After threatening two boys (John Aaron Bennett, Zach McLemore) who trespassed on his property, a dangerous man (Jason Byce) is shot dead in his home. With Carroll O'Connor.
Gillespie becomes sheriff; the murders of two Spartans link to a mentally impaired youth; guests Stacy Keach, Burgess Meredith.
Bubba's friend Lorie Foster is accused of murder following the death of the man who infected her with AIDS.
A mysterious caller leads police to a body at the bottom of a pond; guests Steve Kanaly, Shannon Eubanks.
Sheriff Gillespie's daughter suspects her boyfriend may be involved with the distribution of illegal automatic weapons.
Officer LuAnn Corbin (Crystal Fox) tries to help when her boyfriend (Willie Gault) is blackmailed by a drug dealer (Judson Vaughn).
Tibbs returns to Sparta with a law degree, news of his failed marriage, and a murder suspect to defend.
Bubba (Alan Autry) pursues a drug dealer (Damon Pooser) while his nephew lies in a coma from a heroin overdose.
LuAnn takes in an abandoned baby found in a crack house; the welfare agency wants the child returned to its addict mother.
A woman with a history of emotional problems and drunken driving is involved in a girl's hit-and-run death.
An interracial relationship between two teens stirs up strong emotions when the girl is shot in the back.
Tibbs (Howard Rollins) defends Parker against charges he assaulted an ex-girlfriend's (Victoria Jackson) fiance.
A former madam returns to Sparta to run a phone-sex service and assures police that her employees are doing nothing illegal.
Chief Forbes' fiancee arrives in Sparta to give him an ultimatum about their relationship; Forbes' young boxing protege commits a burglary.
Threats against a blues singer (Bobby Short) coincide with the arrival in Sparta of his biggest fan, a wealthy heiress (Jean Simmons).
A client who murdered his wife accuses counselor Tibbs of encouraging a police investigation, prompting Tibbs' resignation from his firm.
Gillespie confronts Sparta's racist past after a synagogue is vandalized; guests Jerry Stiller; Mindy Rickles.
The discovery of slave artifacts at a construction site leads to an archaeological survey and murder.
Against Gillespie's warnings, Parker's rowdy stepfather (Pat Hingle) returns to Sparta followed by homicidal art thieves; guest Anne Meara.
Harriet and Bill become targets of a crazed gunman on the eve of their wedding; guest William Gannon.
Councilwoman DeLong's son objects to her romance with Chief Gillespie and refuses to cooperate after witnessing the gang-style execution of his best friend.
Chief Gillespie is caught between Harriet and her son when Eugene agrees to identify the gang members responsible for his best friend's murder.
Officer Corbin is forced to pursue her ex-con brother when he returns to Sparta and becomes a suspect in a robbery.
Gillespie and Virgil search for the killer of a married man who was having an affair with a high-school student.
Althea goes into a deep depression sparked by the suicide of a troubled student while his former girlfriend falls for a biker.
Gillespie tries to befriend the daughter he never knew when she returns to Sparta to settle her deceased mother's estate.
Althea withholds the truth about a murder from Virgil when a friend confides that she killed her boss during a sexual attack.
A doctor who is treating Virgil's terminally ill aunt falls under suspicion when Chief Gillespie investigates a series of mercy killings.
A country singer (Robert Goulet) accused of stealing songs accidentally kills his accuser; guest Gary Crosby.
Virgil's investigation into the apparent suicide of a waitress leads him to an old college acquaintance who was the last person to be seen with the victim.
A local judge running for public office frames an ex-con for the murder of his alcoholic wife and kills him, claiming self-defense.
Sgt. Sweet is accused of soliciting a bribe by two men who created a disturbance outside a private party that ejected them for insulting Harriet.
Parker Williams is placed in a difficult position when his hot-tempered stepfather is arrested for the murder of his former employer.
Gillespie worries about Harriet's involvement in a landlord dispute case when he learns her client was acquainted with a murder victim.
A sniper kills a white supremacist's campaign manager who staged, for sympathy votes, an attempt on his candidate's life.
A woman wants to reopen the 20-year-old case of a man who embezzled from her late husband; guest Karen Black.
A businessman gives up land his father willed to a black sharecropper, raising tensions in Sparta. Written by Denise Nicholas.
Mobsters buying land near Sparta try to drive Gillespie's daughter from her home; guest Burgess Meredith.
Gillespie discovers a major New Orleans mob real estate scam is behind the scheme to force his daughter from her home and acquire her land.
Harriet consults Gillespie after she reluctantly agrees to help her son get his imprisoned father's murder conviction reversed.
While investigating the death of the woman he once loved, Gillespie meets his daughter for the first time.
A friend of Bubba's, fearing the loss of his adopted son, is coerced by the boy's biological father into committing a fatal armed robbery.
Gillespie and Tibbs meet legal resistance trying to protect a high-school teacher from a disturbed admirer.
Virgil's Aunt Ruda observes the shooting of a black man who was resisting arrest, but her rage clouds her recollection of the incident.
While in Los Angeles to testify in an organized-crime case, Bubba tries to protect a boy who is the state's key witness.
A woman is the prime suspect in the murder of her father, while a more likely culprit continues an affair with the dead man's wife.
A blues singer (Bobby Short) claims he witnessed the 40-year-old race-motivated slaying of Sweet's grandfather.
When Bubba stumbles upon a marijuana farm in a neighboring county, he finds local law officers less than cooperative in smoking out the growers.
Gillespie and Virgil try to outwit FBI agents who are searching for the man who kidnapped the daughter of District Attorney Darnelle.
Officer Jamison encounters a violent robbery suspect while attempting to rescue an infant from a negligent, alcoholic mother.
Gillespie is leery of the evidence in the murder of an abusive landlord (Hunter Van Leer). Directed by Larry Hagman.
Gillespie and Virgil become suspicious of a local doctor who implicates his mistress in the death of his wealthy but invalid wife.
While investigating an assault, Parker discovers an abused woman whose husband holds the key to her life -- or death.
The police department attempts to prevent racial incidents when the city honors the first black woman to register to vote in Sparta.
Althea is at odds with Virgil over his pursuit of a suspected drug dealer because it threatens to break up the home life of one of her students.
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.
A man (Warren Kendrick) comes to his son's (Justin Lazard) rescue when the lad is caught gambling with someone else's money. With Carroll O'Connor.
An insurance investigator's murder points to an ex-convict (Robert Donner) seeking his 14-year-old stash.
Tibbs and Gillespie are charged with obstruction of justice when they aid a fugitive who wishes to avoid returning to his homeland and certain death.
Gillespie and Tibbs are tried on charges that their actions led to the death of the fugitive they were trying to save from deportation.
While in Philadelphia to investigate a former partner's death, Virgil (Howard Rollins) is arrested for the murder of a city cop.
Gillespie travels to Philadelphia to help Tibbs, who has been arrested for a murder he did not commit.
Chief Gillespie is shocked by the seemingly uncaring reaction of the father of a murdered teenage prostitute.
Gillespie tries to calm public furor while investigating charges a science teacher molested a student.
Gillespie and Virgil have different game plans concerning the fate of a federal criminal who is linked to a local hit-and-run case.
Bubba's romance with a high school sweetheart conflicts with the murder investigation of an attorney.
Evidence indicates a mentally impaired girl is the mother of an infant found in a shallow grave.
Willing suspects hamper the investigation after a paroled convict is murdered; Gillespie is held responsible for the convict's earlier release.
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.
Virgil's cousin is the prime suspect in a robbery-murder, complicating Virgil's attempts to reconcile his aunt with the family.
Gillespie must stop a hired bounty hunter who plans to kill a Sparta man wanted for questioning in a Houston murder.
An accident related to moonshine whiskey blinds a high-school football star and kills his girlfriend.
A psychiatrist protects a patient who confessed to a murder for which an innocent man stands to be executed.
Virgil's arrest of a young drug pusher has serious side effects for the youth's family, particularly his brother, and for Althea.
Virgil suspects the promoters of a crooked real estate deal in the murder of his friend, even though their alibi appears to be airtight.
A young blind woman reports hearing what she thinks is a murder, but Gillespie and Tibbs cannot find a body.
A man prohibits his son from contacting the police after the boy witnesses a rape, fearing it will affect his future.
Bubba and an insurance investigator (Debra Sandlund) search Los Angeles for a bail jumper from Sparta.
Lonnie Jamison and Virgil show a despondent Eugene DeLong, whose father is facing the death penalty for murder, that life continues.
Gillespie and Tibbs track the killers of two drug dealers; Althea worries about the dangers Virgil faces and suggests he change careers.
Althea is raped by an acquaintance, and Tibbs is faced with the possibility that they do not have enough evidence to prosecute the man.
After a beauty contestant suffers what appears to be an accidental death, Gillespie and Virgil discover otherwise and fight to uncover the perpetrators.
Chief Gillespie (Carroll O'Connor) attempts to trap a pair of lovers (Grainger Hines, Clare Wren) who have murdered the woman's husband. Guest star: Tim Griffin.
Sparta's first black female cop is killed while on duty, and an angry Chief Gillespie assumes responsibility for tracking down her killer.
Sweet (Geoffrey Thorne) defies Chief Gillespie (Carroll O'Connor) when he takes a personal interest in saving a 13-year-old crack addict (Dana Barron).
Released by his kidnappers, Chief Gillespie hunts for Dugan's killers while attempting to prevent the assassination of a civil rights leader.
The death of a stranger has serious repercussions for Parker when the woman he loves is linked to the unfortunate occurrence.
Bubba (Alan Autry) becomes a target after fatally shooting a former Spartan during an attempted robbery. With Carroll O'Connor and Howard Rollins.
An Amerasian suspected of robbery and murder claims to be the son of a former Sparta cop. With Carroll O'Connor and Howard Rollins.
A down-and-out former boxer decides to earn his living by blackmailing an organized-crime faction over a murder he once witnessed.
After the wife of a close friend dies because of a doctor's misdiagnosis, Gillespie fights his suspicions when the doctor is murdered.
A murderer (John Diehl) is on the run, and Gillespie (Carroll O'Connor) does everything he can to prevent him from killing again. With Alan Autry.
A councilwoman (Denise Nicholas) tries art therapy on a mute boy who may have witnessed his father's murder.
A retired detective (Ken Curtis) assists Gillespie's probe of a murder at a rest home; guest Louise Fletcher.
Althea suspects a student has problems at home, then learns one parent is dead, the other is missing.
Bubba downplays the gossip that he is the father of a baby left on his doorstep; blackmail and murder surface in the search for the baby's parents.
When a fundamentalist preacher is found dead, an ironclad alibi prevents Gillespie from pursuing the case against a traveling madam.
Althea finds a woman's death especially tragic, and Gillespie investigates whether the woman's ex-husband ran her down.
Tempers flare over the arrest of a black man (Steve Coulter) suspected of murder. With Howard Rollins and Carroll O'Connor.
Chief Gillespie refuses to point out the obvious suspect in the murder of Councilwoman DeLong's sister.
Councilwoman DeLong ventures outside Sparta to find the powerful figure responsible for her sister's murder.
As Tibbs and Gillespie fight for control of the department, a murderer re-creating an old voodoo case stalks Gillespie.
A woman (Susan Blakely) who is accused of patricide claims she was a victim of incest. With Carroll O'Connor, Howard Rollins.
During Tibbs' old partner's (Michael Warren) visit two FBI agents and a protected witness are murdered.
Gillespie (Carroll O'Connor) suspects Sheriff Thompson (Ed Ames), an old friend, may be responsible for a man's death. With Howard Rollins and Geoffrey Thorne.
Bubba (Alan Autry) falls in love with a deceitful siren (Barbara Stock). With Carroll O'Connor and Howard Rollins.
Virgil (Howard Rollins) questions his abilities after he fatally shoots a robbery suspect. With Carroll O'Connor.
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.
Tibbs (Howard Rollins) suspects racism played a part in the mysterious death of a progressive minister (J. Don Ferguson). With Carroll O'Connor.
A condemned man asks Gillespie (Carroll O'Connor) to visit him the evening before his execution. With Howard Rollins.
Joann (Lois Nettleton) makes a shocking confession to Gillespie (Carroll O'Connor) when her life is endangered by an escaped convict (Kevin Conway).
Despite the evidence, Gillespie and Tibbs do not believe a teenage mother was responsible for the death of her abandoned infant.
Tibbs' father-in-law creates friction; Gillespie placates a city council angry over attacks on senior citizens.
Gillespie (Carroll O'Connor) believes an assault victim (guest star Caryn West) is lying about her attacker. With Howard Rollins.
Two feuding sisters become murder suspects when it is discovered that their father died from poisoning, not heart failure.
An ambitious councilman (O.J. Simpson) won't support black workers who crossed an all-white picket line.
Filling in for Gillespie, a retired captain (Joe Don Baker) searches for a drunken driver who killed three teens.
Capt. Dugan (Joe Don Baker) keeps close tabs on Tibbs (Howard Rollins), who is searching for a lethal arsonist.
An odd character (Shirley Stoler) becomes a suspect when a skeleton is found on a wealthy eccentric's property. With Howard Rollins and Joe Don Baker.
When Chief Gillespie (Carroll O'Connor) is kidnapped, Virgil (Howard Rollins) suspects Capt. Dugan (Joe Don Baker) has inside information.
Politics motivates the mayor to have Gillespie and newcomer Tibbs investigate, together, a high-school girl's murder.
Tension mounts when a black businessman is rumored to be romancing the married white owner of a newspaper.
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.
The six wives of an imprisoned polygamist bring him gifts of food, only to become murder suspects when the man dies of poisoning.
A murderous escaped convict (Will Bledsoe) and his girlfriend take Althea (Anne-Marie Johnson) and a boy hostage.