Patrick Swayze Starred In This Short-Lived, Slightly Bizarre '80s TV Crime Drama

Patrick Swayze might be best known for his roles in blockbusters and cult classics, but the "Dirty Dancing" star also spent quite a bit of time on television early in his career.

After being a part of the made-for-TV biker drama "Return of the Rebels," Swayze played street gang leader Bandit in 1983's "The Renegades," a six-episode crime drama that ABC canceled due to low ratings. Before the series aired, Swayze's Bandit sported a sleazier edge in the show's two-hour backdoor pilot, but was later mellowed down into a more amicable protagonist.

The impetus behind "The Renegades" was to capitalize on the success of "The Warriors," Walter Hill's 1979 action thriller, which had a successful theatrical run despite receiving negative critical reception at the time. Now a cult classic, "The Warriors" skillfully captures a dystopian snapshot of a crime-ridden New York and gang-centered youth rebellion. "The Renegades" combined this thematic lawlessness with a police procedural that saw Bandit and his gang act as a special undercover unit to combat crime. 

While Swayze is admittedly the standout here, the TV pilot also features "Dynasty" star Tracy Scoggins, who would later play Captain Elizabeth Lochley in the final season of "Babylon 5." There's also a young Kurtwood Smith (years before achieving fame on "That '70s Show") playing Captain Frank Scanlon, a skeptical cop who also happens to be the precinct boss. 

ABC's "The Mod Squad" warrants no introduction. This award-winning counterculture police drama brought a multicultural trio of leads to mainstream television while working with a compelling outcasts-as-undercover-detectives storyline. "The Renegades" mimics this well-received formula without putting its own spin on it, which could partially explain an abrupt cancellation only after six episodes and a TV pilot.

Although it indulges in run-of-the-mill crime arcs and '80s genre stereotypes, "The Renegades" has an earnest tone and a synth-heavy opening going for it. Bandit and his crew have to choose between jail and working undercover, which doesn't leave much space for delinquency on the streets, or any form of rebellion. There are, however, some zany set pieces that antagonists like Tony Gunn (Thom Christopher) make great use of, leading to surprisingly bizarre turns within a conventional procedural format.

After "The Renegades," Swayze pivoted to feature films while starring in the occasional TV movie, like 1984's "Pigs vs. Freaks," and the '80s miniseries "North and South." Swayze's final television credit was the 2009 crime drama "The Beast," where he played a veteran undercover cop with a knack for controversial (yet effective) investigative methods.