‘Renegade,’ A Show About A Cop Who Teams With A Native American Bounty Killer, Might Be The Greatest Show Ever

In his lengthy, occasionally lauded career, crime drama pro Stephen J. Cannell created The Rockford Files, Baretta, The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, Silk Stalkings, 21 Jump Street, and best of all, Renegade. Imagine if Cordell Walker had Jax Teller’s baby, and you’ve got *in hushed tone* Reno “Renegade” Raines.

It’s about a cop (played by Lorenzo “My Playmate Ex-Wife Slept With My 18-Year-Old Son” Lamas) who was framed…FOR A MURDER HE DIDN’T COMMIT. So, he goes on the run “prowling the badlands, an outlaw hunting outlaws,” according to the episode-opening voiceover, with a Native American bounty killer named Bobby Sixkiller and his sister, Cheyenne. Renegade ran for five seasons from 1992-1997. It’s easy to see why.

There are about a million things I love in that video, but three in particular:

1. The slow motion “AHHHHHH.”

2. Renegade kicking a hole through the, um, brick wall, even though there’s clearly enough room for him to get out already. So wasteful, but he doesn’t care — he’s a…Renegade.

3. The tanktop-wearing prisoner’s song about freedom being a “state of mind,” man. Also, there’s an episode of the show titled “Sex, Lies, and Activewear.” That’s just wonderful.

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