In the Heat of the Night

In the Heat of the Night is an American television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name starring Carroll O'Connor as the white police chief William Gillespie, and Howard Rollins as the African-American police detective Virgil Tibbs. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995. Its executive producers were Fred Silverman, Juanita Bartlett and Carroll O'Connor. TGG Direct released the first season of the series to DVD on August 28, 2012.

In the Heat of the Night (1988-1995) is an American network police procedural created by James Lee Barrett for NBC and later CBS, based on the film and novel of the same name. Carroll O'Connor plays stubborn white police chief Bill Gillespie, who reluctantly works alongside Howard Rollins as Virgil Tibbs, a sharp Black homicide detective from the North. Their uneasy partnership is the engine of the show: Gillespie must hold his small town together while Tibbs fights skepticism and prejudice in every interview and arrest. Alan Autry as Bubba Skinner and Anne-Marie Johnson as Althea Tibbs round out the cast of officers and family. Across eight seasons and roughly 146 hour-long episodes, the series mostly moves through standalone cases of the week, with the racial friction gradually easing into respect and friendship. The tone is earnest and grounded, with a warm, steady atmosphere of a close community under strain. Set in a fictional southern town during the civil rights era aftermath, the show carries the feel of a character-driven network crime drama. Fans of Hill Street Blues and the original film will find resonance here.

Viewers broadly rate the series positively, praising its lead performances and its layered handling of race and policing in a small Southern town, while noting that it softened into a more conventional cop show over time.

• In the Heat of the Night (1967)shared small town southern police procedural with racial tension between white authority and black detective
• Hill Street Bluesshared police procedural with partnership dynamic and social issues in a small community
• Sheriff Loboshared pairing of a veteran lawman with a partner confronting prejudice in a rural setting
• Homicide: Life on the Streetshared character driven cop drama with moral conflict and institutional prejudice

Created by

James Lee Barrett

Release Date

1988-03-06

Episode runtime

60 min

Rating

7.6 / 10 (70)

What is In the Heat of the Night about?

A white police chief and a Black detective from the north team up to solve crimes in a small southern town riven by racial tension.

What is In the Heat of the Night like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of In the Heat of the Night as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is In the Heat of the Night violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in In the Heat of the Night as mild.

What did critics think of In the Heat of the Night?

Viewers broadly rate the series positively, praising its lead performances and its layered handling of race and policing in a small Southern town, while noting that it softened into a more conventional cop show over time.

Which shows are like In the Heat of the Night?

Shows with a similar feel include In the Heat of the Night (1967), Hill Street Blues, Sheriff Lobo, and Homicide: Life on the Street.

How long is In the Heat of the Night?

In the Heat of the Night: 8 seasons, 146 episodes.

Is In the Heat of the Night still running?

No, In the Heat of the Night has ended.

Where can I watch In the Heat of the Night?

In United States, In the Heat of the Night streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.