When Does Jake and the Fatman Season 6 Come Out? Is It Renewed?
Jake and the Fatman ended after Season 5.
IMDb
6.4/10
Seasons
5
Episodes
106
Diagnostics
- Network
- CBS
- Genres
- Drama, Crime, Action & Adventure
- First aired
- 1987-09-26
- Last aired
- 1992-05-06
- Runtime
- 60 min
- Rated
- NR
Awards Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. 1 win & 6 nominations total
Predictive Logic Analysis
Jake and the Fatman has concluded its run. Production records list the series as ended, meaning the story has been brought to a planned close rather than left open. Barring a revival, there is no Season 6 in development.
What is Jake and the Fatman about?
Jake and the Fatman paired an unlikely duo at the heart of a crime-solving partnership that proved surprisingly enduring for five seasons on CBS. The show centers on the dynamic between J.L. "Fatman" McCabe, a shrewd and crusty prosecutor played by William Conrad, and Jake Styles, an energetic investigator portrayed by Joe Penny. Their contrasting personalities and working methods created the engine for the series: McCabe's legal expertise and street-smart judgment clashed productively with Jake's scrappier, more direct approach to getting results. The formula tapped into the buddy-cop tradition that had proven ratings gold throughout the 1980s, offering viewers a satisfying blend of courtroom procedure and field investigation that kept cases moving from street to conviction.
The show's tone balanced procedural earnestness with the lighter rhythms that defined CBS's drama output in the late 1980s. Created by Dean Hargrove, David Angell, and Joel Steiger, Jake and the Fatman leaned into character chemistry over high-concept plotting, allowing the interaction between its leads to carry episodes. William Conrad's presence as the titular Fatman lent gravitas and a paternal quality to the show, while Joe Penny provided the youthful energy that offset McCabe's gruff authority. This generational pairing gave the series a comfortable, accessible quality that attracted mainstream television audiences, positioning it as solid procedural entertainment rather than groundbreaking drama.
Jake and the Fatman found its audience during the era when CBS dominated network television with accessible crime dramas, accumulating enough viewers to sustain 106 episodes across five seasons. Though it never achieved critical acclaim, the show's modest IMDb rating of 6.4 reflects its status as reliable television fare—neither dismissed as trash nor celebrated as essential viewing. Its cultural footprint proved substantial enough that creator Dean Hargrove built a direct spin-off with Diagnosis: Murder, demonstrating that the ingredients developed here had enough durability to sustain expansion into adjacent formats and lead characters.
Created by Dean Hargrove, David Angell, Joel Steiger
Themes
Is Jake and the Fatman renewed or cancelled?
Working against it
The series is listed as ended
Jake and the Fatman Season 6 Release Date
No new season is expected. Jake and the Fatman has ended, so there is no upcoming release to anticipate unless a revival is announced.
Best & worst episodes
Jake and the Fatman seasons
Season 11987 · 23 ep
- 1. Happy Days Are Here Again1987-09-26
- 2. Fatal Attraction (1)1987-09-29
- 3. Fatal Attraction (2)1987-09-29
- 4. Laura1987-10-06
- 5. The Man That Got Away1987-10-13
- 6. Love for Sale1987-10-20
- 7. Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?1987-10-27
- 8. Body and Soul1987-11-03
- 9. The Man I Love1987-11-10
- 10. Love Me Or Leave Me1987-11-17
- 11. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes1987-12-01
- 12. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas1987-12-08
- 13. After You've Gone1988-01-05 · ★ 10.0
- 14. It Had to Be You1988-01-12 · ★ 10.0
- 15. But Not for Me1988-01-19 · ★ 10.0
- 16. What Is This Thing Called Love?1988-01-26 · ★ 10.0
- 17. Lady, Be Good1988-02-02 · ★ 10.0
- 18. I'll Be Seeing You1988-02-16 · ★ 10.0
- 19. Babyface1988-02-23 · ★ 10.0
- 20. Blues in the Night1988-03-16
- 21. How Long Has This Thing Been Going On?1988-03-23
- 22. I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plans1988-03-30
- 23. Rhapsody in Blue1988-04-06 · ★ 10.0
Season 21989 · 11 ep
- 1. Wish You Were Here (1)1989-03-15 · ★ 10.0
- 2. Wish You Were Here (2)1989-03-15
- 3. I'll Never Smile Again1989-03-22
- 4. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered1989-04-05 · ★ 10.0
- 5. Why Can't You Behave?1989-04-12 · ★ 10.0
- 6. Poor Butterfly1989-04-19 · ★ 10.0
- 7. It Ain't Necessarily So1989-04-26 · ★ 10.0
- 8. Someone to Watch Over Me1989-05-03 · ★ 10.0
- 9. They Can't Take That Away from Me1989-05-10 · ★ 10.0
- 10. Side by Side1989-05-17 · ★ 10.0
- 11. Snowfall1989-05-24 · ★ 10.0
Season 31989 · 26 ep
- 1. I Only Have Eyes for You1989-09-20 · ★ 10.0
- 2. The Lady in Red1989-09-27
- 3. Easy to Love1989-10-04 · ★ 10.0
- 4. The Way You Look Tonight1989-10-11 · ★ 10.0
- 5. Dancing in the Dark1989-10-25 · ★ 10.0
- 6. It All Depends on You1989-11-01 · ★ 10.0
- 7. Out of Nowhere1989-11-08
- 8. Sweet Leilani1989-11-15
- 9. My Shining Hour1989-11-29 · ★ 10.0
- 10. Long Ago and Far Away1989-12-06 · ★ 10.0
- 11. What Child is This?1989-12-13 · ★ 10.0
- 12. In the Still of the Night1990-01-03
- 13. You Turned the Tables on Me1990-01-10
- 14. One More for the Road1990-01-17
- 15. Who's Sorry Now?1990-01-31
- 16. I'll Dance at Your Wedding1990-02-07
- 17. My Buddy1990-02-14
- 18. By Myself1990-02-28
- 19. I Ain't Got No Body1990-03-07
- 20. Put Your Dreams Away1990-03-14
- 21. If I Didn't Care1990-03-28
- 22. You're Driving Me Crazy1990-04-04
- 23. You Took Advantage of Me1990-04-25
- 24. My Heart Belongs to Daddy1990-05-02
- 25. Danny Boy1990-05-09
- 26. Chinatown, My Chinatown1990-05-16
Season 41990 · 24 ep
- 1. God Bless the Child1990-09-12
- 2. The Tender Trap1990-09-19
- 3. Exactly Like You1990-09-26
- 4. 'Round Midnight1990-10-03
- 5. Only You1990-10-24
- 6. My Boy Bill1990-10-31
- 7. More Than You Know1990-11-07
- 8. Night and Day1990-11-14
- 9. Goodbye (1)1990-11-28
- 10. Goodbye (2)1990-11-28
- 11. I Know That You Know1990-12-12
- 12. Let's Call the Whole Thing Off1991-01-02
- 13. I May Be Wrong1991-01-09
- 14. Daddy's Home1991-02-06
- 15. I'm Gonna Live Till I Die1991-02-13
- 16. Pretty Baby1991-02-27
- 17. I Cover the Waterfront1991-03-06
- 18. You Don't Know Me1991-03-13
- 19. It Never Entered My Mind1991-03-20
- 20. Second Time Around1991-04-03
- 21. I'd Do Anything1991-04-10
- 22. We'll Meet Again1991-04-24
- 23. It's a Sin to Tell a Lie1991-05-01
- 24. Nevertheless1991-05-08
Season 51991 · 22 ep
- 1. Where or When (1)1991-09-18
- 2. Where or When (2)1991-09-25
- 3. Street of Dreams1991-10-30
- 4. I'll Never Be the Same1991-11-06
- 5. I Could Write a Book1991-11-13
- 6. Two Different Worlds1991-11-20
- 7. Every Time We Say Goodbye1991-12-11
- 8. Come Along with Me1991-12-18
- 9. Last Dance1992-01-01
- 10. Come Closer to Me1992-01-08
- 11. Since I Fell for You1992-01-15
- 12. Just You, Just Me1992-01-22
- 13. Stormy Weather (1)1992-01-29
- 14. Stormy Weather (2)1992-02-05
- 15. You'll Never Know1992-02-26
- 16. There'll Be Some Changes Made1992-03-11
- 17. Pennies from Heaven1992-03-18
- 18. I Can't Believe I'm Losing You1992-03-25
- 19. All Through the Night1992-04-01
- 20. Ain't Misbehavin'1992-04-08
- 21. Nightmare1992-04-22
- 22. Beautiful Dreamer (a.k.a. Mickey Daytona)1992-05-06
Jake and the Fatman cast
View all cast →
William Conrad
Jason McCabe
Joe Penny
Jake Styles
Alan Campbell
Derek Mitchell
AI Verdict
Jake and the Fatman has ended. Its final season has already aired and no further seasons are expected.
Verdict updated 2 weeks ago
Updated 2026-06-13 · AI-generated analysis
How we predict →Our verdicts have proved right for 59 of 82 decided shows →Jake and the Fatman latest news
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Frequently asked
- When does Jake and the Fatman Season 6 come out?
- Jake and the Fatman ended after Season 5.
- Is Jake and the Fatman renewed or cancelled?
- Jake and the Fatman has ended. Its final season has already aired and no further seasons are expected.
- How many seasons of Jake and the Fatman are there?
- Jake and the Fatman has aired 5 seasons so far.
- How many episodes of Jake and the Fatman are there?
- There are 106 episodes of Jake and the Fatman across 5 seasons.
- Who created Jake and the Fatman?
- Jake and the Fatman was created by Dean Hargrove, David Angell and Joel Steiger.
- What is Jake and the Fatman's IMDb rating?
- Jake and the Fatman holds an IMDb rating of 6.4/10 from 3,353 votes.