# Jake and the Fatman (1987)

> A heavyset veteran prosecutor and a younger investigator team up to solve criminal cases in this 1980s network detective series.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/4301

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 106
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama, action
- Created by: Dean Hargrove, David Angell, Joel Steiger
- Network: CBS
- Cast: William Conrad, Joe Penny, Alan Campbell, Bert Remsen, Stu Nahan, Frederick Coffin, Dianne Kay, Tim Choate
- TMDB rating: 6.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092381/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: breezy, witty, gritty, warm

## What critics say

Viewers remember Jake and the Fatman as a light, family-friendly detective show with a darker edge than its predecessors, anchored by William Conrad's prosecutor role.

## Synopsis

Jake and the Fatman is a United States network crime drama that aired on CBS from 1987 to 1992 across five seasons. William Conrad plays J. L. McCabe, a heavyset veteran prosecutor whose courtroom experience gives him a patient, methodical approach to justice. He teams with Joe Penny's Jake Styles, a younger investigator whose restless, street-level energy contrasts with McCabe's deliberate temperament. Their partnership is the steady throughline of the series. Each episode centers on a self-contained case, unfolding through interviews, stakeouts, and courtroom confrontations that reach well beyond the courthouse. The rhythm is familiar and reassuring, with a warm affection for its lead pair and a sense of camaraderie that carries the viewer from one case to the next. Set in contemporary 1980s America, the show belongs to the network detective tradition alongside the sunnier capers of its peers, though it trades some of their breeziness for a grittier, more grounded edge. Its tone blends action, dry humor, and genuine investment in the characters, making it an easygoing, comforting watch for fans of classic television detective fare.

## Shows like Jake and the Fatman

- [Matt Houston (1982)](https://ember.film/tv/9627)
- [Simon & Simon (1981)](https://ember.film/tv/1993)
- [Dempsey and Makepeace (1985)](https://ember.film/tv/2094)
- [Riptide (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/4162)
- [The Streets of San Francisco (1972)](https://ember.film/tv/2342)
- [McCloud (1970)](https://ember.film/tv/9577)
- [McMillan & Wife (1971)](https://ember.film/tv/10092)
- [Barnaby Jones (1973)](https://ember.film/tv/554)
- [Mike Hammer (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/27266)
- [Crime Story (1986)](https://ember.film/tv/2820)

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