I was about ready to start a freakin' celebration when this latest Jake and the Fatman DVD set arrived (my, do I have an exciting life...) because IT'S ALL HERE. I have whined and cried about Paramount’s decision to split TV-on-DVD season releases of hour-long vintage programming into two-volume editions ad nauseum, and it seemed as though I had won the war: This 3-DVD set isn't the first of two Season Two sets - the entire season is presented here. Hallelujah!
Well, that celebration didn't last all that long. Turns out that for one reason or another, the second season of Jake and the Fatman was a mid-season replacement, so there are only eleven episodes on this set (compared to Season One's twenty-two). Bah!
In any case, now that I'm bitter that Paramount has thwarted me again, the task of writing about Jake and the Fatman: Season Two is doubly dubious, because while this sophomore go-round is shorter, it ain't any sweeter. I would have thought that the show would thrive with a shorter run, but the fact of the matter is that Jake and the Fatman simply isn't a grand crime show, even in a trucna
While William Conrad’s presence as the show's eponymous Fatman is decidedly full of gravitas and dramatic heft, the show is a low-rent crime drama at its most mundane. This writer is a grade-A sucker for a good crime show (even one that does pretty much the same thing in every episode), but even with Conrad’s scenery-chewing, I have yet to warm up to Jake and the Fatman.
As far as specifics go, the dramatic shape of the series in its second season is the same as it ever was. Conrad plays District Attorney James McShane, a gruff and unlikable curmudgeon who does whatever it takes to get the job done. Every once in a while we see the adorable soft side of his cranky demeanor, but for the most part, he’s a crime-fighter through and through, one who would steal an old lady’s cane if it meant solving the case. He is balanced by the studly Jake Styles (Joe Penney), the straight-man of the pair who counters McShane’s standoffishness with a steady dose of Los Angelino razzmatazz (hot cars, hotter women, etc.).
This season starts off with a potentially promising scenario - any crime show benefits from a new location, and the guys' trip to Hawai'i in the two-part Wish You Were Here is definitely the highlight of the season - but again, not only is the chemistry of our two protagonists somewhat undercooked, but the scenarios here never quite gel. There are plots that involve senators who die in plane crashes (Why Can't You Behave?), young ladies overdosing (Someone to Watch Over Me), and even a bomb threat (Side by Side), but nothing has much punch.
Don't get me wrong: As all crime-TV fans know, a show doesn’t have to be unique to be engaging. The same old scenario can play out each week for twenty-odd seasons and still give viewers what they want (Law & Order, anyone?). But the thing about these episodes is that even though Conrad gets the occasional chance to sink his teeth into a particular plot point, the show shows little muscle.
