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In the latest in a feature spotlighting backdoor pilots, Brian looks at how Jake and the Fatman, itself a backdoor pilot spinoff of Matlock, then spun off Diagnosis: Murder through a backdoor pilot.
J. L. "Fatman" McCabe is a Hawaii-born, tough former Honolulu Police Department officer turned Los Angeles district attorney. He is teamed with a handsome, happy-go-lucky special investigator named Jake Styles. They often clash due to their different styles and personalities.
Fatal Attraction: Directed by Ron Satlof. With William Conrad, Joe Penny, Alan Campbell, Anne Francis. This was the pilot to the series. A man and a woman who are lovers commit a murder.
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- Crime, Drama
- Ron Satlof
- 1987-09-29
- Fatman Mccabe Was A Former Honolulu Police Officer
- All of Season 2 Was Filmed in Hawaii
- Both Stars Had Guest Roles on Matlock
- McCabe's Son Went to Prison
- McCabe's Son Was Killed
- Mccabe Wanted to Retire in L.A.
- Mccabe Was Forced to Move Back to L.A.
- We Found Out What "J.L." Stood For
- Mccabe Didn't Appear in One Episode
- Dr. Sloane Had A Miracle Son
Before he came to Hollywood to prosecute cases, Fatman McCabe was a former police officer with the Honolulu Police Department. It wasn't exactly explained in detail how McCabe wound up in Los Angeles nor why he left the Honolulu Police Department. All viewers knew was that he left his family behind in order to take the district attorney position in...
In a plot twist that's usually reserved for later seasons, the second season of Jake and the Fatman saw McCabe and Jake head for Hawaii to solve some cases. It wouldn't be a permanent move, as the series soon shifted back to Los Angeles early in season 3, but the sudden move in location could have been an attempt by the showrunners to try and expla...
The series' origins were born from two episodes on the hit NBC drama Matlock, in which William Conrad (who portrayed Fatman McCabe) is a near mirror image of McCabe as an aging district attorney. In what may have seemed like fate, Joe Penny, who played Jake Styles, also had a guest role on Matlock, starring in three episodes, only his character was...
Early in season 2, it was seen that McCabe left behind his son when he ventured to California to become a district attorney. In season 3, it was revealed that he was in prison, and witnessed a murder that McCabe and Jake had to solve. It was one of those late 80s plot devices that worked during the time, but would be confusing for a viewer watching...
Viewers saw little of McCabe's son throughout the series, but he was often in dire straits. He first was left behind by his father, then he wound up in prison. RELATED: The Highest Ranked Pilot Episodes In History (According To IMDB) Toward the end of the series, his son was killed by criminals that he betrayed. It's always heart wrenching when a p...
The producers of Jake And The Fatmanwanted to have McCabe live out his retirement in Los Angeles. However, when the show was canceled after the first season and then revived for season 2, he came back as a District Attorney in Honolulu. The reason the original premise was ditched was because of low ratings, and they shot back up after McCabe became...
The ratings for the series were at their highest when it moved to Honolulu. However, when CBS' lease on the Hawaii studio expired in 1991, the series was forced to move back to Los Angeles,it's setting for the first season. McCabe carried on his DA duties in Califonia, but it ultimately produced diminishing results, with the series being canceled f...
Although he was known as "Fatman" McCabe, his full name was J.L. McCabe. No one knew what the "J.L." stood for until episode 20 of the first season. When called to the stand in a courtroom, he was asked to state his full name and viewers finally learned that his full name was Jason Lochinvar.
Unlike his partner-in-crime, Jake, there was one episode in which McCabe didn't make an appearance. His absence occurred in the season 5 episode, "Pennies from Heaven." The reason for his no-show in a show named after him was that his character had to undergo surgery and couldn't work the case in this particular episode. Other than this one time, T...
Dr. Mark Sloan, who would go on to co-star in the spin-off series Diagnosis Murder,said that he didn't have any kids in the season 4 episode "It Never Entered My Mind." However, once the spin-off series began, viewers saw that he did indeed have a son. Maybe it was a miracle son, but it was a weird plot device to set up for the spin-off series. NEX...
- Kareem Gantt
With William Conrad, Joe Penny, Alan Campbell, Sal Viscuso. Jake is undercover on a plane transporting drugs, when his real identity is discovered. The pilot wounds him during a struggle then Jake kicks the pilot out of the plane.
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- Crime, Drama
- Reza Badiyi
- 1990-03-14
Jake and the Fatman: Created by Douglas Stefen Borghi, Dean Hargrove, Joel Steiger. With William Conrad, Joe Penny, Alan Campbell, Olga Russell. Veteran district attorney "Fatman" McCabe solves cases with the help of his easygoing private investigator partner Jake Styles.
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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.
