Essential Episodes: Renegade
Bulletproof Action debuted a new feature in August called Essential Episodes. The first iconic action series to get the spotlight was The A-Team and now coincidentally, the next series chosen is another from the genius mind of Stephen J Cannell… Renegade!
Similar to The A-Team being a symbol of the 1980s, Renegade became that for the 90s. A snapshot of its era. I don’t know if the show would have worked so well, if it didn’t nail the casting for the main characters so perfectly. You have Lorenzo Lamas as Reno Raines, the long-haired former cop, turned fugitive on the run. Genre vet Branscombe Richmond as Bobby Sixkiller, finally getting the spotlight he so deserved as the charismatic bounty hunter. Then you can’t forget Kathleen Kinmont, as Cheyenne Phillips, the scene stealing beauty, sister and partner at Sixkiller Enterprises.
The chemistry between the three was unmatched and when you have that rare kind, it creates a certain magic that makes a show stand the test of time.
Showrunner himself Stephen J Cannell appeared in what was his biggest on screen role as the ultimate big bad that you loved to hate – Lt. Donald ‘Dutch’ Dixon.
Renegade ran for 5 seasons from 1992-1997 in syndication, with the final season airing exclusively on the USA Network – with a bit of a cast shakeup, will touch on that in a bit.
You have the motorcycle riding martial arts hero, trying to clear his name, haunted by the death of what was his soon to be bride, while also still finding time to help the needy. AND chase down the bad guys. An outlaw hunting outlaws. A bounty hunter. A Renegade.
With 110 episodes, it is no small task to compress it all into just 10 episodes. It was such a consistent show, one with a lot of different scenarios. But at the same time, you knew what you were getting into each week.
In compiling this list, I wanted it to go across the whole series, including at least something from each season. I wanted a combo of important main story, and character defining episodes, along with just some of my ultimate action packed favorites. So here it is…
Renegade’s Essential Episodes
- “Samurai” (S1 Ep14): In receiving the task to help find the kidnapped daughter of a Japanese businessman, Reno inadvertently gets in the middle of a war between crime families. They brought in some martial arts movie legends as guests in this one. Including Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who is actually on Reno’s side. Kinda, as they are forced to work together in going against the one and only Al Leong, in one of his more sizable parts as a Yakuza leader. Not to mention, the whip-wielding Anthony De Longis as the wild card. An action filled episode, with lots of fights & showdowns, as one might expect.
- “Fighting Cage – Parts 1 & 2” (S1 Finale): Speaking of lots of fights, this one was all about it. The underground fighting or tournament fighting, became all the rage in the 80s, & especially in the 90s on the direct to video scene. This was Renegade’s version. It had a cool story too, as Reno finds out his long lost brother, thought to have been killed in Nam, suddenly is alive and is a cage fighter. The brother is played by Martin Kove. That’s enough of a big name headliner for a season finale right there, but the episode boasts other notables as well, such as Larry Manetti, Charles Napier, Marjean Holden, & Mitchell Ryan. Interesting note is that here Napier plays the man behind all these illegal fights. Later in the series, he appears again, but as a different character, Reno’s father. Totally different and confusing. But, just go with it.
- “Dead End and Easy Money” (S2 Ep4): I don’t feel that this episode is one that might stand out to absolutely everyone, but it always has to me, as it is one of the funniest of the series. Reno, Bobby and Cheyenne, much to their dismay, have to join forces with a rival bounty hunter – Denise ‘Dead End’ Denison, played by Cyndi Pass. There is a lot of surprisingly funny dialog throughout here from our heroes, but Cyndi Pass pretty much steals the show. Her performance as this ditzy, surfer girl waitress – she is not what she initially appears to be. And the meaning behind her nickname ‘Dead End’ is funny in itself. Forry Smith plays the charming, but unfortunate target of our bounty hunters.
- “Rabbit Redux” (S2 Ep16): Reno more or less falls in love nearly every episode. The one pairing, besides the running tease between him & Cheyenne, that I feel they could have really ran with, and that is with Paula Trickey’s former mob wife, Lisa Bendetti. She appeared in another good episode earlier in the season, so I could have chosen either for this. I chose this one as we get to see the two heart-warmingly reunited for a vacation getaway at this isolated cabin in the mountains. Whenever Reno tries to catch his breath though, it doesn’t last very long, as they end up contending with a group of drug suppliers. Some actual intense moments make for a memorable episode.
- “Murderers Row – Parts 1 & 2 (S2 Eps20-21): The stars aligned and came together for this one. The creme de le creme of bounty hunters from all around came together for this awesomely, over the top, cross country race to win the $1 million purse. Reno, Bobby, & Chey, have to put their bounty hunting skills to the test, as they compete with the likes of Lindsey Ginter, Robert LaSardo, Jaime Cardiche and old school legend LQ Jones, who looked like he stepped right out of the old west. They are all in pursuit of a supposed traitorous executive, played by the beautiful Elizabeth Gracen. Mitchel Ryan guests as well, as a different character than he was in the season 1 finale.
- “Dutch on the Run” (S3 Ep1): The season 3 premiere is a very important episode that delves deep into the rivalry between Reno & Stephen J Cannell’s Dutch Dixon – the man who is responsible for having Reno’s fiancée killed and framing him for the murder of another cop. If you didn’t know the series ran longer than this while watching in its initial run, this has the high stakes, coming to a head feel for sure. The dialog between Reno & Dutch are scenes that we have really been waiting for, up to that point. Here, Dutch is the one on the run, for the murder of his partner. Or is it a trap?
- “Hitman” (S3 Finale): This is an epic showdown of an episode that introduces Michael Des Barres’ character as a dying hitman. You initially think Reno is in his crosshairs, until he has the most interesting and tempting proposal for Reno – he wants him to carry the torch of his ‘business’ and makes all the prep work for Reno to kill his arch enemy – Dutch Dixon. Very interesting, moral dilemma episode. Similar to being Murdoc in MacGyver, here Des Barres gives a memorable performance as the dying triggerman.
- “Another Place and Time” (S4 Ep10): Although she did appear still a little bit after, I see this episode as the ‘swan song’ for Kathleen Kinmont’s Cheyenne. Reno & Chey go undercover as newlyweds to take down a family of mobsters. This leads to what has been teased for the entire series up to that point, they finally express their true feelings towards each other. The two had an obvious connection on the show, what probably made it seem so real, is that they were married in real life, too. It’s a shame what happened off screen, but on screen, Reno & Cheyenne were IT. Guests of the episode included Sugar Ray Leonard, Bobbie Jean Brown, Richard Steinmetz, & John D’Aquino.
- “The Road Not Taken” (S4 Finale): A really clever, and unique episode. Obviously taking a page from It’s a Wonderful Life. Through an odd turn of events, Reno gets to experience what life would be like, if he had gotten killed, instead of his fiancée, Val. Everything and everyone is different, seemingly an alternative universe, as Bobby is now a “bad guy”, answering to the man himself, Donald Dutch Dixon. Perhaps the coolest part of this episode, is the fugitive Reno was initially after, becomes his ‘tour guide’, so to speak… played by none other than Johnny Cash.
- “No Balls and Two Strikes” (S5 Ep1): This kinda serves as a ‘new era’ for the show. Cheyenne out of the picture and while you can’t really replace her… I did like the new addition to the show – Sandra Dee Robinson as Sandy Carruthers. Her vibrant, upbeat, doesn’t take no for an answer character, aspires to be a bounty hunter. She even took Bobby’s video course on how to do just that. This episode is good fun, feels fresh, and shows that Renegade still had a lot of life in it, as it set the table for the final season run.
