LOS ANGELES -- Producers of Patrick Swayze's new cable-TV series sounded optimistic today, despite his latest health setback.

Swayze checked himself into a hospital this morning, to be treated for pneumonia, said Bob DeBitetto, president of the A&E network. That was on a day he had planned to talk to more than 100 reporters about "The Beast," which debuts Thursday on A&E.

"It's just, for him, another bump in the road," insisted producer Vincent Angell.

Swayze is being treated for pancreatic cancer; the pneumonia is a fairly standard side effect, DeBitetto said. "Chemo-theraphy can take a toll on your immune system."

Still, people insisted that this rarely affected him during the filming."He did it 12 hours a day, five days a week," said John Romano, the producer in charge of the show day-to-day.

The pilot film was finished in December of 2007, before Swayze had been diagnosed. The series got a go-ahead in January, said producer William Rotko; four hours later, Swayze told producers about the diagnosis.

After some meetings, the key forces — A&E and Sony — decided to go ahead, despite not having the usual insurance policy regarding a major illness to the star. "You've gotta applaud (them) for making the human decision," said Travis Fimmel, who co-stars.

The series is an old-cop, young-cop pairing. Swayze, 56, plays a tough FBI undercover agent, suspected of being corrupt; Fimmel, 29, plays his new partner.

Swayze insisted on keeping up with the physical demands, Fimmel said. "He's pretty much a country boy."

The first, 13-episode season had finished all of its filming by November. Producers insisted they're confident that Swayze will be ready for a second season.

Swayze is playing someone who carries personal pain and weariness, Romano said. "He's bringing the force of his own personal story into the performance."