In the Heat of the Night (1988)
TVPG
Crime drama
Mystery
Based on the classic film, a police chief and his team tackle crime and social issues in the small town of Sparta, Mississippi, navigating racial tensions and personal dramas.
Cast & Crew
Carroll O'Connor William Gillespie
Howard E. Rollins Virgil Tibbs
Anne-Marie Johnson Althea Tibbs
Alan Autry Bubba Skinner
Denise Nicholas Harriet DeLong
David Hart Parker Williams
Hugh O'Connor Lonnie Jamison
Christian LeBlanc Junior Abernathy
Lois Nettleton Joanne St. John
Fred Silverman Executive Producer
⨁Full Cast & Crew
Upcoming TV Airings
The airings below are based on a generic national schedule. Times and dates can vary by TV provider.
Wednesday, November 26
Liar's Poker
Season 5 • Episode 4
Gillespie comes under scrutiny for trying to clear a prostitute charged with killing a wealthy man.
Wednesday, November 26
... And Justice for Some
Season 4 • Episode 5
Gillespie and Tibbs clash over turning a hit-and-run driver/drug dealer over to the FBI.
Wednesday, November 26
Hearts of Gold
Season 4 • Episode 6
The murder of a prominent attorney is linked to Bubba's new love interest, a wealthy widow.
Wednesday, November 26
Quick Fix
Season 4 • Episode 7
Evidence indicates a mentally impaired girl is the mother of an infant found in a shallow grave.
Thursday, November 27
Ruda's Awakening
Season 5 • Episode 5
Virgil's aunt (Fran Bennett) lets anger cloud her recollection of a young black man's shooting.
Thursday, November 27
Homecoming
Season 4 • Episode 8
The investigation of a convict's murder is hindered by too many willing suspects.
Thursday, November 27
A Problem Too Personal
Season 4 • Episode 9
Gillespie tries to remain aloof in the prosecution of Harriet DeLong's ex, for robbery and murder.
Thursday, November 27
A Final Arrangement
Season 4 • Episode 10
All signs point to bookstore owner Carl Tibbitts as a suspect in his wife's murder.
Friday, November 28
Unfinished Business
Season 5 • Episode 6
In Los Angeles for a murder trial, Bubba encounters killers targeting the key witness.
Sunday, November 30
Family Matters
Season 4 • Episode 11
Tibbs' attempts to reconcile family members stall when his cousin is implicated in a crime.
Sunday, November 30
Bounty Hunter
Season 4 • Episode 12
Gillespie tries to stop a bounty hunter from killing a man wanted for a rich woman's murder.
Sunday, November 30
Blessings
Season 4 • Episode 13
A reporter with questionable motives makes Gillespie the subject of an article.
Sunday, November 30
Shine on Sparta Moon
Season 4 • Episode 14
An accident blinds a high school football star and kills his girlfriend.
Sunday, November 30
Execution of Trust
Season 4 • Episode 15
Gillespie must pry a confessed killer's name from a psychiatrist.
Sunday, November 30
Child of Promise
Season 4 • Episode 16
Virgil's arrest of a young pusher affects one of Althea's students.
Monday, December 1
The More Things Change
Season 5 • Episode 7
Gillespie and DeLong try romance; a blackmailer is charged with her father's murder.
Monday, December 1
Family Matters
Season 4 • Episode 11
Tibbs' attempts to reconcile family members stall when his cousin is implicated in a crime.
Monday, December 1
Bounty Hunter
Season 4 • Episode 12
Gillespie tries to stop a bounty hunter from killing a man wanted for a rich woman's murder.
Monday, December 1
Blessings
Season 4 • Episode 13
A reporter with questionable motives makes Gillespie the subject of an article.
Tuesday, December 2
Sweet, Sweet Blues
Season 5 • Episode 8
A blues singer claims he witnessed the 40-year-old race-motivated slaying of Sweet's grandfather.
Tuesday, December 2
Shine on Sparta Moon
Season 4 • Episode 14
An accident blinds a high school football star and kills his girlfriend.
Tuesday, December 2
Execution of Trust
Season 4 • Episode 15
Gillespie must pry a confessed killer's name from a psychiatrist.
Tuesday, December 2
Child of Promise
Season 4 • Episode 16
Virgil's arrest of a young pusher affects one of Althea's students.
Wednesday, December 3
Sparta Gold
Season 5 • Episode 9
Bubba can't get another county's authorities to cooperate after discovering marijuana-farming there.
Wednesday, December 3
Paper Castles
Season 4 • Episode 17
Tibbs tries to protect a friend from a shady real-estate venture, but the man is killed.
Wednesday, December 3
Laid to Waste
Season 4 • Episode 18
A blind woman hears an apparent murder in a neighboring duplex, and Parker uncovers a motive.
Wednesday, December 3
First Deadly Sin
Season 4 • Episode 19
A man forbids his son to tell police he saw a rape, for fear of the youth's chances for seminary.
Thursday, December 4
An Eye for an Eye
Season 5 • Episode 10
Despite FBI presence, Gillespie and Tibbs search for the kidnapper of a DA's daughter.
Thursday, December 4
Just a Country Boy
Season 4 • Episode 20
Bubba searches Los Angeles for a Sparta fugitive who jumped bail.
Thursday, December 4
No Other Road
Season 4 • Episode 21
Tibbs and Jamison urge Harriet DeLong's son to persevere after his father's death sentence.
Thursday, December 4
A Turning
Season 4 • Episode 22
Gillespie and Tibbs pursue the killers of drug dealers; Althea worries about her husband's safety.
Friday, December 5
The Littlest Victim
Season 5 • Episode 11
A robbery suspect threatens the lives of a boozing woman (Denise Miller) and her infant.
Friday, December 5
A Woman Much Admired
Season 5 • Episode 1
Gillespie leaves town to investigate an ex-lover's murder and must face the daughter he never knew.
Friday, December 5
Baby for Sale
Season 5 • Episode 2
Threatened with losing his adopted son, Bubba aids the natural father in a robbery.
Friday, December 5
Obsession
Season 5 • Episode 3
Gillespie and Tibbs face legal obstacles when protecting a woman.
Sunday, December 7
Paper Castles
Season 4 • Episode 17
Tibbs tries to protect a friend from a shady real-estate venture, but the man is killed.
Sunday, December 7
Laid to Waste
Season 4 • Episode 18
A blind woman hears an apparent murder in a neighboring duplex, and Parker uncovers a motive.
Sunday, December 7
First Deadly Sin
Season 4 • Episode 19
A man forbids his son to tell police he saw a rape, for fear of the youth's chances for seminary.
Sunday, December 7
Just a Country Boy
Season 4 • Episode 20
Bubba searches Los Angeles for a Sparta fugitive who jumped bail.
Sunday, December 7
No Other Road
Season 4 • Episode 21
Tibbs and Jamison urge Harriet DeLong's son to persevere after his father's death sentence.
Sunday, December 7
A Turning
Season 4 • Episode 22
Gillespie and Tibbs pursue the killers of drug dealers; Althea worries about her husband's safety.
Monday, December 8
The Landlord
Season 5 • Episode 12
Gillespie is leery of the evidence in the murder of an abusive landlord.
Monday, December 8
Liar's Poker
Season 5 • Episode 4
Gillespie comes under scrutiny for trying to clear a prostitute charged with killing a wealthy man.
Monday, December 8
Ruda's Awakening
Season 5 • Episode 5
Virgil's aunt (Fran Bennett) lets anger cloud her recollection of a young black man's shooting.
Monday, December 8
Unfinished Business
Season 5 • Episode 6
In Los Angeles for a murder trial, Bubba encounters killers targeting the key witness.
Tuesday, December 9
Fool for Love
Season 5 • Episode 13
Tibbs and Gillespie suspect a doctor who made his girlfriend the prime suspect in his wife's murder.
Tuesday, December 9
The More Things Change
Season 5 • Episode 7
Gillespie and DeLong try romance; a blackmailer is charged with her father's murder.
Tuesday, December 9
Sweet, Sweet Blues
Season 5 • Episode 8
A blues singer claims he witnessed the 40-year-old race-motivated slaying of Sweet's grandfather.
Tuesday, December 9
Sparta Gold
Season 5 • Episode 9
Bubba can't get another county's authorities to cooperate after discovering marijuana-farming there.
Wednesday, December 10
Love, Honor and Obey
Season 5 • Episode 14
A mugging investigation uncovers the plight of an abused wife.
Wednesday, December 10
An Eye for an Eye
Season 5 • Episode 10
Despite FBI presence, Gillespie and Tibbs search for the kidnapper of a DA's daughter.
Wednesday, December 10
The Littlest Victim
Season 5 • Episode 11
A robbery suspect threatens the lives of a boozing woman (Denise Miller) and her infant.
Wednesday, December 10
The Landlord
Season 5 • Episode 12
Gillespie is leery of the evidence in the murder of an abusive landlord.
Thursday, December 11
Odessa
Season 5 • Episode 15
The honoring of Sparta's first black woman voter may touch off a racial incident.
Thursday, December 11
Fool for Love
Season 5 • Episode 13
Tibbs and Gillespie suspect a doctor who made his girlfriend the prime suspect in his wife's murder.
Thursday, December 11
Love, Honor and Obey
Season 5 • Episode 14
A mugging investigation uncovers the plight of an abused wife.
Thursday, December 11
Odessa
Season 5 • Episode 15
The honoring of Sparta's first black woman voter may touch off a racial incident.
Friday, December 12
A Time to Trust
Season 5 • Episode 16
Virgil tries to gather evidence on a drug dealer connected to a student of Althea's.
Friday, December 12
A Time to Trust
Season 5 • Episode 16
Virgil tries to gather evidence on a drug dealer connected to a student of Althea's.
Friday, December 12
By Means Most Foul
Season 5 • Episode 17
A suspected revenge bombing may be a smoke screen for a restaurateur's insurance scam.
Friday, December 12
Trundel's Will Be Done
Season 5 • Episode 18
A wealthy widow claims Harriet DeLong's nephew, saying her husband fathered him.
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