Jake and the Fatman was a CBS network crime drama series created by Dean Hargrove Joel Steiger & Ann Doherty.
The show aired from September 26, 1987 to May 6, 1992, lasting for five seasons & 106 episodes.
It also spawned the spin-off series "Diagnosis: Murder" which aired from 1993 to 2001.
Plot[]
The series centered on J.L. McCabe (also known as "Fatman") a tough Hawaii-born, former police officer turned district attorney in Los Angeles, California, who is partnered up with Jake Styles, a handsome, happy-go-lucky special investigator, who goes undercover to help get Fatman the evidence he needs.
Cast[]
- William Conrad as District Attorney J. L. "Fatman" McCabe
- Joe Penny as Detective Jake Styles
- Alan Campbell as Assistant District Attorney Derek Mitchell
Production[]
Development[]
William Conrad guest starred as an aging prosecutor in a two-part episode of "Matlock" during its first season on NBC.
Executive producers Fred Silverman and Dean Hargrove decided to use this character as a model for one of the main characters in a new show they were creating for CBS. Penny also guest starred in these episodes, but his character was not on the same side as Conrad's character in the storyline's legal case.
Following the departure of Hargrove, executive producers David Moessinger and Jeri Taylor were brought on to run the series with Silverman. They also hired J. Michael Straczynski as story editor and, later, co-producer. Taylor and Moessinger ran the show for two years before finally leaving in a dispute over control over the show.
Controversy[]
Joe Penny lost a large amount of weight after the show moved to Hawaii, which led to many rumors about his health, including the possibility that he had AIDS. In actuality, he had suffered from a gastrointestinal virus and was having difficulty regaining the weight he lost.
When the show moved back to Los Angeles, it was also suspected that it was on Penny's urging; this was also not true, as the move was CBS's decision.