
Carroll O'Connor stars as a small-town police chief (and later a sheriff) in fictional Sparta, Miss. For a small town, Sparta has its share of murder, rape, corruption, racism and drunken driving, so O'Connor's Chief William Gillespie has his hands full. The TV series is based on the novel and film of the same name.

Althea finds a woman's death especially tragic, and Gillespie investigates whether the woman's ex-husband ran her down.

Althea (Anne-Marie Johnson) does not know that a visiting friend (Patrice Chanel) is a fugitive from justice. With Carroll O'Connor.

Tempers flare over the arrest of a black man (Steve Coulter) suspected of murder. With Howard Rollins and Carroll O'Connor.

Chief Gillespie refuses to point out the obvious suspect in the murder of Councilwoman DeLong's sister.