<P> In the early episodes, there was an emphasis on grisly murders or other crimes, rather than the lives of the New South - era characters, for which the series later became known . Story lines included the pride of Sparta County getting her head bashed in, a man and his wife's distant cousin having an affair, the affair of a black man who was attempting to buy Sparta's newspaper, and a rich white woman ending up dead in the local newspaper plant after an argument between the woman and her husband . In the two - part episode "Blind Spot", a rich businessman and ex-friend of Tibbs, who stole a scholarship from him in high school, has promised to bring prosperity back to Sparta . But he is caught in a game of murder and drug dealing, using one of Sparta's richest mansions as his home base . The season closes with Scooter going with his uncle, Althea, and Virgil to discuss the possibility of having children . </P> <P> Anne Marie Johnson, who played Althea, summed up what it was like to film the show in the little town of Hammond . She said, "My high school was bigger than this town". </P> <P> Season two began airing in December 1988 due to a writers strike . The series had a new look and a new set of executive producers . On - location shooting was moved from Louisiana to Covington, Georgia . The season premiere was aired as a two - hour TV - movie, "Don't Look Back"; the plot revolved around a copycat murder of one that Gillespie had investigated 20 years earlier . It introduced two new regular characters--Joanne St. John (played by Lois Nettleton), the chief's sometime girlfriend and owner of the local diner, "The Magnolia Cafe"; and Officer Wilson Sweet (played by Geoffrey Thorne), fresh out of the Police Academy . This episode also introduced the first of several new recurring characters, including Doctor (or, "Doc") Robb, the county coroner (played by veteran actor Dan Biggers). The episode "The Creek" saw the introduction of the first new police character and the second prominent Georgia performer to claim a regular role on the series, "Officer Randy Goode" (1988--1993) played by Randall Franks, who was cast following the show's move to Covington, Georgia . </P> <P> Plots in this season included a prominent citizen being murdered due to sexual abuse and incest in his family; Virgil's ex-partner and Althea's ex-lover (Michael Warren from Hill Street Blues) coming to visit for a reunion that no one would ever forget; Chief Gillespie's having to face his own bigoted past when he arrests a close friend (played by Ed Ames) (who is also the sheriff of the neighboring county) for committing a racially motivated murder; Bubba's getting caught up in a murderous love triangle; Althea's niece "Nicole" visiting, and with new friend "Bobby Skinner" (Bubba's nephew) stumbling upon criminal malfeasance in the episode "City Mouse Country Mouse". Mary Crosby and Judith Chapman stir up trouble when the sisters are implicated in their father's murder . It is truly a sibling rivalry with a murderous twist . A bitter strike leads to murder, but not all is as it seems when a new manager takes over Thail River Mill and drives the union to strike after only three months--it is snowing in Sparta and "Mississippi is Burning". </P>

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