Based on the critically acclaimed novel of the same name, this series provided a hopeful, yet honest look at life in the new South. Set in the fictional Sparta, Mississippi, the show was a marvelous blend of heartfelt drama and folksy humor. It portrayed both the professional and personal pursuits of Sparta P.D's officers.
Harriet consults Gillespie after she reluctantly agrees to help her son get his imprisoned father's murder conviction reversed.
Gillespie and Tibbs meet legal resistance trying to protect a high-school teacher from a disturbed admirer.
A suspected revenge bombing may be a smoke screen for a restaurateur's (Shannon Eubanks) insurance scam.
Harriet DeLong asks Chief Gillespie to mediate a custody dispute when a wealthy woman attempts to take guardianship of her nephew.
Gillespie appears to be apathetic about prosecuting Harriet DeLong's ex-husband, who has been arrested on a murder and robbery charge.
All signs point to bookstore owner Carl Tibbitts as a suspect in his wife's murder, but Sweet believes in his friend's innocence.
A psychiatrist protects a patient who confessed to a murder for which an innocent man stands to be executed.
Lonnie Jamison and Virgil show a despondent Eugene DeLong, whose father is facing the death penalty for murder, that life continues.
Released by his kidnappers, Chief Gillespie hunts for Dugan's killers while attempting to prevent the assassination of a civil rights leader.
A retired detective (Ken Curtis) assists Gillespie's probe of a murder at a rest home; guest Louise Fletcher.
E19
After her involvement in a crime committed in Philadelphia, Regina, an old friend of Althea's runs to Sparta. She stays with Althea and sparks fly with Officer Sweet, but her past catches up when a dead body is found, and it's connected to her.
Tibbs' niece and Bubba's nephew witness a crime and try to prove a dangerous parolee is not dead, as believed.
The murder of a young prostitute leads Gillespie and Tibbs (Carroll O'Connor, Howard Rollins) to different suspects. Guest stars: Eric Pierpoint, Renee Jones.
When Chief Gillespie (Carroll O'Connor) is kidnapped, Virgil (Howard Rollins) suspects Capt. Dugan (Joe Don Baker) has inside information.
A supply of cocaine, a double disappearance and Virgil's reluctance to forget a grudge are somehow linked together.
Virgil narrowly escapes death at the hands of Richie Epson's henchmen, but Gillespie still hasn't garnered enough evidence to prove Epson is a major drug supplier.