When a former cop marries a wealthy widow, his ex-girlfriend sees an opportunity for blackmail. But their plan to keep her quiet and out of their lives does not exactly go as planned.

Gillepsie's term as County Sheriff is coming to an end, and his enemies have found a local businessman, Kerry Madigan, who has high political aspiration, to run against him. They even attempt to enlist Forbes' support and the support of the local press in painting an unfavorable picture of Gillepsie. Meanwhile, the police suspect Frank Cole, one of Madigan's employees, of murdering a pregnant woman. When they request a warrant to test Cole's blood for a DNA match of the dead woman's baby, the judge, who respects Madigan and his employees, is unwilling to approve it.

All eyes are on Sparta after an internationally renowned actress arrives unexpectedly in the rural Mississippi town—and with a killer secret.

When a serial killer of women is on the loose in Sparta, all the clues lead Sheriff Gillespie and Forbes to the home of the wealthy Judge Walker.

The Sparta police investigate allegations of child abuse in a religious cult run by a charismatic leader, leading to a tense, and deadly, stand-off.

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.

The Chief of Detectives of the New York Police Department, is a tough cop who has worked his way up the ladder from being on a beat.