[1][2][3] Created by Dean Hargrove, Joel Steiger and Ann Doherty, the series ran on CBS for five seasons from September 26, 1987, to May 6, 1992.

[4][5] J. L. "Fatman" McCabe is a Hawaii-born, tough former Honolulu Police Department officer turned Los Angeles district attorney.

Guest stars on the series included Alex Cord, Robert Culp, Denise Dowse, Scott Marlowe, Leigh McCloskey, Ed Nelson, Leo Penn, Stephen Quadros, Robert Reed, Mitch Ryan, Alan Scarfe, Dwight Schultz, Ray Sharkey and David Soul.

[6] 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.

[8][9] The nineteenth episode of the fourth season of Jake and the Fatman, "It Never Entered My Mind", featured Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes.