Gary Sinise Guest Starred On This Groundbreaking '80s Crime Drama Show

Gary Sinise once had a guest role in an '80s crime drama that forever revolutionized the TV landscape. 1986's "Crime Story" followed a Chicago-based detective's (Dennis Farina) attempts at taking down a young mobster (Tony Denison) who was destroying their city. While the show's short two-season run may have prevented it from becoming one of the best TV crime dramas of all time, it was one of the first major series to embrace serialized storytelling. Instead of delivering a complete, self-contained story each week, the show's plot played out over the entire season.

Sinise, who guest starred on the series long before he became a movie star known for the likes of "Apollo 13," "Of Mice and Men," "Ransom," and "Forrest Gump," is one of the few actors who can say they were a part of that history. His first appearance was in Season 1, Episode 10, "For Love or Money." He played Howie Dressler, a man who turned to a life of crime because his wife was in a desperate medical crisis. Sinise returned in Season 1, Episode 20, "Top of the World," to complete Dressler's arc. Sinise also sat on the other side of the camera as director for two episodes in the back half of Season 1.

Later in his career, Sinise starred starred in more crime dramas, including "CSI: NY" and "Criminal Minds." While not every crime drama has followed the serialized format that "Crime Story" introduced, its legacy has been cemented.

The impact of "Crime Story" on the television industry has been far reaching.

Even though it's not an '80s shows that people still talk about today, the series' serialized format was later adopted by notable shows. One of the best HBO shows ever made, "The Sopranos" couldn't exist without "Crime Story." While there is an episodic slant to some of the storylines involving everyone's fave Mafia family, it also relied on serialized storytelling, like its '80s predecessor.

"Miami Vice" alum, Michael Mann, is responsible for "Crime Story" and its long-lasting influence. As the multi-hyphenate was fleshing out the show's plot details, he had an epiphany about how to approach its narrative structure. "It occurred to me to do a serial, just like a daytime soap, except do it in prime time," Mann told EW in January 2012. "I'm not sure but I think we were the first serialized show on network television."