<Tr> <Th> Picture format </Th> <Td> 480i (SDTV), 1080i (HDTV) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Original release </Th> <Td> March 6, 1988 (1988 - 03 - 06)--May 16, 1995 (1995 - 05 - 16) </Td> </Tr> <P> In the Heat of the Night is an American drama television series based on the 1967 film and the 1965 novel of the same title . It starred Carroll O'Connor as police chief William Gillespie, and Howard Rollins as police detective Virgil Tibbs . It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, then on CBS until May 1995 . Its executive producers were Fred Silverman, Juanita Bartlett and O'Connor . </P> <P> In the premiere episode, Philadelphia detective Virgil Tibbs has returned to his fictional home town of Sparta, Mississippi, for his mother's funeral . By virtue of his relationship with William Gillespie, the white police chief, fostered during a previous murder investigation in which he assisted, Tibbs is persuaded to remain in Sparta as chief of detectives . Gillespie wants him to be part of his effort to help overcome the local squad's reputation of being racist and underskilled . Although the team suffers friction over Tibbs' dissatisfaction with the department's limited resources and racial attitudes and Gillespie is annoyed at the detective's condescending suspicions about his home town, the two men prove highly effective in enforcing the law . </P>

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