The Renegades
- Not to be confused with the Renegade TV show (1992-97)
| The Renegades | |
|---|---|
 Patrick Swayze in 1983. | |
| Format | Drama |
| Created by |
Executive Producers Lawerence Gordon Charles Gordon Directed by Roger Spottiswoode |
| Written by |
Steven E. de Souza Rick Husky |
| Starring |
Patrick Swayze Kurtwood Smith James Luisi |
| Country of origin |
 United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes |
Pilot - 2 Hrs 6 episodes[1] |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | 4 March 1983 – 8 April 1983 |
The Renegades is a short-lived ABC TV show from 1982 about a gang that is given the option of going to jail for their crimes or becoming a special police undercover unit. The star of The Renegades, and leader of the gang, was The Bandit played by Patrick Swayze.[1] The gang's police handler is Captain Scanlon played by Kurtwood Smith. Kurtwood Smith went on to play the father in the That '70s Show.
Backstory
In this drama, undercover investigators are recruited from the streets to prevent arms smugglers from getting their weapons to street gangs.[2]
Characters
- Bandit played by Patrick Swayze
- Captain Scanlon played by Kurtwood Smith
- Dancer played by Robert Thaler
- Eagle played by Randy Brooks
- Tracy played by Cheryl Paris (TV movie/pilot) & Tracy Scoggins (episodes 1-6)
- J.T played by Paul Mones
- Dragon played by Brian Tochi
- Gaucho played by Fausto Bara
- Lieutenant Joe Marciano played by James Luisi
Episodes
- Episode 1 - Back to School
- Episode 2 - The Demon Dragsters
- Episode 3 - The Big Time
- Episode 4 - On the Pad
- Episode 5 - Film at Eleven
- Episode 6 - Target: Marciano
Broadcast history
After the success of the movie The Warriors, Hollywood looked to take the youth gang concept and market it to TV. In 1981, Swayze did a TV show, Return of the Rebels, about an aging motorcycle gang who get together to help a friend who owns a popular campground that is being threatened by a band of arrogant groupies. However the show didn't catch on and was quickly canceled.
Brother team Lawrence and Charles Gordon tried to market Swayze's rebel look, combine the gang concept with a police angle and came up with The Renegades. It too didn't do well and due to weak rating ABC pulled the show. The cancellation didn't hurt the people behind the camera. Director Roger Spottiswoode, screenwriter Steven E. de Souza, and producers Lawrence and Charles Gordon went on to make 48 Hrs.. The Gordon brothers and Mr. de Souza went on to create the Die Hard franchise.[3] Lawerence served as President of 20th Century Fox from 1984 to 1986. The brothers then formed Largo Entertainment, which was backed by the Japanese company JVC. This was revolutionary as it was the first time a Japanese company had seriously invested in a film enterprise.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Roger Barr (aka: -RoG-) (2009). "The Renegades". I-Mockery. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
- ↑ "The Renegades". film.com. 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
- ↑ Michael Cieply (September 20, 2008). "Battle Over ‘Watchmen’ Surrounds a Producer". New York Times. Retrieved 23 May 2009.