–2016^
21

San Francisco 49ers
1950–1969
20

Chicago Bears
1964–1983
20

Seattle Seahawks
1985–2004
20

Cleveland Browns^
1995, 1999–2016^
19

Philadelphia Eagles
1961–1978
18

Denver Broncos
1960–1976
17

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1980–1996
17

Green Bay Packers
1945–1960
16

Tennessee Titans
1962–1977
16

Los Angeles Chargers
1964–1979
16

Miami Dolphins^
2001–2016^
16

Oakland Raiders^
2003–2016^
14

New York Jets
1969–1981
13

Atlanta Falcons
1966–1977;
1979–1990
12

Dallas Cowboys
1997–2008
12

Houston Texans
2002–2010
9

Jacksonville Jaguars^
2008–2016^
9

Minnesota Vikings
1961–1968;
1989–1996
8

Carolina Panthers
2006–2013
8

Baltimore Ravens
2002–2007
6

Team
Longest streak with
no post-season victories
Seasons