Strange Tales of FreeVee: In the Heat of the Night ‘88

In 1967, Sydney Poitier starred in the culturally provocative film In the Heat of the Night, based on the novel of the same name.. Poitier portrays Virgil Tibbs, a homicide detective from Philadelphia. After a wealthy industrialist is murdered in Sparta, Mississippi, Tibbs, who is visiting the area, is arrested at the train station and accused of the crime. After his accusation is cleared up though, Tibbs stays in Mississippi to assist in solving the crime. He and the overtly racist police chief of Sparta reluctantly work together to solve the mystery. In the process, these characters come to a new understanding of one another. Released during the last major years of the Civil Rights Movement, the film is a compelling narrative on race relations.

Flash forward to 1988, and a peculiar thing happened: In the Heat of the Night was remade into a television movie that doubled as a prospective pilot. With a new cast that features Howard Rollins as Tibbs and Caroll O’Conner as Chief Gillespie, this is a markedly looser adaptation of the original novel. The TV film is set in its modern time, and while the theme of racial injustice is there, it is much more subtle. Gillespie’s own prejudice is dialed back to near non-existence. The show also changes Tibb’s reason for being in Sparta: he’s now a native come back to make a difference in his community.

You might be thinking that most adaptations of this stripe are watered down, shallow versions of the source materials. In most cases, you would be right. However, In the Heat of the Night ’88 is surprisingly well done. More than that, the series that followed was fantastic. Both well written while having the right amount of hoke, the show tackled race relations with an ease many shows of the time failed to emulate. More than that, it delivered its share of tense moments and cliff-hangers as well. While quite a bit more melodramatic than you may be accustomed to, In the Heat of the Night ’88 remains a bingeable classic that can be watched for free on IMDBtv. Happy watching.