Dick Wolf, the man who gave us Law & Order and One Chicago, and New York Undercover, was also responsible for Swift Justice, which premiered on the then-UPN Network on March 13, 1996.
A mid-season replacement, the series starred the late James McCaffrey (Viper, Rescue Me, and the voice of Max Payne) as Mac Swift, a former NYPD cop who don’t negotiate with the bad guys – but always like options. On an undercover assignment, Swift fell in love with a call girl. But when she got killed, Mac went rogue and avenge her death. However, because he didn’t go by the book, Mac was kicked off the force, but now he was free to answer to no one.
A former Navy SEAL and computer expert, Mac sets up shop as a private detective: helping people who have nowhere to turn, nowhere to go. With the aid of his friend and former partner Randall Patterson (Gary Dourdan) and his beat cop father Michael (Len Cariou), he unleashed his own brand of justice: Swift Justice.
Called by Wolf as “Batman without the mask”, Swift Justice was also similar to The Equalizer (CBS, 1985-89). Sadly, the series only lasted 13 episodes.
James McCaffrey died late last year on December 17; he was 65 years old.