Cracker

Gerry "Fitz" Fitzgerald is an alcoholic, self-hating psychologist and compulsive gambler who lectures at local community colleges and hosts a radio-call in show, while assisting the Los Angeles police department in various crimes. Fitz is asked to help track down a female serial killer of men who writes him love notes, claiming to be in love with Fitz. With the clock ticking and minimal evidence to move the investigation along, Fitz must find a way to locate the killer before she strikes again. On a personal front, Fitz is also having problems at home: Judith, his wife and a feminist author, is on the verge of throwing in the towel on their marriage despite their newborn baby. Michael, Fitz's 17-year-old son, finds it extremely difficult to relate to his equally troubled father.

When Fitz's son, Michael, is abducted and becomes the next target for the serial killer Janice, who claims to be in love with Fitz, he must race against the clock within the next few hours to find the killer before his son joins her other victims. When the police finally capture Janice, Fitz must probe into her innermost thoughts to try to get her to reveal Michael's location before he is to be electrocuted like the other victims.

When an amnesia victim, covered in blood, is found near the scene of a brutal murder aboard a moving train, the police are convinced they have their killer and bring Fitz in to get a confession. Fitz, however, is less convinced of the suspect's guilt, and takes it upon himself to help the man, the 'John Doe,' recover his memory while he searches for the real killer. Meanwhile, at Judith's insistence, Fitz attends a Gambler's Anonymous meeting, which culminates in Fitz leading the members in a betting frenzy.

When a newborn baby goes missing from a local hospital, Fitz becomes convinced that the kidnapper is a woman, regardless of the eye witnesses and videotape evidence. But the truth ends up being more surprising than any wild suspicions. Meanwhile, Fitz and Michael are in a bitter disagreement over Michael's ex-girlfriend and her re-appearance into their lives. Fitz also attempts to communicate with his wife Judith, which ends up being a mistake.

Fitz joins forces with the Los Angeles police department as they track a severely disturbed young couple, a junkie named Tina and a stuttering, mentally disturbed man named Sean, who have fallen in love with each other while on a murderous rampage. Meanwhile, Judith rejects Fitz' latest plea to move back home after discovering that he continues to suffer from his gambling addiction and refuses to seek professional help.

When a teenage boy is accused of murdering his promiscuous mother, Fitz retraces the victim's final hours, determined to find another explanation for the vicious crime despite opposition from his grumpy boss, Lt. Fry, who thinks the teenager is guilty. Meanwhile, Fitz's family bonding efforts at Sunday dinner blow up in his face due to his jealousy over Judith, his lackluster efforts to bond with his son, Michael, and daughter, Hope, and Judith's overprotective mother.

When Colleen McBeal, a controversial radio personality, is being stalked by one of her listeners, Fitz's investigation yields shocking and deadly results when it's revealed that Colleen and her manager Jeffrey have faked the stalking for publicity ratings, and then Jeffrey is murdered by a real stalker/listener. Meanwhile, Fitz discovers that Judith has plans to spend a romantic evening with their marriage counselor, Garson Shepherd, so he retaliates by taking Tyler out to the same restaurant just to make Judith angry and jealous.

Fitz assists the police in tracking down a serial sniper whose killings of four African-American women have all the ear markings of being revenge killings. During this, Tyler begins dating a handsome K-9 cop, named Dale, while Watlington deals with Lt. Fry's handling of the case as well as his ex-wife Tisha's decision to re-marry a younger man who is also an ex-con. Meanwhile, Judith asks Fitz to watch over their newborn son while she interviews for a new job, and she admits to being unfaithful to Fitz with their marriage counselor.

Fitz and the police are startled to discover that the next target for the sniper is someone they all have a relationship with. Meanwhile, Judith's admission to her betrayal somehow brings both herself and Fitz together again over their newborn son.

When a famous porn star/stripper, named Dee Dee Wilder, is found murdered in her house, Fitz and the police investigate. Meanwhile, Fitz has a heart attack, which brings Judith back for a temporary reconciliation, while his daughter Hope tries to persuade him to change his lifestyle.

When a wealthy teenage girl is found murdered at a local rave, Fitz investigates and discovers that her friends are a clique of wealthy and spoiled teens who have formed a sex club. Meanwhile, Fitz and Judith deal with Hope who has gotten into trouble at school over her own activities while carousing for boys.

Fitz and the police investigate the brutal murder of a nosy landlady and a social worker in which evidence points to a troubled juvenile delinquent and his factory worker boss. Meanwhile, Tyler announces her engagement to Dale while Lt. Fry announces his promotion to chief detective. Fitz's home life gets worse when Judith becomes jealous about the amount of time he's spending around Tyler and the other detectives.

Fitz is hired by David Roberge, a famous child actor-turned-Hollywood studio mogul, to help clear his name when a teenage model is found murdered on the grounds of Roberge's Hollywood mansion, leading to conflicts with Fitz's former employer, Lt. Macy, and the other detectives on the police force, all of whom are still reeling from the shock of Hannah Tyler's murder. On the home front, Fitz doesn't welcome a visit from his estranged father, Emory, while Judith, Michael and Hope have mixed feelings of Mr. Fitzgerald's presence in their household.

Fitz assists the police and the new commanding officer, Lt. Monroe Macey (Lt. Fry's replacement), in tracking a serial killer of three women when a police officer becomes victim. Suspicion falls on the officer's partner, Pete Renauldi, who holds a clue to the killer's identity which prompts Tyler to go undercover to romance Renaldi in order to look for clues. Meanwhile on Fitz's home front, Judith becomes nervous when she thinks she might be pregnant again, and Michael wants a car for himself in the aftermath of turning 18.

When Detective Hannah Tyler is abducted by the killer, Fitz takes it upon himself to interrogate Renauldi about the identity of the killer he's protecting by divulging into the dirty officer's past.