Renegade was created by Stephen J. Cannell specifically to capitalize on the growing market for syndicated television series, which is why it never aired on a single American network.

Between 10 and 15 actors auditioned for the villain role of 'Dutch' Dixon before star Lorenzo Lamas suggested that creator Stephen J. Cannell play the part himself.

Lorenzo Lamas persuaded Cannell to cast his real-life wife Kathleen Kinmont as co-star Cheyenne Phillips, fearing that being separated during filming would harm their marriage.

Lamas and Kinmont divorced in 1993, and their working relationship reportedly worsened after Lamas had his new girlfriend Shauna Sand cast in a recurring role in 1995; Kinmont's character was eventually dropped from the series rather than recast.

The series was primarily filmed in San Diego, California, and its surrounding suburbs, drawing on star Lorenzo Lamas's real martial arts and motorcycle skills.

A large stock of stunt motorcycles was used as Reno Raines' Harley-Davidson, but one specific bike was kept polished and never driven, reserved solely for what Lamas called 'glamour shots'.

To pitch the show at a television convention, Cannell had director Ralph Hemecker create a promotional montage set to Bon Jovi's 'Wanted Dead or Alive'; this montage later became the opening title sequence, with the song replaced by an original theme composed by Mike Post and narration by Don LaFontaine.

Although Renegade earned good ratings, its first season was panned by critics, and even Cannell and Lamas were openly dissatisfied with the scripts, prompting the introduction of the recurring character Hound Adams in season two to give the plot more direction.

A full series finale was actually filmed in which Reno captures Dixon and is fully exonerated, but according to Lamas it was never aired or included in syndication because most episodes were written as standalone stories meant to be aired out of order, and a definitive conclusion would have discouraged buyers from doing so.

The season-two finale 'Carrick O'Quinn' served as a backdoor pilot for a potential spin-off series starring Don Michael Paul as a former police commando who accidentally blinded a judge, but the spin-off never materialized.