Jake and the Fatman (1987–1992)

1. S01E01Happy Days Are Here AgainSeptember 26, 1987—Senator candidate Kyle Williams' lover is killed after she threatens to reveal their affair. His speechwriter admits to him that he was the
2. S01E02Fatal Attraction (1)September 29, 1987—Carson Warfield is having an affair with his stepmother, and together they kill his father and frame a thief who used to work for them. When
3. S01E03Fatal Attraction (2)September 29, 1987—Carson Warfield is having an affair with his stepmother, and together they kill his father and frame a thief who used to work for them. When
4. S01E04LauraOctober 6, 1987—Jake's former partner is killed by his fiancée in an alley. She blames the murder on a Latin kid she saw stealing a VCR just before she pul
5. S01E05The Man That Got AwayOctober 13, 1987—A wealthy lawyer kills his ex-wife's new man and frames her for the murder. She is arrested, and he takes the job of being her lawyer.
6. S01E06Love for SaleOctober 20, 1987—A call girl discovers that her pimp uses her to smuggle drugs. She contacts McCabe, but is killed just as they meet.
7. S01E07Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?October 27, 1987—For some time David Thompson has gone out and killed bums, so that the police believe a serial killer is loose. Then when he lures his broth
8. S01E08Body and SoulNovember 3, 1987—""Mad"" Marvin Michaels, the owner of an electronics store, is killed, and ex-con Bradford Long is the main suspect. McCabe assigns the case
9. S01E09The Man I LoveNovember 10, 1987—Glen Latimer pushes his newly married rich wife Nancy of their boat, but she survives and is brought to a hospital. She is unsure if it was
10. S01E10Love Me Or Leave MeNovember 17, 1987—Ed Galvin escapes while he is being transported to prison, after threatening the life of McCabe and Andy Harmon (the cop who arrested him) d
11. S01E11Smoke Gets in Your EyesDecember 1, 1987—A burglar kills a woman and blinds her nurse before fleeing. The police catch him, but have to let him go because the nurse can't identify h
12. S01E12Have Yourself a Merry Little ChristmasDecember 8, 1987—One of the deputy DAs finally gets her first murder case when a man she was investigating for skipping alimony payments turns up dead.
13. S01E13Season's bestAfter You've GoneJanuary 5, 1988 10.0Jake spots the hit man Sagittarius at the airport and follows him, but he spots Jake and is fatally wounded in the following gunfight. Jake
14. S01E14It Had to Be YouJanuary 12, 1988 10.0Leslie Randall, a former PR manager for McCabe is raped. The rapist, a psychiatrist, frames one of his patients with an anonymous tip to the
15. S01E15But Not for MeJanuary 19, 1988 10.0A known mob man is killed in the home of star reporter Candace Morgan. She says he was shot through the window while she was interviewing hi
16. S01E16What Is This Thing Called Love?January 26, 1988 10.0A man takes a courtroom hostage - with Derek and McCabe in it.
17. S01E17Lady, Be GoodFebruary 2, 1988 10.0A friend of McCabe is murdered just as he is about to fake his own death so his wife can collect a 4.5 million-dollar life insurance.
18. S01E18I'll Be Seeing YouFebruary 16, 1988 10.0A small time crook comes to McCabe offering to testify against the crime boss O'Rourke, after laying low for ten years. McCabe is suspicious
19. S01E19BabyfaceFebruary 23, 1988 10.0The daughter of the wealthy Amos Banning arranges her own kidnapping, and murders her accomplice once she has the ransom.
20. S01E20Blues in the NightMarch 16, 1988—Jennifer Wilding gets a surprise when her identical twin sister turns up wanting to resume their previous partnership - one steals jewelry a
21. S01E21How Long Has This Thing Been Going On?March 23, 1988—A friend of Jake, Matthew Hammond, is having an affair with a rich lady. They decide to marry, but when she asks her husband for a divorce,
22. S01E22I Guess I'll Have to Change My PlansMarch 30, 1988—A former cop who is now a crime writer commits a clever murder so that he can write a book about it that is likely to become a best seller.
23. S01E23Rhapsody in BlueApril 6, 1988 10.0Ned Covington and his wife plan to kill his boss, Phil Duncan, when he is passed over for promotion, but they kill another employee by mista

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

1. S02E01Season's bestWish You Were Here (1)March 15, 1989 10.0Jake goes to Hawaii to visit a longtime friend, John Graney, but finds him dead when he arrives. Meanwhile McCabe resigns his position as di
2. S02E02Wish You Were Here (2)March 15, 1989—Jake continues trying to find Graney's murderer, now while under suspicion of John's partner's murder.
3. S02E03I'll Never Smile AgainMarch 22, 1989—A tourist tries to stop a mugging, but he is grabbed from behind and the mugger stabs him. When the police arrive, the tourist is still aliv
4. S02E04Bewitched, Bothered and BewilderedApril 5, 1989 10.0Jake investigates a robbery of a transportation company, and gets involved with its owner.
5. S02E05Why Can't You Behave?April 12, 1989 10.0A friend of McCabe, senator Brandauer, is killed in a plane crash, and investigation reveals it was no accident. The plane had substandard p
6. S02E06Poor ButterflyApril 19, 1989 10.0Jake goes after a pimp, who killed a prostitute who was to testify against him.
7. S02E07It Ain't Necessarily SoApril 26, 1989 10.0A burglar surprises Wallace Cogan, a publisher of adult magazines, and his wife Marina when they are returning home from a holiday. He kills
8. S02E08Someone to Watch Over MeMay 3, 1989 10.0A young woman is found dead on the beach from a drug overdose. The immediate suspect is her ex-boyfriend, Sonny, so Jake goes pick him up fo
9. S02E09They Can't Take That Away from MeMay 10, 1989 10.0Jake and two friends participate in a drug bust that goes sour. The next day those friends are found dead - killed by a shotgun blast while
10. S02E10Side by SideMay 17, 1989 10.0McCabe and the son of a friend go fishing, and discover a bomb on the their boat. Unable to disarm it they jump in the sea and swim to a nea
11. S02E11SnowfallMay 24, 1989 10.0The Secret Service gets help from Jake in catching a money counterfeiter, who trades his product for cocaine. It becomes personal for Jake w

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

1. S03E01Season's bestI Only Have Eyes for YouSeptember 20, 1989 10.0A newly released convict starts terrorizing the woman who witnessed against him. She goes to McCabe for help, who was prosecutor who put him
2. S03E02The Lady in RedSeptember 27, 1989—Ed Delaney, an ex-cop and an old friend of McCabe, is killed when he comes close to solving ""The Lady in Red"" Murder - a 20-year-old unsol
3. S03E03Easy to LoveOctober 4, 1989 10.0Jake and Stg. Danoho (a LAPD cop) are transporting a prisoner to Los Angeles, when the prisoner escapes and Danoho is killed. Danoho's partn
4. S03E04The Way You Look TonightOctober 11, 1989 10.0A young lady is acquitted for killing her mother, and wants to hire Jake privately to find the killer. Jake turns it down because he's on hi
5. S03E05Dancing in the DarkOctober 25, 1989 10.0A cat burglar robs a hotel while McCabe is hosting a district attorney convention there. The immediate suspect is Harry McGuinn, a recently
6. S03E06It All Depends on YouNovember 1, 1989 10.0Derek gets his first case - a drunk driver who assaulted a police officer. But the driver is a powerful man, and suddenly Derek's main witne
7. S03E07Out of NowhereNovember 8, 1989—Jake and the FBI go after Victor Potemkin, a suspected drug smuggler. But when they raid his house they find no drugs, but Jake finds someon
8. S03E08Sweet LeilaniNovember 15, 1989—An unknown girl washes up on a beach murdered, and a friend of McCabe, the newspaper columnist Leilani Simons, takes an unusual interest in
9. S03E09My Shining HourNovember 29, 1989 10.0Jake helps out the actor, Tom Cody, who played his childhood idol - the Skyhawk. Tom has been reduced to an alcoholized, broke veteran plane
10. S03E10Long Ago and Far AwayDecember 6, 1989 10.0Judge Smithwood starts receiving death threats after sentencing a young man to 20 years for rape. And a mysterious man in an army captain un
11. S03E11What Child is This?December 13, 1989 10.0It's Christmas, and pregnant young lady is on the run from two mobsters. Gertrude makes a surprise visit to McCabe, and helps with the Chris
12. S03E12In the Still of the NightJanuary 3, 1990—Derek gets Jake to look into things, when the sister of a good friend is arrested for possession of drugs. She says they were planted by her
13. S03E13You Turned the Tables on MeJanuary 10, 1990—After several failed raids on mafia boss Everett Ashford, it appears the PA's office has a leak. Evidence starts to point to Leigh Perry, a
14. S03E14One More for the RoadJanuary 17, 1990—Derek collides with a pedestrian on his way home from a beach party. When the man dies, Derek is charged with manslaughter.
15. S03E15Who's Sorry Now?January 31, 1990—Nick Voss, a wanted criminal whose brother is about to be executed, kidnaps McCabe. Voss demands that his brother is released, or McCabe wil
16. S03E16I'll Dance at Your WeddingFebruary 7, 1990—Jake travels to Los Angeles to attend his sister's wedding. The groom has a shady past, but he swears it's all behind him. But then, why is
17. S03E17My BuddyFebruary 14, 1990—Jake catches a young girl picking his pocket. He tries to help her home, but she is very uncooperative. Meanwhile McCabe has problems with a
18. S03E18By MyselfFebruary 28, 1990—A rapist is loose, attacking single women in their homes. Meanwhile McCabe takes Max to the ""Happy Dogs"" class.
19. S03E19I Ain't Got No BodyMarch 7, 1990—A woman disappears when looking into her mother's death at a health resort. Jake and LA cop Karen Stetson go undercover at the resort, posin
20. S03E20Put Your Dreams AwayMarch 14, 1990—Jake is undercover on a plane transporting drugs, when his real identity is discovered. The pilot fatally wounds him, and jump out with the
21. S03E21If I Didn't CareMarch 28, 1990—Jake gets a visit from an old classmate with a heavy obligation - he must kill Jake Styles.
22. S03E22You're Driving Me CrazyApril 4, 1990—McCabe prosecutes a man for murdering his wife, when the man's story about them being assaulted by gang members doesn't check out.
23. S03E23You Took Advantage of MeApril 25, 1990—Dr. Carmichael is charged with murdering his wife, but is given an alibi by her secretary. McCabe smells a rat and sends Jake undercover - g
24. S03E24My Heart Belongs to DaddyMay 2, 1990—Jake and Derek negotiates with a slightly paranoid man who has evidence against a crocked oil company, while McCabe gets a visit from a youn
25. S03E25Danny BoyMay 9, 1990—When a gang marks him for death, Daniel joins a group about to escape from the prison. To insure his cooperation the escapees frame him for
26. S03E26Chinatown, My ChinatownMay 16, 1990—Jake investigates the murder of a journalist working in Chinatown. He gets help from Chinatown cop Tommy Min Tang, the son of the local godf

Season 3 ranked & reviewed

1. S04E01God Bless the ChildSeptember 12, 1990—Two siblings kill their parents when their father threatens to remove them from the will.
2. S04E02The Tender TrapSeptember 19, 1990—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 d
3. S04E03Exactly Like YouSeptember 26, 1990—A friend of McCabe is killed execution style. A witness identifies Lyle Wicks as the murderer, and Wicks confesses. But several parts of his
4. S04E04'Round MidnightOctober 3, 1990—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 a
5. S04E05Only YouOctober 24, 1990—Jake goes under cover investigating industrial espionage, trying to find the top man. Things get complicated when an acquaintance for LA com
6. S04E06My Boy BillOctober 31, 1990—A deputy PA is blackmailed into losing a case by kidnappers that have her son.
7. S04E07More Than You KnowNovember 7, 1990—Jake investigates a serial killer that leaves an orchid on all his victims, while McCabe gets his biography written.
8. S04E08Night and DayNovember 14, 1990—Jake and private investigator Casey Quinn go after her husband's murderer - suspected smuggler Peter LaMotta.
9. S04E09Goodbye (1)November 28, 1990—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
10. S04E10Goodbye (2)November 28, 1990—Jake is in LA and has to clear himself of murder charges.
11. S04E11I Know That You KnowDecember 12, 1990—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 murd
12. S04E12Let's Call the Whole Thing OffJanuary 2, 1991—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
13. S04E13I May Be WrongJanuary 9, 1991—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
14. S04E14Daddy's HomeFebruary 6, 1991—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
15. S04E15I'm Gonna Live Till I DieFebruary 13, 1991—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'
16. S04E16Pretty BabyFebruary 27, 1991—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 t
17. S04E17I Cover the WaterfrontMarch 6, 1991—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 alcoho
18. S04E18You Don't Know MeMarch 13, 1991—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
19. S04E19It Never Entered My MindMarch 20, 1991—Dr. Sloan is charged with murdering hospital director Havilland, who was investigating him and two other doctors.
20. S04E20Second Time AroundApril 3, 1991—McCabe sees a man supposed to have been murdered 5 years ago, and has Jake look into it.
21. S04E21I'd Do AnythingApril 10, 1991—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 h
22. S04E22We'll Meet AgainApril 24, 1991—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 ge
23. S04E23It's a Sin to Tell a LieMay 1, 1991—A priest is having an affair with a woman half his age, and becomes the prime suspect when she is murdered.
24. S04E24NeverthelessMay 8, 1991—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

Season 4 ranked & reviewed

1. S05E01Where or When (1)September 18, 1991—PI Ed Delaney sees a man die and calls the police, but when they come for the body it is gone. He identifies the man as millionaire Richard
2. S05E02Where or When (2)September 25, 1991—Jake goes undercover as a middle man between Rose and a rebel army wanting to buy Rose's hi-tech rifles, while Delaney finds proof that Rose
3. S05E03Street of DreamsOctober 30, 1991—A young graffiti painter witnesses a murder and takes the victim's wallet. Jake finds him, but he refuses to talk, figuring that if he could
4. S05E04I'll Never Be the SameNovember 6, 1991—Jake kills a 14-year-old boy. He claims the boy had a gun and fired upon him, but no gun is found and the neighbors didn't hear anything.
5. S05E05I Could Write a BookNovember 13, 1991—A writer is just about to publish an incriminating book about his ex-wife, when he is found dead in his bathtub.
6. S05E06Two Different WorldsNovember 20, 1991—A woman follows a client of her sister's law firm, and sees him rob a store and kill the attendants. She confronts the man, and threatens to
7. S05E07Every Time We Say GoodbyeDecember 11, 1991—A friend of Neely's is killed by a heroin overdose, just as she was about to quit modeling. Neely goes undercover as a model to find out why
8. S05E08Come Along with MeDecember 18, 1991—Neely and Jake investigates a case where dead bodies are found with their livers surgically removed.
9. S05E09Last DanceJanuary 1, 1992—McCabe is prosecuting Mitchell Lazarus for murder and has just placed him at the scene, when another man steps forward claiming to be the mu
10. S05E10Come Closer to MeJanuary 8, 1992—A trio of high-class pickpockets gets in trouble when they pick a mafia hitman's pocket and get a piece of paper with his next target on it.
11. S05E11Since I Fell for YouJanuary 15, 1992—Derek is shocked when he finds out that a woman he loved didn't die in a plane crash 6 years ago.
12. S05E12Just You, Just MeJanuary 22, 1992—Jake helps out a shop owner who refuses to obey a local gang's order to close 3 hours early.
13. S05E13Stormy Weather (1)January 29, 1992—A porn producer is killed in a way quite similar to a murder 5 years ago for witch McCabe got a young boxer convicted. Jake investigates, an
14. S05E14Stormy Weather (2)February 5, 1992—Jake continues investigating the murders of Strobach and Blore, and evidence starts to point at Warren's old corner man Doug McKeown. But wh
15. S05E15You'll Never KnowFebruary 26, 1992—A doctor is murdered, and is discovered to have been making child pornography. The prime suspect is Elliot Edwards, a city council member wi
16. S05E16There'll Be Some Changes MadeMarch 11, 1992—A singer is planing to make a comeback after a year in drug rehab, when a stalker tries to kill her.
17. S05E17Pennies from HeavenMarch 18, 1992—Someone is giving out money to poor people or those who have done good deeds, using the name ""the good fairy"". But it turns out the faire'
18. S05E18I Can't Believe I'm Losing YouMarch 25, 1992—Jake's girlfriend Sherry is badly hurt by a car bomb, after Jake received a letter threatening to kill her for revenge against him. Devastat
19. S05E19All Through the NightApril 1, 1992—A psychiatrist who Neely helped put away 5 years ago stars harassing her after getting out of prison.
20. S05E20Ain't Misbehavin'April 8, 1992—Bondswoman Ethel Mae Haven has to track down a client who she posted a $1 million bail for.
21. S05E21NightmareApril 22, 1992—Jake teams up with top homicide cop Hank Goldman to catch a serial killer who strangles women from escort services.
22. S05E22Beautiful Dreamer (a.k.a. Mickey Daytona)May 6, 1992—Notorious New York cop Mickey Daytona pursues the legal counsel Thomas Chetwin suspecting him of rape. Jake, who is a friend of Mickey and h

Season 5 ranked & reviewed