# List of Jake and the Fatman episodes

The following is a list of episodes for the American crime drama television series Jake and the Fatman, which ran on CBS for five seasons, from September 26, 1987, to May 6, 1992, with a total of 106 episodes produced.

## Series overview

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released | Originally released |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released | Network |
| Pilot | 2 | 2 | October 28, 1986 (1986-10-28) | November 4, 1986 (1986-11-04) | NBC |
| 1 | 23 | 23 | September 26, 1987 (1987-09-26) | April 6, 1988 (1988-04-06) | CBS |
| 2 | 11 | 11 | March 15, 1989 (1989-03-15) | May 24, 1989 (1989-05-24) | CBS |
| 3 | 26 | 26 | September 20, 1989 (1989-09-20) | May 16, 1990 (1990-05-16) | CBS |
| 4 | 24 | 24 | September 12, 1990 (1990-09-12) | May 8, 1991 (1991-05-08) | CBS |
| 5 | 22 | 22 | September 18, 1991 (1991-09-18) | May 6, 1992 (1992-05-06) | CBS |

## Episodes
### Pilot (Matlock season one episodes) (1986)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Rating/share (households) |
| 5 | 5 | "The Don: Part 1" | Nicholas Sgarro | Anne Collins | October 28, 1986 (1986-10-28) | 17.6/27 |
| Ben and Charlene take the controversial case of a Mafia don Nicholas Baron (José Ferrer) accused of murdering a business rival Donald Kovack (Charles Howerton); Charlene is attracted to the man's son, Paul Baron (Joe Penny). Other guest stars: Betty Lynn as Sarah (Ben's secretary), Johnny Silver as Eddie Alonzo, Joe Penny as Paul Baron, José Ferrer as Nicholas Baron, Doran Clark as Cathy Baron, Mark La Mura as Dr. Daniel Baron, William Conrad as D.A. James L. McShane (precursor to Jake and The Fatman), Alan Campbell as Palmer (James L. McShane's assistant), James McEachin as Lt. Frank Daniels, Joseph Hacker as Phillip Kovack, Claude Earl Jones as Mr. Henderson, Ron Karabatsos as Dave Christopher, Sheree North as Alice Jenkins, Dominic Oliver as Roy Vincient, Joan Roberts as Mrs. Kovack, Tom McCleister as a Metro Cop, Lucille Meredith as Judge Irene Sawyer |||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The Don: Part 2" | Leo Penn | Anne Collins Story by : Dean Hargrove & Joel Steiger | November 4, 1986 (1986-11-04) | 17.3/25 |
| Matlock continues to defend a mafia don (who investigates a suspect closer to home than the baron would want), while Charlene blows her chance at a relationship with Paul when she is unable to separate the man from the legend. Guest Stars: Joe Penny, José Ferrer, Doran Clark, Mark La Mura, William Conrad, Alan Campbell, James McEachin, Ron Karabatsos, Joan Roberts, Sheree North, and Arthur Adams as Mr. Johnson |||||||

### Season 1 (1987–88)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Rating/share (households) |
| 1 | 1 | "Happy Days Are Here Again" | E.W. Swackhamer | S : Mitch Paradise, Dean Hargrove, Joel Steiger; T : Tom Lazarus | September 26, 1987 (1987-09-26) | 12.5/24 |
| A speechwriter frames a politician for murdering his assistant, then tries to blackmail him. |||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Fatal Attraction" | Ron Satlof | Douglas Stefen Borghi | September 29, 1987 (1987-09-29) | 9.6/15 |
| 3 | 3 | "Fatal Attraction" | Ron Satlof | Douglas Stefen Borghi | September 29, 1987 (1987-09-29) | 9.6/15 |
| McCabe sets out to prove that a wealthy businessman was murdered by his widow and son – two lovers conspiring to get his money. |||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Laura" | E.W. Swackhamer | S : Dean Hargrove, Joel Steiger; T : Tom Lazarus | October 6, 1987 (1987-10-06) | 14.8/23 |
| Jake's former partner is killed while chasing an alleged burglar, but the evidence points towards the dead man's fiancee. |||||||
| 5 | 5 | "The Man That Got Away" | E.W. Swackhamer | Michael Genelin | October 13, 1987 (1987-10-13) | 14.4/22 |
| Jake and McCabe question the evidence found in the case of a woman charged with murder whose lawyer (Robert Culp) is also her ex-husband. |||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Love for Sale" | Christopher Hibler | Douglas Stefen Borghi | October 20, 1987 (1987-10-20) | 13.0/20 |
| Jake becomes attracted to a woman involved in a drug-smuggling operation while investigating the murder of one of McCabe's informants. |||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" | Tony Mordente | S : Dean Hargrove, Joel Steiger; T : Robert Hamilton | October 27, 1987 (1987-10-27) | 12.2/19 |
| A skid-row serial killer (Dwight Schultz) matches wits with McCabe after murdering a surprising victim. |||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Body and Soul" | Jerry Jameson | S : Dean Hargrove, Joel Steiger; T : Tom Lazarus | November 3, 1987 (1987-11-03) | 11.3/18 |
| Jake helps a determined cop – who's also a former lover – try to convict the man who killed her father, a criminal whom McCabe suspects of committing another murder. |||||||
| 9 | 9 | "The Man I Love" | Michael Lange | Robert Hamilton | November 10, 1987 (1987-11-10) | 13.6/21 |
| A young bride survives an attempt on her life, so McCabe sends Jake to dig up dirt on her suspicious husband. |||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Love Me or Leave Me" | Michael Preece | Paul Robert Coyle | November 17, 1987 (1987-11-17) | 12.0/18 |
| Jake gets close to an aspiring rock star in order to catch a dirty cop who's involved in a million-dollar robbery. |||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" | Harvey Laidman | Paul Robert Coyle | December 1, 1987 (1987-12-01) | 14.1/22 |
| The man who attacked a blind woman is found dead – supposedly shot by the woman's cheating husband. |||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | E.W. Swackhamer | Robert Hamilton | December 8, 1987 (1987-12-08) | 10.3/16 |
| It's Christmastime, but McCabe isn't feeling so jolly as an ambitious assistant DA helps Jake find a murderous Santa Claus. |||||||
| 13 | 13 | "After You've Gone" | Paul Krasny | S : Philip Saltzman; S/T : Paul Robert Coyle | January 5, 1988 (1988-01-05) | 12.9/19 |
| Jake discovers a murder plot and takes the place of a dead hit man whose target happens to be McCabe. |||||||
| 14 | 14 | "It Had to Be You" | Ron Satlof | Paul Robert Coyle | January 12, 1988 (1988-01-12) | 11.7/18 |
| When Jake discovers that a serial rapist's weakness is cats, a victim agrees to help set a trap. |||||||
| 15 | 15 | "But Not for Me" | Michael Lange | Robert Hamilton | January 19, 1988 (1988-01-19) | 12.8/19 |
| Jake suspects that a newswoman knows more about a gangster's murder than she's letting on, so McCabe attempts to get the truth from an unwilling witness – the newswoman's daughter. |||||||
| 16 | 16 | "What Is This Thing Called Love?" | Harvey Laidman | S : Philip Saltzman; S/T : Tom Lazarus | January 26, 1988 (1988-01-26) | 12.9/19 |
| McCabe and Derek are held captive by a grenade-laden gunman claiming to be out for revenge, but Jake discovers a different motive. |||||||
| 17 | 17 | "Lady, Be Good" | E.W. Swackhamer | Tom Lazarus | February 2, 1988 (1988-02-02) | 11.8/18 |
| McCabe is accidentally involved as an eyewitness to an incident leading up to the death of a wealthy publisher. He believes that what looks like a drunken-driving accident is a murder. The discovery of a $9-million dollar insurance policy made out to the victim's socialite wife leads McCabe to suspect foul play. He assigns Jake to pose as an insurance investigator who must check out not only the widow but also the insurance company's own investigator, who seems to have an abnormal interest in providing a quick payoff of the insurance money. |||||||
| 18 | 18 | "I'll Be Seeing You" | Harvey Laidman | S : Peter Allen Fields, Dean Hargrove, Joel Steiger; T : Robert Hamilton | February 16, 1988 (1988-02-16) | 9.6/14 |
| After ten years on the run, a murder witness returns to use McCabe against a powerful defendant for a big payoff, and Jake must escort the witness to court in one piece. |||||||
| 19 | 19 | "Babyface" | E.W. Swackhamer | Dick Nelson | February 23, 1988 (1988-02-23) | 12.4/18 |
| Jake sets out to expose the double life of an alleged kidnapped heiress who's determined to get romantically close to him. |||||||
| 20 | 20 | "Blues in the Night" | Harvey Laidman | Robert Hamilton | March 16, 1988 (1988-03-16) | 13.5/21 |
| A pair of twin jewel thieves proves to be a challenge for McCabe as he unknowingly provides an alibi for one sister while the other commits a murder. |||||||
| 21 | 21 | "How Long Has This Thing Been Going On?" | Christian I. Nyby II | S : Franklin Thompson; S/T : Tom Lazarus | March 23, 1988 (1988-03-23) | 12.1/20 |
| Jake tries to prove that his friend, a philandering priest, is innocent in the murder of his married lover. |||||||
| 22 | 22 | "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plans" | Michael Lange | Paul Robert Coyle | March 30, 1988 (1988-03-30) | 12.7/20 |
| An author who's a former cop literally kills for a best-seller, giving Jake and McCabe a plot that keeps them guessing. |||||||
| 23 | 23 | "Rhapsody in Blue" | Michael Lange | Robert Hamilton | April 6, 1988 (1988-04-06) | 14.8/24 |
| An ambitious exec and his devious wife desperate for success commit a murder and it's up to Jake and McCabe to put them out of business. |||||||

### Season 2 (1989)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 24 | 1 | "Wish You Were Here" | E.W. Swackhamer | Ed Waters | March 15, 1989 (1989-03-15) | 22.1 |
| 25 | 2 | "Wish You Were Here" | E.W. Swackhamer | Ed Waters | March 15, 1989 (1989-03-15) | 22.1 |
| Jake goes to Oahu to visit his former partner, only to find him murdered, so McCabe arrives from the mainland to help out. |||||||
| 26 | 3 | "I'll Never Smile Again" | Don Medford | T : Rick Kelbaugh, Kevin Droney; S/T : Gael Phillips | March 22, 1989 (1989-03-22) | 22.8 |
| McCabe investigates the death of a mugger who assaulted a tourist and uncovers dark secrets that the mainlander and his family have been keeping. |||||||
| 27 | 4 | "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" | Dale White | Jack Fogarty | April 5, 1989 (1989-04-05) | 21.6 |
| After witnessing a robbery, Jake falls for the owner of the establishment, while McCabe suspects the robbery is an inside job. |||||||
| 28 | 5 | "Why Can't You Behave?" | Dale White | Kevin Droney | April 12, 1989 (1989-04-12) | 20.5 |
| McCabe has a difficult reunion with his son while investigating a plane crash that killed a senator. |||||||
| 29 | 6 | "Poor Butterfly" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Rick Kelbaugh | April 19, 1989 (1989-04-19) | 21.1 |
| When a dangerous pimp assaults McCabe's sole witness against him, Jake talks a scared prostitute into helping him set the pimp up. |||||||
| 30 | 7 | "It Ain't Necessarily So" | Bernard L. Kowalski | S : E. Arthur Kean; T : Ed Waters, Rick Kelbaugh, Kevin Droney, Kimmer Ringwald | April 26, 1989 (1989-04-26) | 21.3 |
| With the help of a key witness whose testimony intrigues him, McCabe pursues a publisher he suspects of putting a hit on his wife. |||||||
| 31 | 8 | "Someone to Watch Over Me" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Kimmer Ringwald | May 3, 1989 (1989-05-03) | 20.2 |
| Jake discovers an old man's connection to a young woman as he races the geezer to find her killer. |||||||
| 32 | 9 | "They Can't Take That Away from Me" | Don Medford | Catherine Bacos Clinch | May 10, 1989 (1989-05-10) | 17.4 |
| Jake and McCabe suspect that a hit has been placed on two of Jake's co-workers who are found dead, but discover that one man's marriage suggests trouble in paradise. |||||||
| 33 | 10 | "Side by Side" | Jackie Cooper | Kimmer Ringwald | May 17, 1989 (1989-05-17) | 19.7 |
| McCabe and a teenage Crusoe are shipwrecked after a boat explosion. |||||||
| 34 | 11 | "Snowfall" | Jackie Cooper | Rick Kelbaugh | May 24, 1989 (1989-05-24) | 14.3 |
| Jake teams up with a Secret Service agent to take down a counterfeit cash-for-cocaine ring. |||||||

### Season 3 (1989–90)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 35 | 1 | "I Only Have Eyes for You" | Chuck Bowman | Paul Robert Coyle | September 20, 1989 (1989-09-20) | 20.4 |
| Jake takes matters into his own hands when a woman is threatened and followed to Hawaii by the psychotic ex-convict who attacked her. |||||||
| 36 | 2 | "The Lady in Red" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Kimmer Ringwald | September 27, 1989 (1989-09-27) | 21.9 |
| McCabe's boozing ex-partner turns up dead just as he's about to solve a 20-year-old murder case. |||||||
| 37 | 3 | "Easy to Love" | Alexander Singer | Fred McKnight | October 4, 1989 (1989-10-04) | 20.6 |
| Jake seems unable to break the facade of a tough Los Angeles cop whose partner vanished after coming to Hawaii to pick up a convict. |||||||
| 38 | 4 | "The Way You Look Tonight" | Leo Penn | Jeri Taylor | October 11, 1989 (1989-10-11) | 21.2 |
| Deciding to take a break from his partner, Jake sets out to investigate a murder case that McCabe lost in court. |||||||
| 39 | 5 | "Dancing in the Dark" | Chuck Bowman | Steven Aspis | October 25, 1989 (1989-10-25) | 22.6 |
| Jake helps a supposedly reformed cat burglar investigate a theft for which he's been accused and reunite with his estranged teenage son. |||||||
| 40 | 6 | "It All Depends on You" | Michael Lange | David Moessinger | November 1, 1989 (1989-11-01) | 20.7 |
| After Derek blows his first big case for McCabe, Jake starts his own investigation of the defendant. |||||||
| 41 | 7 | "Out of Nowhere" | John Llewellyn Moxey | Jeri Taylor | November 8, 1989 (1989-11-08) | 19.9 |
| McCabe meets his match in a gruff Government agent bent on catching a drug dealer, while Jake learns that an old lover is involved in the case. |||||||
| 42 | 8 | "Sweet Leilani" | Russ Mayberry | Rick Mittleman | November 15, 1989 (1989-11-15) | 19.5 |
| A friend of McCabe's who's a gossip columnist puts her "Honolulu Hunks" story on hold to learn the truth about a woman's murder when the deceased's body washes up on the beach. |||||||
| 43 | 9 | "My Shining Hour" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Kimmer Ringwald | November 29, 1989 (1989-11-29) | 20.5 |
| McCabe thinks Jake has his head in the clouds when he defends a former TV hero who's now a drunken pilot and claims to have witnessed a murder. |||||||
| 44 | 10 | "Long Ago and Far Away" | Russ Mayberry | Jack M. Casey | December 6, 1989 (1989-12-06) | 17.0 |
| Judge Smithwood receives a death threat when a military man with a mysterious mission arrives in Hawaii. |||||||
| 45 | 11 | "What Child Is This?" | Reza Badiyi | Jeri Taylor | December 13, 1989 (1989-12-13) | 20.1 |
| While McCabe helps out at a homeless shelter for the holidays, he talks Jake into helping a pregnant woman on the run. |||||||
| 46 | 12 | "In the Still of the Night" | Georg Fenady | Carol Saraceno | January 3, 1990 (1990-01-03) | 20.0 |
| Derek sees an old friend who's gotten mixed up in murder as well as the monied shenanigans of her unpredictable husband's wealthy clan. |||||||
| 47 | 13 | "You Turned the Tables on Me" | Reza Badiyi | Robert Hamilton | January 10, 1990 (1990-01-10) | 22.3 |
| A successful prosecutor gives credit to her lover, a mob boss, for her conviction record and to Jake for unknowingly identifying the mob's snitch. |||||||
| 48 | 14 | "One More for the Road" | Russ Mayberry | Carol Saraceno | January 17, 1990 (1990-01-17) | 20.3 |
| Derek is involved in a hit-and-run accident putting McCabe in charge of the investigation and Jake in charge of the evidence. |||||||
| 49 | 15 | "Who's Sorry Now?" | Reza Badiyi | J. Michael Straczynski | January 31, 1990 (1990-01-31) | 15.0 |
| A cop from the LAPD is all that stands between McCabe and an execution when the man he's pursued to Hawaii kidnaps the Fatman. |||||||
| 50 | 16 | "I'll Dance at Your Wedding" | Georg Fenady | Paul David Dugan | February 7, 1990 (1990-02-07) | 19.5 |
| Jake returns home for his sister's wedding, only to learn that her fiance has connections to the mob. |||||||
| 51 | 17 | "My Buddy" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Robin Madden | February 14, 1990 (1990-02-14) | 20.2 |
| An urchin steals Jake's wallet – and his heart – before she and her friends steal a counterfeiter's plates. |||||||
| 52 | 18 | "By Myself" | Chuck Bowman | Jo William Philipp | February 28, 1990 (1990-02-28) | 18.0 |
| McCabe personally hunts down a serial rapist whose latest victim is Max's obedience trainer, whom the Fatman has fallen for. |||||||
| 53 | 19 | "I Ain't Got No Body" | Georg Fenady | J. Michael Straczynski | March 7, 1990 (1990-03-07) | 17.4 |
| Jake and a former lover, who's a fellow cop, pose as a married couple to investigate suspicious deaths at a health spa. |||||||
| 54 | 20 | "Put Your Dreams Away" | Reza Badiyi | Steven Aspis | March 14, 1990 (1990-03-14) | 18.1 |
| Jake gets wounded during a fight in which the pilot of a small plane falls out, so he attempts to stay aloft – and alert – as McCabe tries to talk them down, while the two remember past experiences. |||||||
| 55 | 21 | "If I Didn't Care" | John C. Flinn III | Kimmer Ringwald | March 28, 1990 (1990-03-28) | 18.3 |
| Jake's old high school friend has come to kill him in order to pay back a gangster. |||||||
| 56 | 22 | "You're Driving Me Crazy" | Ronald Gary Stein | Michele Val Jean | April 4, 1990 (1990-04-04) | 18.6 |
| A husband pleads temporary insanity after brutally stabbing his wife, but Jake and McCabe suspect he had method to madness. |||||||
| 57 | 23 | "You Took Advantage of Me" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Robert Schlitt | April 25, 1990 (1990-04-25) | 17.0 |
| Jake goes undercover as a chauffeur to nab a husband for murder, but gets into trouble with the new wife. |||||||
| 58 | 24 | "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" | Robert Scheerer | Douglas Benton & Daniel Benton | May 2, 1990 (1990-05-02) | 18.2 |
| A young woman claims to be McCabes daughter while Jake and Derek deal with a frightened witness. |||||||
| 59 | 25 | "Danny Boy" | Russ Mayberry | J. Michael Straczynski | May 9, 1990 (1990-05-09) | 17.4 |
| McCabe's bottled-up feelings are unleashed when he's called to the state prison where his inmate son witnessed a murder. |||||||
| 60 | 26 | "Chinatown, My Chinatown" | Reza Badiyi | David Moessinger | May 16, 1990 (1990-05-16) | 12.7 |
| The prime suspect in the attempted murder of a young cop is his own father, the head of a Chinatown syndicate. |||||||

### Season 4 (1990–91)

The ninetenth episode of the season, "It Never Entered My Mind", served as a back-door pilot for Diagnosis: Murder.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 61 | 1 | "God Bless the Child" | E.W. Swackhamer | David Abramowitz | September 12, 1990 (1990-09-12) | 17.6 |
| A pair of spoiled children murder their wealthy father – who's one of McCabe's poker buddies – and frame a businessman for the crime. |||||||
| 62 | 2 | "The Tender Trap" | Michael Lange | Michele Val Jean | September 19, 1990 (1990-09-19) | 20.7 |
| Derek suspects his uncle's fiancee is a black widow, and she may have already spun her web. |||||||
| 63 | 3 | "Exactly Like You" | Ron Satlof | William Conway | September 26, 1990 (1990-09-26) | 18.5 |
| A man confesses to murdering the banker who turned him down for a loan, but McCabe doesn't think the confession adds up. |||||||
| 64 | 4 | "'Round Midnight" | Ron Satlof | S : Robert Hamilton; T : Kimmer Ringwald | October 3, 1990 (1990-10-03) | 18.4 |
| In order to catch an elusive jewel thief, Jake poses as the burglar-alarm expert the thief requires for a job that's yet to be disclosed. |||||||
| 65 | 5 | "Only You" | Ron Satlof | Carol Saraceno | October 24, 1990 (1990-10-24) | 17.6 |
| Jake's growing attraction to a friend could prove fatal when she interferes in his investigation of an industrial-espionage ring. |||||||
| 66 | 6 | "My Boy Bill" | Reza Badiyi | David Abramowitz | October 31, 1990 (1990-10-31) | 17.8 |
| Sailors turned jewelry thieves abduct the son of the prosecuting attorney, and it's up to Jake to rescue him. |||||||
| 67 | 7 | "More Than You Know" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Paul Robert Coyle | November 7, 1990 (1990-11-07) | 19.8 |
| After a journalist is dumped by her lover, she murders his wife and makes it look like the work of a serial killer. |||||||
| 68 | 8 | "Night and Day" | Michael Lange | S : Dean Hargrove & Joel Steiger; T : Joyce Burditt | November 14, 1990 (1990-11-14) | 18.4 |
| A hard-boiled PI is determined to make a case against the smuggler who shot her husband, whether Jake helps her or not. |||||||
| 69 | 9 | "Goodbye" | Bernard L. Kowalski | T : William Conway; S/T : J. Michael Straczynski | November 28, 1990 (1990-11-28) | 19.8 |
| 70 | 10 | "Goodbye" | Bernard L. Kowalski | T : William Conway; S/T : J. Michael Straczynski | November 28, 1990 (1990-11-28) | 19.8 |
| Jake follows a trail of dirty cops and dead drug dealers to the Mainland where he encounters old friends and new foes, so McCabe follows him to help out. |||||||
| 71 | 11 | "I Know That You Know" | Russ Mayberry | Robin Madden | December 12, 1990 (1990-12-12) | 17.2 |
| McCabe helps convict a burglar for the murder of an art collector, but further investigation of the case reveals that it also involves fraud and adultery. |||||||
| 72 | 12 | "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" | Daniel Attias | Robert Brennan | January 2, 1991 (1991-01-02) | 19.9 |
| Jake tries to get a reluctant witness to testify against a mob boss in court before McCabe's deadline passes. |||||||
| 73 | 13 | "I May Be Wrong" | Leo Penn | Robert Brennan | January 9, 1991 (1991-01-09) | 14.3 |
| A cop and a pro-apartheid leader, each from South Africa, blame each other for the murder of a government official, also from South Africa – and Jake must found out who's the real killer. |||||||
| 74 | 14 | "Daddy's Home" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Kimmer Ringwald | February 6, 1991 (1991-02-06) | 17.4 |
| Jake's father returns after deserting years ago, and he brings emotional upheaval and a threat from thugs with him. |||||||
| 75 | 15 | "I'm Gonna Live Till I Die" | Alexander Singer | William Conway | February 13, 1991 (1991-02-13) | 18.7 |
| A mousy bookkeeper who's been poisoned spends his last days helping Jake find the rat who did it. |||||||
| 76 | 16 | "Pretty Baby" | John C. Flinn III | Robin Madden | February 27, 1991 (1991-02-27) | 19.0 |
| Jake, McCabe and Derek take turns looking after a baby while they search for the infant's mother who witnessed a murder. |||||||
| 77 | 17 | "I Cover the Waterfront" | Harry Harris | David Abramowitz | March 6, 1991 (1991-03-06) | 14.0 |
| Derek goes down to the docks to investigate the death of his longshoreman friend, certain that the man has been murdered. |||||||
| 78 | 18 | "You Don't Know Me" | Reza Badiyi | Eric Estrin & Michael Berlin | March 13, 1991 (1991-03-13) | 16.3 |
| An old friend of McCabe's is suspected of murdering the man who took away his business and had an affair with his wife, but he's got the Fatman as an airtight alibi. |||||||
| 79 | 19 | "It Never Entered My Mind" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Joyce Burditt | March 20, 1991 (1991-03-20) | 19.7 |
| A doctor is accused of murdering a hospital administrator, so he starts his own investigation with the help of his med students. Note: This episode introduces Dr. Mark Sloan (Dick Van Dyke) and sets up the spin-off series Diagnosis: Murder. |||||||
| 80 | 20 | "Second Time Around" | Michael Lange | S : Paul Schiffer; T : Kimmer Ringwald | April 3, 1991 (1991-04-03) | 14.2 |
| A woman's elaborate scheme to fake the death of her blackmailed partner has one fatal flaw – McCabe seeing the man alive. |||||||
| 81 | 21 | "I'd Do Anything" | Ronald Gary Stein | David Abramowitz & William Conway | April 10, 1991 (1991-04-10) | 21.5 |
| A psychiatrist manipulates her teenage lover into murdering her husband, then tries to use his fragile state of mind to get them both off the hook. |||||||
| 82 | 22 | "We'll Meet Again" | Bernard L. Kowalski | William Conway | April 24, 1991 (1991-04-24) | 14.4 |
| A clown comes after McCabe with a sawed-off shotgun, leading the Fatman to remember all the suspects he convicted. |||||||
| 83 | 23 | "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" | Georg Fenady | David Abramowitz | May 1, 1991 (1991-05-01) | 15.8 |
| McCabe tries to clear his pastor of murdering his mistress. |||||||
| 84 | 24 | "Nevertheless" | Alexander Singer | Robert Brennan | May 8, 1991 (1991-05-08) | 16.5 |
| A man murders his wealthy wife and makes it look like a mugging, so McCabe has his star witness help crack the case. |||||||

### Season 5 (1991–92)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 85 | 1 | "Where or When: Part 1" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Kimmer Ringwald | September 18, 1991 (1991-09-18) | 18.5 |
| Jake helps out a boozy PI who swears he wasn't drunk when a murder victim fell into his arms, even though the body disappears. |||||||
| 86 | 2 | "Where or When: Part 2" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Kimmer Ringwald | September 25, 1991 (1991-09-25) | 17.4 |
| While working undercover as an arms dealer to get the proof needed for Delaney's case, Jake ends up sleeping with the buyer. |||||||
| 87 | 3 | "Street of Dreams" | Reza Badiyi | Douglas Stefen Borghi | October 30, 1991 (1991-10-30) | 16.9 |
| A young graffiti artist witnesses a murder and subsequently finds himself in danger when the killers recognize him. |||||||
| 88 | 4 | "I'll Never Be the Same" | Peter Ellis | Kimmer Ringwald | November 6, 1991 (1991-11-06) | 14.2 |
| Jake feels distraught over accidentally shooting a 14-year-old boy, but an Internal Affairs cop tells him to cool it when her own investigation heats up. |||||||
| 89 | 5 | "I Could Write a Book" | James Frawley | Barry M. Schkolnick | November 13, 1991 (1991-11-13) | 16.1 |
| McCabe concocts a way to solve the murder of an author, whose ex-wife wanted to stop the publishing of his latest novel – a roman à clef. |||||||
| 90 | 6 | "Two Different Worlds" | Georg Fenady | E. Nick Alexander | November 20, 1991 (1991-11-20) | 16.8 |
| Jake deals with a case of serious sibling rivalry when a mentally disturbed woman hires an equally disturbed man to murder her twin sister. |||||||
| 91 | 7 | "Every Time We Say Goodbye" | Georg Fenady | Michael Part & Sam Bernard | December 11, 1991 (1991-12-11) | 18.3 |
| A new investigator named Neely goes undercover to catch the man who murdered her model friend. |||||||
| 92 | 8 | "Come Along with Me" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Douglas Stefen Borghi | December 18, 1991 (1991-12-18) | 16.8 |
| Neely teams up with Jake to probe a series of murders connected to an organ-theft plot on behalf of a rich man who needs a new liver. |||||||
| 93 | 9 | "Last Dance" | Alexander Singer | James Kearns | January 1, 1992 (1992-01-01) | 20.1 |
| A last-minute confession casts doubt on the guilt of the man McCabe is trying for murder. |||||||
| 94 | 10 | "Come Closer to Me" | Frank Thackery | Doc Barnett | January 8, 1992 (1992-01-08) | 18.2 |
| Jake goes undercover with a group of thieves to find out a hit man's next victim. |||||||
| 95 | 11 | "Since I Fell for You" | Alexander Singer | Morgan Gendel | January 15, 1992 (1992-01-15) | 19.4 |
| An old girlfriend Derek thought was dead comes back into his life, hoping he can protect her from the gangsters who are after her. |||||||
| 96 | 12 | "Just You, Just Me" | Richard Lang | S : Larry Barber & Paul Barber; S/T : Kimmer Ringwald & Bernie Kowalski | January 22, 1992 (1992-01-22) | 18.2 |
| Jake gets close to a handicapped store owner who defies a street gang's threat. |||||||
| 97 | 13 | "Stormy Weather: Part 1" | Christian I. Nyby II | S : Joel Steiger & George Eckstein; T : Gerry Conway | January 29, 1992 (1992-01-29) | 14.2 |
| Jake competes with a reporter over leads in the case of a ritualistic murder. |||||||
| 98 | 14 | "Stormy Weather: Part 2" | Christian I. Nyby II | S : Joel Steiger & George Eckstein; T : Gerry Conway | February 5, 1992 (1992-02-05) | 16.6 |
| Jake identifies the murderer while McCabe is on the ropes. |||||||
| 99 | 15 | "You'll Never Know" | Ritchie Forrest | Douglas Stefen Borghi | February 26, 1992 (1992-02-26) | 15.0 |
| A city-councilman friend of Jake's is the prime suspect in a murder case. |||||||
| 100 | 16 | "There'll Be Some Changes Made" | John C. Flinn III | Douglas Stefen Borghi | March 11, 1992 (1992-03-11) | 15.3 |
| A singer dealing with substance abuse attempts to get her career back on track, but she's being stalked by a murderer. |||||||
| 101 | 17 | "Pennies from Heaven" | Reza Badiyi | Kimmer Ringwald | March 18, 1992 (1992-03-18) | 17.1 |
| Jake tries to find a happy ending for the "Fairy Godmother", who's been giving money from a bank robber's loot to the homeless. |||||||
| 102 | 18 | "I Can't Believe I'm Losing You" | Ronald Gary Stein | S : Joel Steiger; T : Gerry Conway | March 25, 1992 (1992-03-25) | 18.4 |
| In this clip show, Jake and Derek review possible suspects when Jake's girlfriend is injured in a bomb blast. |||||||
| 103 | 19 | "All Through the Night" | Frank Thackery | Doc Barnett | April 1, 1992 (1992-04-01) | 18.7 |
| A psychiatrist convicted of patient abuse attempts to drive Neely to suicide for revenge. |||||||
| 104 | 20 | "Ain't Misbehavin'" | Christopher Hibler | Bruce Franklin Singer | April 8, 1992 (1992-04-08) | 16.9 |
| A bondswoman named Ethel Mae Haven uses disguise to bail her client out of a murder charge when his life is threatened. |||||||
| 105 | 21 | "Nightmare" | John C. Flinn III | T : Al Martinez; S/T : Christian Darren | April 22, 1992 (1992-04-22) | 17.6 |
| A former football player turned cop teams up with Jake to catch a serial killer. |||||||
| 106 | 22 | "Beautiful Dreamer" "Mickey Daytona" | Bernard L. Kowalski | David J. Burke | May 6, 1992 (1992-05-06) | 18.1 |
| A cop will not rest until he takes down the kinky killer-rapist who's giving his victims nightmares. |||||||