Episodes
1. Child's Play
September 16, 1993
60 min
Chief Gillespie is fired by the city council and Sparta's new police chief Hampton Forbes arrives in town.Bill's last case with Sparta P.D. is a murder investigation in which a young boy has been implicated.
2. Hatton's Turn (1)
September 18, 1993
60 min
Hampton Forbes assumes the office of Chief of Police and Bill becomes the Sheriff of Newman county.Former Spartan Wade Hatton returns to Sparta hoping to make sense of his life and rekindle his relationship with Sarah Hallisey.Bubba and Covey take the new chief on a tour of Sparta and Bill takes Wade to visit some distant cousins.Meanwhile two young criminals involve a mentally handicapped young man in a terrible crime.
Guest Stars:
Rosemary Murphy
3. Hatton's Turn (2)
September 18, 1993
60 min
Wade and Sarah try to keep young Henry from being punished for a crime he did not commit and Forbes and his officers search for the two men who are really responsible.
Guest Stars:
Burgess Meredith
4. A Depraved Heart
September 23, 1993
60 min
The daughter of an old friend asks Bubba to arrest the man who knowingly gave her AIDS.
5. Incident at Brewer's Pond
September 30, 1993
60 min
A night of revelry at a local pond turns deadly.
Guest Stars:
Steve Kanaly
6. A Love Lost
October 14, 1993
60 min
Lana's ex- boyfriend comes to see her and brings a load of stolen rifles with him.
7. Singin' the Blues
October 28, 1993
60 min
Luann moonlights as a singer at a nightclub and finds romance with the clubs owner.Her happiness is shortlived when she realizes that the bartender is dealing drugs.
Guest Stars:
Willie Gault
8. Virgil Tibbs, Attorney at Law
November 4, 1993
60 min
Attorney Virgil Tibbs returns to Sparta and is soon assigned his first case as a defense attorney.
Guest Stars:
Howard Rollins
9. Every Man's Family
November 10, 1993
60 min
Bubba travels to Atlanta to help his nephew after the boy overdoses on drugs.He soon teams up with a street wise cop to take down the drug ring.
Guest Stars:
Afemo Omilami
10. A Baby Called Rocket
2.0
November 25, 1993
60 min
A neglected baby stirs maternal feelings in Luann.
11. Little Girl Lost
December 9, 1993
60 min
Tragic story of an alcoholic teen who accidentally kills a little girl while she is drinking and driving.
13. Good Cop, Bad Cop
January 6, 1994
60 min
Virgil defends Parker after he is falsely accused of police brutality by a drug dealer.The prosecution's main witness - the man's girlfriend, who was once engaged to Parker.
14. Maybelle Returns
January 12, 1994
60 min
Maybelle's new phone sex business is a great success - until one her girls decides to moonlight as a prostitute.
Guest Stars:
Elizabeth Ashley, Sam Anderson, Polly W. LePorte, Melissa Young, Wallace Merck
15. The Last Round
January 19, 1994
60 min
Forbes is delighted when his fiancee Angela comes to see him,but is disappointed when he realizes that they have very different plans for the future.
16. Ches and the Grand Lady
January 26, 1994
60 min
Lonnie must protect his Aunt Cordelia when her cherished friendship with Ches Collins angers one of his cousins.
17. Conspiracy of One
February 2, 1994
60 min
Virgil accepts a position at a prominent law firm.But as a former police officer he feels conflicting emotions when he realizes that one of their clients is guilty of murder.
Guest Stars:
Thedra Porter
18. The Rabbi
February 9, 1994
60 min
A Rabbi returns to Sparta after many years.Racists vandalize his synagogue and soon after their Torah is stolen.Forbes investigates but the Rabbi refuses to trust Bill because of his inaction while investigating a hate crime many years ago.
Guest Stars:
Jerry Stiller
19. Hard Choices
March 9, 1994
60 min
Eugene tries to protect a friend who was an unwilling accomplice to a robbery and in doing so endangers his probation -- and his life.
20. Time's Long Shadow
March 16, 1994
60 min
Harriet tries to stop an arrogant developer from destroying an important archeological site.
21. Poor Relations
March 30, 1994
60 min
Comedic episode in which Parker's ne'er-do-well stepfather returns to Sparta with a new wife, a stolen painting and two inept art thieves who are determined to steal the painting back.
Guest Stars:
Anne Meara
22. Dangerous Engagement
May 4, 1994
60 min
Bill and Harriet's wedding plans are interrupted by a sniper who mistakes Bill for Sheriff McComb.
23. In the Heat of the Night: Give Me Your Life
May 11, 1994
60 min
In the Heat of the Night: Give Me Your Life is a film directed by Russ Mayberry released on May 11, 1994.
24. Give Me Your Life (2)
May 11, 1994
60 min
Bill and Harriet return home.The cult kidnaps the girl from her foster home.And Forbes and his men arrest a man who has been supplying drugs used to keep the cult members under control.Soon a standoff develops and the officers realize that they have no intention of surrendering.Sarah is taken hostage.As they attempt to rescue the women and children Lonnie and Parker find themselves defusing a bomb and Bubba risks his life to rescue a small child from the building.
