In the Heat of the Night
Season 3
Bill Gillespie is a police chief in a small town in the American South, and later becomes sheriff of the county. As Bill tries to solve crimes and catch criminals, aided by his capable investigator Virgil Tibbs and police lieutenant Bubba Skinner, he must navigate tricky small-town politics. Racial tensions often run high in the South and this theme is frequently explored. Bill's personal life is often portrayed in this TV drama, as well.
Where to Watch Season 3
22 Episodes
- Fairest of Them All
E2Fairest of Them AllVirgil struggles to help Althea after she is raped by a fellow teacher.Darnell does not think they can get a conviction because the man's wife has given him an alibi.Virgil tries to control his anger - until the man returns to intimidate Althea.And Gillespie tries to convince the wife to tell the truth. - Crackdown
E5CrackdownOfficer Wilson Sweet recognizes symptoms of the crack epidemic in a teenage girl caught trying to pawn items taken from her parents' home. Sweet has a personal connection to this case because he had a cousin who died due to the drug. Chief Gillespie tells Sweet to stay off the case because of his emotional involvement to it. Sweet disobeys the Chief's orders and goes after the drug dealer who supplied the crack to the girl. - Anniversary
E6AnniversaryChief Bill Gillespie fears that when civil rights leader Rev. John Carter comes to Sparta that there will be an attempt on his life from the same culprits responsible for Capt. Tom Dugan's murder and Chief Gillespie's kidnapping. Detective Virgil Tibbs tries to convince Rev. John Carter to leave Sparta due to the concern for his safety but Carter insists on staying. - Time of the Stranger
E7Time of the StrangerA private investigator from New York who comes to Sparta to investigate a missing child case falls to her death after the meeting she had set up with a local dance teacher named Kate Morell, in whom Officer Parker Williams has a crush on. When Detective Virgil Tibbs questions the woman, he has a feeling that she isn't telling the whole story which doesn't go over too well with Parker. - My Name is Hank
E9My Name is HankA young refugee claims to be the son of a Sparta cop who died in the war.But quickly becomes a suspect in a murder/robbery after he accepts a ride with the criminals who actually committed the crime.Gillespie looks into his story, while Virgil and the boys track down the shooter.Meanwhile, the young mans presence triggers a surprisingly bitter reaction from Parker, who views him as a painful reminder of the war. - King's Ransom
E10King's RansomWith Detective Virgil Tibbs out of town in New Orleans doing some work for the F.B.I., Agent Phil Trundle asks for Chief Bill Gillispie's help in dealing with an ex-prizefighter named Conrad 'King' Baylor, who once chauffeured for the mob but who is now trying to sell his silence to his former mob boss instead of testifying for the F.B.I. - Hello in There
E13Hello in ThereBubba refuses to believe that a former teamate embezzled funds from the bank where he worked.And sets out to prove that his friend was framed and murdered.Harriet hopes that art therapy can help the man's traumatized son,who becomes a target himself when the killer realizes he witnessed the crime. - December Days
E14December DaysChief Bill Gillespie probes a elderly woman's suspicious death at the Munson Manor nursing home. Dr. Robb insists that the death was an accident but the victim's nephew Richard Pooley charges it was negligence to cause his aunt to die, while another resident at the home says it was murder. Chief Gillespie gets some assistance in his investigation from Tom 'Mac' McCauley, who is a retired policeman living at the nursing home.
