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The Best Episodes of Jake and the Fatman

Every episode of Jake and the Fatman ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Jake and the Fatman!

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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

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Jake and the Fatman Season 1 Episode 13 - After You've Gone
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #1 - After You've Gone

    S1:E13

    Jake spots the hit man Sagittarius at the airport and follows him, but he spots Jake and is fatally wounded in the following gunfight. Jake takes his place to try to find out who the target was.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Paul Robert Coyle

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  2. Jake and the Fatman Season 1 Episode 14 - It Had to Be You
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #2 - It Had to Be You

    S1:E14

    Leslie Randall, a former PR manager for McCabe is raped. The rapist, a psychiatrist, frames one of his patients with an anonymous tip to the police.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Paul Robert Coyle

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  3. Jake and the Fatman Season 1 Episode 15 - But Not for Me
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #3 - But Not for Me

    S1:E15

    A 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 him, but McCabe gets suspicious when there is one too many bullets.

    Director:Michael Lange
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Jake and the Fatman Season 1 Episode 16 - What Is This Thing Called Love?
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #4 - What Is This Thing Called Love?

    S1:E16

    A man takes a courtroom hostage - with Derek and McCabe in it.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Jake and the Fatman Season 1 Episode 17 - Lady, Be Good
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #5 - Lady, Be Good

    S1:E17

    A 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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Jake and the Fatman Season 1 Episode 18 - I'll Be Seeing You
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #6 - I'll Be Seeing You

    S1:E18

    A small time crook comes to McCabe offering to testify against the crime boss O'Rourke, after laying low for ten years. McCabe is suspicious, but is more than willing to go along with anything that can get O'Rourke behind bars.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Jake and the Fatman

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  7. Jake and the Fatman Season 1 Episode 19 - Babyface
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #7 - Babyface

    S1:E19

    The daughter of the wealthy Amos Banning arranges her own kidnapping, and murders her accomplice once she has the ransom.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Dick Nelson

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  8. Jake and the Fatman Season 1 Episode 23 - Rhapsody in Blue
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #8 - Rhapsody in Blue

    S1:E23

    Ned Covington and his wife plan to kill his boss, Phil Duncan, when he is passed over for promotion, but they kill another employee by mistake. Realizing this they try to frame Duncan for the murder.

    Director:Michael Lange
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Jake and the Fatman Season 2 Episode 1 - Wish You Were Here (1)
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #9 - Wish You Were Here (1)

    S2:E1

    Jake goes to Hawaii to visit a longtime friend, John Graney, but finds him dead when he arrives. Meanwhile McCabe resigns his position as district attorney and decides to move to Hawaii.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Jake and the Fatman Season 2 Episode 4 - Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #10 - Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

    S2:E4

    Jake investigates a robbery of a transportation company, and gets involved with its owner.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Jake and the Fatman Season 2 Episode 5 - Why Can't You Behave?
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #11 - Why Can't You Behave?

    S2:E5

    A friend of McCabe, senator Brandauer, is killed in a plane crash, and investigation reveals it was no accident. The plane had substandard parts bought in a deal brokered by McCabe's son, Daniel.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Jake and the Fatman Season 2 Episode 6 - Poor Butterfly
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #12 - Poor Butterfly

    S2:E6

    Jake goes after a pimp, who killed a prostitute who was to testify against him.

    Director:Bernard L. Kowalski
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Jake and the Fatman Season 2 Episode 7 - It Ain't Necessarily So
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #13 - It Ain't Necessarily So

    S2:E7

    A burglar surprises Wallace Cogan, a publisher of adult magazines, and his wife Marina when they are returning home from a holiday. He kills Marina, but is wounded by Cogan before he gets away.

    Director:Bernard L. Kowalski
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Jake and the Fatman Season 2 Episode 8 - Someone to Watch Over Me
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #14 - Someone to Watch Over Me

    S2:E8

    A 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 for questioning. But a mysterious gunman is also interested in Sonny, and tries to kill him before Jake can get to him.

    Director:Bernard L. Kowalski
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Jake and the Fatman Season 2 Episode 9 - They Can't Take That Away from Me
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #15 - They Can't Take That Away from Me

    S2:E9

    Jake 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 they were in their car at the docks.

    Director:Don Medford
    Writer:Catherine Clinch

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  16. Jake and the Fatman Season 2 Episode 10 - Side by Side
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #16 - Side by Side

    S2:E10

    McCabe 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 nearby island. Meanwhile Jake and Derek presume they're dead, and go looking for the bomber.

    Director:Jackie Cooper
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Jake and the Fatman Season 2 Episode 11 - Snowfall
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #17 - Snowfall

    S2:E11

    The Secret Service gets help from Jake in catching a money counterfeiter, who trades his product for cocaine. It becomes personal for Jake when a friend is killed during a failed raid.

    Director:Jackie Cooper
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Jake and the Fatman Season 3 Episode 1 - I Only Have Eyes for You
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #18 - I Only Have Eyes for You

    S3:E1

    A newly released convict starts terrorizing the woman who witnessed against him. She goes to McCabe for help, who was prosecutor who put him in jail.

    Director:Chuck Bowman
    Writer:Paul Robert Coyle

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  19. Jake and the Fatman Season 3 Episode 3 - Easy to Love
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #19 - Easy to Love

    S3:E3

    Jake and Stg. Danoho (a LAPD cop) are transporting a prisoner to Los Angeles, when the prisoner escapes and Danoho is killed. Danoho's partner, Sgt. Walker, goes to Hawaii to assist in the investigation and it turns out there's bad blood between her and Jake.

    Director:Alexander Singer
    Writer:Fred McKnight

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  20. Jake and the Fatman Season 3 Episode 4 - The Way You Look Tonight
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #20 - The Way You Look Tonight

    S3:E4

    A 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 his way to a vacation, but then McCabe refuses to let him take any days off. So Jake quits his job and takes the assignment.

    Director:Leo Penn
    Writer:Jeri Taylor

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  21. Jake and the Fatman Season 3 Episode 5 - Dancing in the Dark
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #21 - Dancing in the Dark

    S3:E5

    A cat burglar robs a hotel while McCabe is hosting a district attorney convention there. The immediate suspect is Harry McGuinn, a recently released cat burglar. He insists that he is innocent, and tries to help Jake solve the robbery.

    Director:Chuck Bowman
    Writer:Steve Aspis

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  22. Jake and the Fatman Season 3 Episode 6 - It All Depends on You
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #22 - It All Depends on You

    S3:E6

    Derek gets his first case - a drunk driver who assaulted a police officer. But the driver is a powerful man, and suddenly Derek's main witness lies and the judge dismisses the case.

    Director:Michael Lange
    Writer:David Moessinger

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  23. Jake and the Fatman Season 3 Episode 9 - My Shining Hour
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #23 - My Shining Hour

    S3:E9

    Jake helps out the actor, Tom Cody, who played his childhood idol - the Skyhawk. Tom has been reduced to an alcoholized, broke veteran plane pilot, and no one believes him when he witnesses a murder.

    Director:Bernard L. Kowalski
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Jake and the Fatman Season 3 Episode 10 - Long Ago and Far Away
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #24 - Long Ago and Far Away

    S3:E10

    Judge Smithwood starts receiving death threats after sentencing a young man to 20 years for rape. And a mysterious man in an army captain uniform steals a high precision sniper rifle from a local military base.

    Director:Russ Mayberry
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Jake and the Fatman Season 3 Episode 11 - What Child is This?
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #25 - What Child is This?

    S3:E11

    It's Christmas, and pregnant young lady is on the run from two mobsters. Gertrude makes a surprise visit to McCabe, and helps with the Christmas celebration.

    Director:Reza Badiyi
    Writer:Jeri Taylor

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Best Episodes Summary

"After You've Gone" is the best rated episode of "Jake and the Fatman". It scored 10/10 based on 1 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Paul Robert Coyle, it aired on 1/5/1988. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "It Had to Be You".