Underrated Gem: In The Heat Of The Night The Tv Series.

You may have heard or have seen the classic 1967 mystery drama caper film of the same title starring the iconic Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. Well in 1988, a little over 20 years later, NBC premiered a new weekly cop series set in the south called In The Heat of The Night. It was television adaptation of the classic film starring Carroll O’Connor aka the iconic Archie Bunker and Howard E. Rollins most famous for his pivotal roles in the feature films Ragtime 1981(Which he was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar) and A Solidier Story 1984. It was a big risk trying to fill the shoes of such iconic actors like Poitier and Steiger who were amazing in their roles, but it paid off big because Carroll O’Connor and Howard Rollins not only made Gillespie and Tibbs their own, they even managed to flesh out and deepen the characters, and dare I say even surpass the previous two in the roles.

The Theme Song:

Blues singer Bill Champlain did a fantastic rendition of the iconic track originated by the late great Ray Charles for the 1967 movie. I might even be blasphemous enough to admit that I feel that Bill puts even more grit and soul into those lyrics than even Ray Charles did. You feel the power coming from this man’s entire body when he hits those notes, especially at the “It won’t be loooooooonnng, Just you be strong and it’ll be alright!” part. Truly one of the most memorable and rewindable themes ever made that perfectly embodies the life of a down home country cop in a small but gritty town.

The Pilot Movie:

The pilot movie premiered on March 6, 1988 and hit the ground running with setting up the series and the dynamics, which takes place after the film. Detective Virgil Tibbs returns to Sparta with his wife Althea for his mother’s funeral and ends up getting the job as Chief of Detectives at the Sparta police department. Needless to say that Virgil and the Chief as well as the other officers at Sparta PD butt heads, but they all have to learn to get past their differences and work together to solve a very important case revolved around two murders of a young girl and a young black boy suspected in her death. It included such iconic scenes as the “You may call me Mr. Tibbs” scene where Howard Rollins masterfully utters Sidney Poitier’s iconic line:

The Cast:

What a remarkable cast this show had. You already got an Emmy winning tv superstar who played one of tv’s most beloved and iconic characters with Carroll O’Connor and an Oscar nominated force of nature in Howard E. Rollins, but also such talented and lovable actors in Alan Autry, Anne-Marie Johnson, Crystal Fox, David Hart, Geoffrey Thorne, Hugh O’Connor and Denise Nicholas. A really skilled ensemble can make or break a television series and this one really made this show shine. Each of the core cast members had the skill to carry their own episodes as well skillfully juggling being very funny and deeply dramatic all in the same episode.

The Characters and Relationships:

One of the other things that made this show so great is the genuine chemistry amongst the cast and the familial bond of the characters. Tibbs and Gillespie start off a bit uneasy with each other in the beginning similar to the movie,but over time the two develop a very strong bond, not unlike a father and son. One built on respect and admiration of the other professionally and another built on friendship and camaraderie personally. Bubba and Tibbs definitely start off hostile and antagonistic towards the other due to racial tension but over time a real friendship develops between the two. Bubba Skinner played wonderfully by Alan Autry perhaps had the greatest character development out of the whole cast: Going from a hot headed oaf with racist attitudes to a genuinely lovable, hunky badass with a heart of gold. Ole’ Bubba was a teddy bear hiding behind a big ole’ Grizzly. The characters all become like family to each other and to us the viewers as well, because there’s something we can relate to and love about all of them.

The Location:

Sparta, Mississippi is the fictional small country town the show is set in and it is both all that’s good about the south and all that’s bad about the south, but over time as the show went on this very racist and backwards town evolved with each season as racial relations eased up a bit more and the people evolved with the times. The show was shot in Huntsville, Alabama and the lovely folks of Huntsville were very much apart of the show taking place in their town as extras or providing crafts services and other necessary functions. The reason the show’s southern roots feel so authentic is because it actually is.

The Black Representation:

In 1988 the only shows with a number of major black actors in lead roles were The Cosby Show, 227, Benson, A Different World, Diff’rent Strokes, Gimmie A Break and Amen, all comedies. There had yet to be a american tv drama with a handful of Black actors in major parts or leading\co-leading roles until In The Heat Of The Night. The show had quite a boastful amount of black actors as major leads and supporting\recurring parts that were all multi layered and diverse in backgrounds, personalities and experiences helping to establish that the Black race is not a monolith. The show took it a step further with the relationship turned marriage between Carroll O’Connor’s Chief Bill Gillespie and Denise Nicholas’ Harriet De Long becoming one of the few depictions of an interracial couple at the time.

10 Best Episodes:

Heat had many great and thrilling episodes but It’s good to highlight ten of what I think were their best efforts . These ten are episodes that would be great ones to start off with for any new viewer\potential fan to see the show at the top of its game.

10. Citizen Trundel Parts 1 and 2.

9. Hot Nights.

8. Country Mouse, City Mouse.

7. Accused.

6. Sweet, Sweet Blues.

5. Pilot.

4. Brotherly Love parts 1 and 2.

3. A Trip Upstate.

2. Missing.

1.Anniversary.

The Legacy:

In closing, this show is one of the all time great cop shows as well as one of the best 80’s\90’s tv dramas ever made, and yet… It seems to go unrecognized as such. I hope that if you never had the pleasure of checking out this amazing series that you will do so now. It currently airs in syndication on stations such as Newsnation, Bounce TV and ME TV. You may also find it online streaming full episodes.