The story begins in Houston, Texas in 1899, as Sheriff Jonathan Grail tried to round up the villainous four-man Pike Gang, of which he had once been a member.
After cornering the gang in a stormy Native American graveyard, a bolt of lightning struck all five men - transporting them 87 years forward in time to 1986.
The five men, now working as the "Double Eagle Detection Agency," helped right wrongs, protected the downtrodden, and fought off drug lords and gang leaders, all while continuing to operate with 19th-century weaponry, including revolvers and shotguns.
The series' final episode, in fact, featured a "flashback" scene from another television show, The Oregon Trail, in which Outlaws actors Rod Taylor and Charles Napier both starred.
After very high ratings for the series pilot, Outlaws aired its regular episodes on Saturday nights, where it struggled to find an audience.