Episode 1
God Bless the Child
1h
Two siblings kill their parents when their father threatens to remove them from the will.
Episode credits
Guest stars Doug Savant, Richard Herd
TV series
Jake and the Fatman
1987NR5 seasons6.2 / 10
Jake and the Fatman is a television crime drama starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from 1987 to 1992. Diagnosis: Murder was a spin-off of this series.
Availability
Not streaming in United States
Checked Jul 22, 2026
Jake and the Fatman premiered September 26, 1987. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.
Synopsis
Jake and the Fatman is a television crime drama starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from 1987 to 1992. Diagnosis: Murder was a spin-off of this series.
Season 4 episodes
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Where to watch Jake and the Fatman
Episode 2
The Tender Trap
1h
Derek's uncle reveals he's about to get married. But Derek becomes suspicious because the bride is nearly half his uncle's age, and starts digging into her past.
Episode credits
Directed by Michael LangeWritten by Michele Val JeanGuest stars Kim Johnston Ulrich, Olga Russell, Mitchell Ryan
Episode 3
Exactly Like You
1h
A friend of McCabe is killed execution style. A witness identifies Lyle Wicks as the murderer, and Wicks confesses. But several parts of his confession don't add up, so Jake continues the investigation.
Episode credits
Guest stars Mary Cadorette, Bryan Cranston, Kerrie Keane, Olga Russell
Episode 4
'Round Midnight
1h
Jake isn't very happy when his friend's Porsche is taken at gunpoint. He tracks down the robber, but holds off when he finds the carjacker associating with an infamous jewel thief. So posing as an alarm cracker, Jake goes undercover to find what their target is.
Episode credits
Guest stars Reiner Schöne
Episode 5
Only You
1h
Jake goes under cover investigating industrial espionage, trying to find the top man. Things get complicated when an acquaintance for LA comes to visit.
Episode credits
Written by Carol SaracenoGuest stars Kevin Harrington, Jane Sibbett, Martin Sacks, Bonnie Burroughs
Episode 6
My Boy Bill
1h
A deputy PA is blackmailed into losing a case by kidnappers that have her son.
Episode credits
Directed by Reza BadiyiGuest stars Mary-Margaret Humes, Michael C. Gwynne, William Lucking, Stanley Kamel
Episode 7
More Than You Know
1h
Jake investigates a serial killer that leaves an orchid on all his victims, while McCabe gets his biography written.
Episode credits
Directed by Bernard L. KowalskiWritten by Paul Robert CoyleGuest stars Tobin Bell, Laura Johnson, Richard Hatch, George O'Hanlon, Jr., Olga Russell
Episode 8
Night and Day
1h
Jake and private investigator Casey Quinn go after her husband's murderer - suspected smuggler Peter LaMotta.
Episode credits
Directed by Michael LangeGuest stars Mark Rolston, Terri Garber
Episode 9
Goodbye (1)
1h
Jake gets in trouble with a group of crooked LA cops when he discovers a body in the water while fishing on Maui. They intercept Jake's call about the body, and hide it before dispatching someone to pick it up. Frustrated, Jake starts investigating the man who received his call about the body.
Episode credits
Directed by Bernard L. KowalskiWritten by J. Michael StraczynskiGuest stars Forry Smith, Bob Minor, Thomas Rosales Jr., Tony Todd, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Ed Nelson, Jeremy Roberts, Geoffrey Rivas
Episode 10
Goodbye (2)
1h
Jake is in LA and has to clear himself of murder charges.
Episode credits
Directed by Bernard L. KowalskiWritten by J. Michael StraczynskiGuest stars Forry Smith, Bob Minor, Thomas Rosales Jr., Tony Todd, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Ed Nelson, Jeremy Roberts, Geoffrey Rivas
Episode 11
I Know That You Know
1h
A woman is found murdered in her home after she surprised a burglar and triggered the alarm. The burglar is found and convicted for the murder, but McCabe thinks something is wrong and gets Jake to snoop around.
Episode credits
Directed by Russ MayberryGuest stars Erin Gray, Charles Frank, Diane McBain, Gerald Anthony, John Hostetter
Episode 12
Let's Call the Whole Thing Off
1h
McCabe is prosecuting Robert Burgess - a big crime boss, when his main witness is murdered on his way to court. Jake tracks down Burgess' ex-girlfriend, and has to bring her to court before the judge dismisses the case.
Episode credits
Guest stars David Groh, Jennifer Bassey, Jay Pickett, Kate Vernon, Olga Russell
Episode 13
I May Be Wrong
1h
A South African diplomat is killed by a car bomb with the mark of an extreme South African racist group know as ""the Order of Blood"" near by. South Africa sends a black cop to LA who immediately goes after Vanessa Kruger, the leader of a group allied with the Order.
Episode credits
Directed by Leo PennGuest stars Michael Preston, Clarence Williams III, Tony Todd, Antoinette Byron, Olga Russell
Episode 14
Daddy's Home
1h
Jake is at his niece's christening, when his long lost father suddenly appears - after being gone for 27 years. It turns out he's in trouble after stealing $50,000 from his former employer.
Episode credits
Directed by Bernard L. KowalskiGuest stars Anjanette Comer, Judson Scott, Harry Guardino, Mike Moroff, Michael Masters, Olga Russell
Episode 15
I'm Gonna Live Till I Die
1h
An accountant is witness to a murder, and is very keen on helping Jake out with the investigation. But a few days later he turns up at Jake's apartment wanting to report another murder - the murder of him...
Episode credits
Directed by Alexander SingerGuest stars Caryn Richman, David Paymer, Kimber Sissons, Min Lee, Olga Russell, Tim Rossovich, Wayne Tippit
Episode 16
Pretty Baby
1h
Cindy O'Malley, a friend of Jake's, is witness to a murder, but is spotted by the killer and he chases her and shoots her. McCabe & Co has to take care of her baby while they try to find her and the killer.
Episode credits
Guest stars Lenore Kasdorf, Suzanne Snyder, Jan D'Arcy, Casey Biggs, Nelson Mashita, Robert Pine
Episode 17
I Cover the Waterfront
1h
Derek gets a visit from a childhood friend who is trying to turn his life around. The next day he's found dead, filled with drugs and alcohol. The police believe he killed himself, but Derek refuses to accept it.
Episode credits
Directed by Harry HarrisGuest stars Roxann Dawson, Larry Gelman, Scott Marlowe, Jason Beghe, Bruce Wright, John Petlock
Episode 18
You Don't Know Me
1h
His wife and her lover Gregg Hatton remove Andrew Blane, a good friend of McCabe and head of Blane Electronics, from his position. The next day Hatton is killed in an explosion in his home.
Episode credits
Directed by Reza BadiyiWritten by Eric EstrinGuest stars Charles Dennis, Tony Todd, Robin Sachs, Katherine Cannon, Marcia Cross, Nicolas Coster, Carmen Zapata, Olga Russell
Episode 19
It Never Entered My Mind
1h
Dr. Sloan is charged with murdering hospital director Havilland, who was investigating him and two other doctors.
Episode credits
Directed by Bernard L. KowalskiGuest stars Sam Hennings, Elisabeth Brooks, Kristoff St. John, Carol Bruce, Steven Eckholdt, Ally Walker, Dick Van Dyke, Gregory Itzin
Episode 20
Second Time Around
1h
McCabe sees a man supposed to have been murdered 5 years ago, and has Jake look into it.
Episode credits
Directed by Michael LangeGuest stars Kristoffer Tabori, Kevin Kilner, Olga Russell
Episode 21
I'd Do Anything
1h
A psychiatrist is having an affair with a patient and her husband finds out and wants a divorce. So she manipulates her lover into killing him.
Episode credits
Guest stars Josh Lucas, Michael Durrell, Melinda Culea, George Cheung, Nelson Mashita, Olga Russell
Episode 22
We'll Meet Again
1h
McCabe is showing a school class around the courthouse, when a man dressed as clown tries to kill him with a shotgun. The man misses, but gets away. McCabe goes over past convictions to see witch of them might be the would-be assassin.
Episode credits
Directed by Bernard L. KowalskiGuest stars Robert Culp, Shay Astar, Catherine MacNeal, Olga Russell
Episode 23
It's a Sin to Tell a Lie
1h
A priest is having an affair with a woman half his age, and becomes the prime suspect when she is murdered.
Episode credits
Directed by Georg FenadyGuest stars Julie McCullough, Marilyn McIntyre, Elizabeth Gracen, Connie Sawyer, Joan McMurtrey, Olga Russell, Brendon Boone
Episode 24
Nevertheless
1hfinale
Todd Kurtin kills his wife in an alley, and makes it look like a mugger assaulted her. But the story doesn't convince McCabe, who prosecutes Kurtin - even though the case is weak.
Episode credits
Directed by Alexander SingerGuest stars Warren Burton, J. Downing, Jason Beghe, Lee Meriwether, Clifton Powell, Richard Burgi, Olga Russell
Episode information updated Jul 24, 2026
Available now in United States
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More about Jake and the Fatman
Cast
William ConradJason McCabe
Joe PennyJake Styles
Alan CampbellDerek Mitchell
Bert Remsen
Kurt Fuller
Kathryn Leigh Scott
Mary-Margaret Humes
Amy SteelCredits
- Created by
- Dean Hargrove, David Angell, Joel Steiger
- Written by
- Paul Robert Coyle, J. Michael Straczynski, Gerry Conway, Jeri Taylor, Carol Saraceno, David Moessinger, Michele Val Jean
Production details
- Status
- Ended
- Series type
- Scripted
- Episodes
- 106
- Original language
- English
Networks & production
CBSUnited States
Viacom ProductionsUnited States
Dean Hargrove ProductionsUnited States
Fred Silverman CompanyUnited States
Strathmore ProductionsUnited States
Themes
buddy copcrime investigationcriminalprivate investigator