March 6, 1988 - May 16, 1995
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In The Heat Of The Night was based on the 1967 movie of the same name, starring Rod Steiger as Bill Gillespie and Sidney Poitier as Virgil Tibbs. But with Carroll O'Connor taking over the Steiger role and Howard Rollins subbing for Tibbs, the show was an instant success.
In this series, Virgil Tibbs, a top homicide detective in South Philadelphia, returns to his hometown of Sparta, Mississippi for his mother's funeral. At the same time, the Sparta Police Department was in the middle of a big murder case and getting nowhere fast. Knowing Tibbs' expertise in his field, Sparta's mayor hired him on the spot as the new chief of detectives. This came as a big shock to the whole department, particularly Chief Gillespie. But gradually, Gillespie and Tibbs built a strong respect and friendship for each other. This show dealt with many controversial topics, such as the rape of Tibbs' wife, Gillespie meeting the daughter he never knew he had and many more. Perhaps the most shocking was when Gillespie was voted out as chief for his interracial relationship with his one-time advesary, Councilwoman Harriet Delong, whom he eventually married. This show aired for seven years, and I'm sorry it didn't last longer. It was a very well done and terrific show! |
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THE CAST:
CARROLL O'CONNOR - William O. "Bill" Gillespie
HOWARD ROLLINS - Virgil Tibbs
CARL WEATHERS - Hampton Forbes
ALAN AUTRY - D. L. "Bubba" Skinner
DAVID HART - Parker Williams
GEOFFREY THORNE - Wilson Sweet
HUGH O'CONNOR - Lonnie Jamison
DENISE NICHOLAS - Harriet Delong
CHRISTIAN LeBLANC - Junior Abernathy
LOIS NETTLETON - Joanne St. John
CRYSTAL FOX - Luann Corben
HEAR THE THEME SONG!
