Quinn Martin Is Dead at 65; Produced Popular TV Series

Quinn Martin, the legendary TV producer, has died at the age of 65. Martin, who produced such popular series as The Fugitive, The Streets of San Francisco, and Barnaby Jones, passed away on September 5th at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, California. What strikes me the most about this news is the sheer impact Martin had on the television landscape. His shows were iconic and groundbreaking, helping shape the crime drama genre into what it is today.

Over the course of his career, Martin produced more than a dozen TV shows, many of which have gone on to become cultural touchstones. The Fugitive, which starred David Jansen as a man on the run for a crime he didn’t commit, was a massive hit during its four-year run in the 1960s. The Streets of San Francisco, featuring a young Michael Douglas as a homicide detective, ran for five seasons in the 1970s and helped cement Martin’s reputation as a master of the crime drama. And while he had several other hits, Barnaby Jones, a show about a retired private eye that starred Buddy Ebsen, was the last series he produced before slowly retiring from television.

Martin’s influence extends far beyond the shows he produced. He developed a reputation for creating innovative narratives and for launching the careers of many of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Martin’s shows were known for their intricate plots, expert pacing, and gritty realism, which was a big departure from the more formulaic and predictable TV shows of the past.

Overall, Quinn Martin’s death marks the end of an era in television history. His shows broke new ground in storytelling, characterization, and production values, and remain popular to this day. It’s a testament to Martin’s legacy that his contributions to television continue to shape the medium more than 30 years after his last series went off the air.