"In the Heat of the Night" (1988) TV series 1988-1994

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Bernard McEveety

Writer:

Jordan Budde (writer) (one episode)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Release Date:

6 March 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime | Mystery

Plot:

A crusty southern sherriff and his African American lieutenant and detective investigate crimes in their community.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Southern U.S. | Based On Film | Black Cop | Sergeant

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Golden Globes. Another 4 wins & 3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Nov. 9	11:00 AM	WGNAMER	December Days	#3.14
Mon. Nov. 9	12:00 PM	WGNAMER	A Loss of Innocence	#3.15

Cast

Carroll O'Connor	...	Chief William O. 'Bill' Gillespie / ... (145 episodes, 1988-1995)
Alan Autry	...	Capt. V.L. 'Bubba' Skinner / ... (145 episodes, 1988-1995)
David Hart	...	Officer Parker Williams / ... (145 episodes, 1988-1995)
Hugh O'Connor	...	Lt. Lonnie Jamison / ... (145 episodes, 1988-1995)
Howard E. Rollins Jr.	...	Chief of Detectives Virgil Tibbs / ... (121 episodes, 1988-1994)
Anne-Marie Johnson	...	Althea Tibbs (118 episodes, 1988-1993)
Geoffrey Thorne	...	Sgt. Wilson Sweet / ... (110 episodes, 1988-1993)
Crystal R. Fox	...	Officer Luann Corbin / ... (101 episodes, 1989-1995)
Dee Shaw	...	Cpl. Dee Shepard / ... (83 episodes, 1989-1995)
C.C. Taylor	...	Officer Charlie Peake / ... (79 episodes, 1989-1995)
Denise Nicholas	...	Harriet DeLong / ... (67 episodes, 1989-1995)
Randall Franks	...	Officer Randy Goode (64 episodes, 1988-1993)

Runtime:

60 min (150 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Conyers, Georgia, USA

Company:

Fred Silverman Productions

Trivia:

Carroll O'Connor wrote several scripts, under the pseudonym Matt Harris, for the show and two "In the Heat of the Night" movies. He worked under the pseudonym concerned that his scripts would not be received well by television critics.

Quotes:

Bill Gillespie: I'll stay here and round up a posse, in case I feel the need to cut anybody off at the pass.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The O'Reilly Factor: (2008-07-08)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

In the Heat of the Night

A worthy successor to a great film

It's extremely rare these days to find a film-to-tv spin-off that actually works (anybody remember 'Working Girl'?) but this 'Heat' is a worthy exception. It also has a strong, original slant of it's own -- the quirky (and, since this is the fictional South, sometimes downright eccentric) ways that ordinary people behave in extraordinary situations. Of course, in lazier moments this can sometimes mean genre cliches. And as the years go on it becomes increasingly difficult -- due to a series of well-publicized internal troubles -- to find ALL the stars together in the same episode. But at its best, the show has some powerful things to say about the human condition...and at its worst, it's still a beautifully produced hour spent with some very likable characters.