September 18, 2002 (2002-09-18) – April 25, 2003 (2003-04-25)
Fastlane is an American action/crime drama television series that was broadcast on Fox from September 18, 2002 to April 25, 2003. On August 14, 2005, G4 began rebroadcasting the complete series.[1]
Plot summary
Van Ray and Deaqon Hayes are two mismatched cops teamed together by shady police lieutenant, Wilhelmina "Billie" Chambers, in a secretive undercover division of the Los Angeles Police Department. Operating with the motto "Everything we seize, we keep. Everything we keep, we use," their base of operations is the "Candy Store" — a warehouse containing a fortune in confiscated cars, clothes, weapons and everything else needed to blend into the seedy criminal underworld of Los Angeles. Given criminal covers, the officers use all of the resources at their disposal to apprehend dangerous criminals while walking the line between cop and criminal.
After Deaq's brother's death, Billie partners Van with him to work on catching Deaq's brother's murderer. Meanwhile, Van seems to be interested in the murderer's fence, Cassidy Shaw.
Guest stars: Craig Sheffer, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Jennifer Sky, Paul Gleason, John Doe, Big Boy, and Issac Hayes
After taking a 1968 Mustang for a ride, Van and Deaq run into a group of three female jewel thieves. Billie subsequently puts them on the case after they convince her they can do the job better than RHD can.
Guest stars: Abby Brammell, Tangi Miller, Tatyana Ali, Big Boy, Courtney Gains, Michael Cudlitz, and Antonio Fargas
Billie assigns the duo to take on a brother-sister team of arms dealing Russian mobsters. After getting their cover almost blown by an ATF agent, Billie wants them to find out whether he's dirty or not.
Guest stars: Rod Rowland, Ilia Volok, Natasha Alam, Levani, Lamont Johnson, and the Red Elvises
4
"Things Done Changed"
Josh Pate
Salvatore J. Stabile
November 6, 2002 (2002-11-06)
175755
Deaq's ex-girlfriend contacts him to get him to help her get rid of her husband. As it turns out, her husband is a known criminal and Billie decides to let them go undercover anyway to get him off the streets.
Guest stars: Terrence Howard, Tammy Townsend, Robert LaSardo, Dex Elliott Sanders, Jeff Philips, and Big Boy
Billie forcefully assigns the boys to go after an Ecstasy dealer for no apparent reason. As the case unfolds, it's revealed Billie is a former heroin addict, and that the Ecstasy dealer was her provider of said heroin.
Guest stars: Bill Duke, Salvator Xuereb, Big Boy, and Biz Markie
When the contracted murder of club owner/thug, Wisdom Bailey, goes awry, Billie sends in Van to find out if a suspected hit woman, Sophia Jones, is the woman who tried killing him.
Billie's best friend, Alexa Tan, receives help from Van and Deaq to take down Chinese Triad leader, Jackson Yu. Deaq and Alexa, however, seem to be more interested in each other rather than the case itself.
After several prostitutes go missing, Van and Deaq are sent in after a murderous pimp, Nathan, to make sure it never happens again. Everything goes wrong when one of the prostitutes they're using to get in with Nathan turns out to be dating a federal prosecutor, and Nathan wants her dead.
Guest stars: Pras, Bill Duke, Bianca Kajlich, and Channon Roe
After busting one of Billie's former snitches, the snitch opts to let them take out the "Circle Gang" he's part of and their marijuana dealing schemes. But the snitch seems to have his own scheme in mind, instead.
Guest stars: John Asher, Eric Mabius, Nicole Paggi, Billy Rieck, and Big Boy
With several rich people's houses being recently robbed, Billie sends in Van and Deaq to take down the girls behind the burglaries, only to discover they are lesbians. Instead, Billie opts to go undercover with Van as a lesbian coming out of a marriage to a criminal.
Guest stars: Jaime Pressly, Colleen Porch, Danny Murphy, Paul Ben-Victor, and Big Boy
The entire team helps rookie officer, Jarod, solve his first case against blackmailers who may be involved in the suicide of Jarod's friend.
Guest stars: Mark Famiglietti, Hudson Leick, Bradford Tatum, and Jake Busey
13
"Defense (Part 1)"
Marcos Siega
Josh Appelbaum & Andre Nemec
January 31, 2003 (2003-01-31)
175763
The team begins a case against a cop killer known as "Cyrus One", only to discover his tribe is involved in far more than that. Internal Affairs officer, Roland Hill, seeks out Billie to tell her she, Van and Deaq are being watched closely. The episode ends with a cliffhanger.
Guest stars: Jay Mohr, Treach, Krista Allen, and Ricky Harris
14
"Offense (Part 2)"
Sanford Bookstaver
John McNamara
February 7, 2003 (2003-02-07)
175764
The cliffhanger is resolved, Billie gets sentenced to jail for the murder of Cyrus by an agent on the inside, Skylar Case. Internal Affairs gives Van and Deaq 72 hours to solve the case and find out if she's dirty, without use of the Candy Store.
Guest stars: Bill Duke, Jay Mohr, Krista Allen, Ricky Harris, Andy Umberger, Mark Famiglietti, and Big Boy
Van's father is released from prison and as far as Van can see, he's no longer interested in the life of crime. Until Nigerian criminals attempt to kill him, then Billie wants him to go under with Van and Deaq to settle it by giving the crime boss savings bonds of enormous amounts, which will result in the boss's arrest.
Guest stars: Robert Forster, Jenny McCarthy, and Evan Dexter Parke
16
"Slippery Slope"
Guy Bee
Kim Newton & Case Krell
March 7, 2003 (2003-03-07)
175767
Cassidy Shaw, who was let go at the end of the pilot, has been scamming and conning her way across the country and Billie puts Van and Deaq up to the challenge to get her. Many things go wrong, even so much as criminals contracted by Cassidy's boyfriend's boss trying to kill her. Eventually, Sophia Jones (from the episode "Wet", who escaped prison in the end) is one of the contract killers.
Guest stars: Jamie Brown, Jennifer Sky, Costas Mandylor, Ned Schmidtke, and Robert Lipton
17
"Simone Says"
Paris Barclay
Alexandra Cunningham
March 14, 2003 (2003-03-14)
175766
A former arms dealer recently gone straight is worried about his own safety and the safety of his teenage daughter, Simone. After realizing its best for her to know that she's being protected, he decides to let Van and Deaq guard her in public.
Guest stars: Bill Duke, Mischa Barton, Don McManus, Timothy V. Murphy, and Mark Sheppard
A gang banger's brother is murdered and Aquarius wants Van and Deaq to find the murderer and promises no gang related crimes will result from finding the man, who ends up being a rich white guy who runs a modeling agency with his wife.
Guest stars: Sam Ball, Lobo Sebastian, Rebecca Mader, Darren Kennedy, and Big Boy
Van and Deaq are sent after worldwide arms dealers who ship the weapons from Los Angeles to many international cities. Once their initial bust in Morocco goes awry, they discover the guns were stored in crates containing CD's from one label and they assume he, or someone working with him, is behind the distribution.
Guest stars: Vondie Curtis-Hall, Bokeem Woodbine, Roweena King, David Chism, Joan Pringle, Clarence Williams III, and Big Boy
Cameo appearance: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. as himself
20
"Asslane"
David Barrett
Josh Appelbaum
April 4, 2003 (2003-04-04)
175769
Billie splits the team up for their latest assignment against a bimonthly meth deal called "The Summit" that goes down between two parties. Deaq goes after Murdoch and Ghost Goucher, the producers, as a dirt bike loving, meth smoking criminal. Van goes after the distributor, Lena Savage, a porn producer, as a porn star agent. Billie joins Van in the case as a porn star. Internal Affairs officer, Roland Hill, requests Billie sends in her old friend and informant, Nat Raiden, to help die mark the meth produced.
Guest stars: Naomi Campbell, Tommy Lee, Navi Rawat, Scott William Winters, and Jay Mohr
After going on a date with his hotel clerk, Hillary, Van gets poisoned by an unknown man who calls him offering Van the antidote in exchange for breaking out a prisoner. During the cliffhanger, Billie discovers clues that lead her to think the blackmailer is her former protege.
Guest stars: Ali Landry, Hal Ozsan, Darren Richardson, Kurupt, Clarence Williams III, and Big Boy
22
"Iced (Part 2)"
Sanford Bookstaver
John McNamara
April 25, 2003 (2003-04-25)
175771
Billie's former protege is revealed to be the blackmailer all along, apparently looking for revenge against her. He requests this time that they rob a bank in exchange for him giving up the names of the families he's poisoned with the same drug Van was poisoned with. The episode ends with an unresolved cliffhanger.
Guest stars: Jay Mohr, Bill Duke, Ali Landry, Gina Tognoni, and Kirk Acevedo
Home media
Warner Home Video released Fastlane: The Complete Series on DVD as a six disc set on July 8, 2008 in the Region 1. The soundtrack was significantly altered for the DVD release due to licensing issues.[4] Episodes are cropped to be in the 4:3 format rather than the 16:9 widescreen format as they initially appeared on television.
References
^"Fastlane". G4TV. Archived from the original on March 14, 2006. Retrieved October 18, 2021.