Jake and the Fatman - Season 3 Episode 12 In the Still of the Night
Overview: Derek gets Jake to look into things, when the sister of a good friend is arrested for possession of drugs. She says they were planted by her mother-in-law, who is angry with her son for trying to take control of the family company, and at her for marrying him.
Comment
Magnum P.I., Riptide (my personal favorite), Simon & Simon, and all the other little detective shows that were on during the late 70s and early 80s network battles were light entertainment. It's not to say that they weren't great entertainment, but just that the tone of the shows were less stressful and more family friendly. Jake and the Fatman got a bit darker. The action and comedy were still there, but it sort of feels like the older sibling of detective shows. And it does so in almost the same way that Columbo feels like the adult in the room of detective shows from that era. However, it's still entertaining fair that I would love to see brought back in some form. Buddy detective shows are a lot better than police