While the series was still on the air, Schneider had begun building his singing career which included appearing on CBS' "A Country Christmas" in 1981 and headlining his own special in 1983, also for CBS. He frequently hosted or appeared on the annual Academy of Country Music Awards but it was not until 1990 that Schneider had a shot at another TV series. This time, he played a bounty hunter teamed with a mismatched Paul Rodriguez in the short-lived "Grand Slam" (CBS, 1990). Schneider appeared as Larry Lamont on the ABC daytime drama "Loving" before trying primetime again first on the failed "Second Chances" (CBS, 1994) and then with the syndicated "Heaven Help Us", a 1994 effort that teamed him with Melinda Clarke as a married couple who died soon after their wedding and became apprentice angels. From 1997 to its cancellation in 1998, Schneider made appearances on "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman", as Red McCall, a thief and father.
The actor has kept busy in television-movies, beginning with "Dream House" (CBS, 1981) and co-starred in the small screen remake of "Stagecoach" (CBS, 1986). He had the title role as wilderness hero "Wild Jack" in a three-part "The Magical World of Disney" (NBC, 1989), then played Davy Crockett in "James Michener's 'Texas'" (ABC, 1995). Schneider has also appeared in numerous features, although most of were of the low-budget variety that have either played only rural areas where Schneider's following is strongest or gone straight to video. He co-starred in "The Curse" (1987), playing a man in Tennessee who goes crazy after his food supply is contaminated by a meteor. He could also be seen in the more mainstream Hollywood "Exit to Eden" (1994). A born-again Christian who often sings on religious and country-oriented shows, Schneider has also worked on stage in musicals. He replaced Rex Smith as the dashing, thieving Baron in the Broadway musical "Grand Hotel" in 1991 and has toured in a number of other productions such as "Brigadoon.”
In 1995, Schneider founded FaithWorks Productions to produce family-oriented recordings and videos. Meanwhile, he continued struggling to find work outside the confines of his “Dukes” persona. He starred in the Family Channels’s “Night of the Twisters” (1996), the true story of a family brought together while struggling to survive a night of deadly tornados. After starring in the made-for-television western “The Legend of Ruby Silver” (ABC, 1996) and appearing in an episode of “Diagnosis Murder” (CBS, 1993-2001), Schneider joined his former cast mates for “Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion” (CBS, 1997), then played General Sam Houston in “True Women” (CBS, 1997), a miniseries focusing on the women who helped settle Texas in the mid-19th century. In 1997, Schneider joined the cast of “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” (CBS, 1992-1997) in what became the show’s last season, playing the town’s sheriff and potential love interest for Dr. Mike (Jane Seymour).
An episode of “JAG” (NBC, 1995-2005) was followed up with a return to “Diagnosis Murder” as a different character, then a few episodes on the once-popular sitcom, “Veronica’s Closet” (NBC, 1997-2000). After playing Michael Landon, Sr. in the biopic “Michael Landon, The Father I Knew” (CBS, 199), he appeared as an asylum clerk in reenactment scenes for the documentary “Wisconsin Death Trip” (1999) prior to returning to features to play an unknowledgeable weatherman in “Snow Day” (2000). Thanks to high ratings from the first Dukes reunion, a second—and less auspicious—movie-of-the-week, “The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood” (CBS)—aired in May 2000 to less fanfare. A role in a two-part “Touched by an Angel” (CBS, 1994-2003) was followed by a regular series role as the adoptive father of a 15-year-old Clark Kent (Tom Welling) in the popular “Smallville” (WB, 2001- ). At first Schneider was unimpressed with the idea of another Superman—he felt it had been done to death. But after reading the script, he was eager to jump on board. The show was an immediate hit and helped mature Schneider’s career past the adolescence of “Dukes.” Meanwhile, he landed a starring role in the independently-made “Blood Pressure” (lensed 2006), a thriller about a teenage girl abducted by the charismatic leader of a small-town cult whose bizarre rituals lead to a series of unexplained murders.