"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)

Also Known As:

Dans la chaleur de la nuit (France) (dubbed version) [fr]
En el calor de la noche (Spain) [es]
In der Hitze der Nacht (West Germany) [de]
L'ispettore Tibbs (Italy) [it]
No Calor da Noite (Portugal) [pt]
Yön kuumuudessa (Finland) [fi]

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:

The season after Howard E. Rollins Jr. left the cast, he did return for several guest appearances. However, Anne-Marie Johnson, who played Althea, didn't. Her absence was explained by having Althea leave Virgil because of her having emotional problems stemming not only from her rape, but the stress of her being married to a policeman.

Quotes:

Bill Gillespie: Yeah, the last time I caught you using my phone in here, the emergency was about some woman who was driving your car dressed in black lace underwear.
Bubba Skinner: I wish there was some things you'd forget Chief.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

In the Heat of the Night

A Great Cop Show

This show will always be one of my favorites. It takes a look at the so-called New South and shows the many ways it has gotten better and how in some ways it is still the same. In fact, I still prefer the television series over the movie any time. The late Howard Rollins was superb as Virgil Tibbs and the late Caroll O'Connor made the perfect Bill Gillespie. However, the real standout was Alan Autry as Seargent (and later Captain) Bubba Skinner. He is the perfect example of the tough guy with the heart of gold and he was what made the show special.