A&E Offers Hunted's Perspective in Fugitive Chronicles

Continuing on its path away from its roots as an arts channel to one specializing in what its slogan calls “Real Life. Drama,” A&E Thursday launches Fugitive Chronicles.
The series takes a look at some of the nation’s most dangerous fugitive hunts. What makes it unique is that the story is partly told from the perspective of the bad guy, the escaped criminal on the run from law enforcement.
In a note, the show tells viewers “the fugitive’s account has been reconstructed from his personal letters and the law enforcement case file.”
The show also features interviews with the officers and troopers involved in the manhunt. Those interviews are combined with re-enactments that paint a picture of events for viewers.
To its credit, it looks like A&E didn’t go cheap, which is often the case of cheesy re-enactment shows. The production values are good and the actors’ performances make you believe you’re watching the real criminal on the lam.
The first episode looks at the case of one Bucky Harris, a small time burglar and car thief who escaped from prison in upstate New York, shot a trooper and landed on the FBI’s most wanted list.
According to the show, Harris was angry at being thrown back in jail for a parole violation at a time when he was rebuilding his relationship with his daughter and grandkids.
“I never wanted to hurt anybody, but I wasn’t going to let some trooper send me back to jail,” he says.
The show uses an on-screen clock to show how long Harris has been at large and shows him elude the cops a few times, including once making his escape on an ATV. At the time locals sold t-shirt that mocked the State Troopers with the slogan “Which Way Did He Go” and one restaurant’s menu featured a Bucky Burger.”
Eventually, despite possessing a police radio and an arsenal of firearms, Harris is \ cornered and captured (sorry if this qualifies as a spoiler).
The technique of giving a voice to the bad guy is pretty involving, so if cops and robbers is your thing, hunt down Fugitive Chronicles.