The BEST episodes of In the Heat of the Night season 3

Every episode of In the Heat of the Night season 3, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of In the Heat of the Night season 3!

Based on the critically acclaimed novel and film of the same name, this series provides a hopeful, yet honest look at life in the new South. Set in the fictional Sparta, Mississippi, the show is a blend of heartfelt drama and folksy humor, portraying both the professional and personal pursuits of Sparta P.D's officers. Series star Carroll O'Connor, in a role far removed from Archie Bunker, served as executive producer. Using the pen name Matt Harris, O'Connor was also the story editor and wrote many of the episodes.

Last Updated: 9/11/2024Network: CBSStatus: Ended
star
8.00
10 votes

#1 - Citizen Trundel (1)

Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/1/1990

Harriet's sister is murdered on the orders of the wealthy white man who fathered her child.

Directors: Leo Penn
Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.55
11 votes

#2 - Citizen Trundel (2)

Season 3 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/8/1990

Harriet's efforts to bring V.J. Trundel to trial are fruitless.The Chief does not believe they will ever get enough evidence to get an indictment,so he tries another method to bring Trundel to justice.

Directors: Harry Harris
Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.50
14 votes

#3 - Fairest of Them All

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/31/1989

A beauty contest is marred by blackmail and the ambitious mother of a contestant.

Directors: Mario Azzopardi
Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.43
14 votes

#4 - Time of the Stranger

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/5/1989

After a private investigator searching for a missing child is found dead, the evidence points to a local dance teacher - a neighbor that Parker has become very fond of.

Directors: Ivan Dixon
Writer: Mark Rodgers
Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.40
10 votes

#5 - Night of the Killing

Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/27/1990

Racial tensions run high when a white cabbie is murdered in the bottoms.

Directors: Chuck Bowman
Writer: Mark Rodgers
Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.21
14 votes

#6 - First Girl

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/14/1989

Sparta P.D. gets it's first black policewoman.

Directors: Gene Reynolds
Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.20
10 votes

#7 - An Angry Woman

Season 3 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/13/1990

First the mother,then the father of two young children are murdered.Althea takes responsibility for the children. The killings appear to be related to a shady trucking firm.

Directors: Winrich Kolbe
Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.18
11 votes

#8 - Triangle

Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/23/1990

A man murders his wife and her lover after he catches them together,then flees to a remote cabin with his daughter who does not know what he has done.The chief and the boys hope to talk him into surrendering without resorting to violence.

Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.13
15 votes

#9 - Rape

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/24/1989

Virgil 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.

Directors: Paul Lynch
Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.12
17 votes

#10 - Crackdown

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/21/1989

Someone is selling crack to teenagers and Sweet tries desperately to save a young addict.

Directors: E.W. Swackhamer
Writer: Nancy Bond
Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.11
9 votes

#11 - Anniversary

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/28/1989

After being released by his captors, the chief discovers that his abduction is part of a plot to assassinate a visiting civil rights leader.

Directors: Harry Harris
Writer: Mark Rodgers
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
star
7.00
12 votes

#12 - Epitaph for a Lady

Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/16/1990

A long time friend of the Chief makes threats against a doctor he believes is responsible for his wife's death .When the doctor is killed he becomes the prime suspect.But Gillespie doubts his guilt - even after he confesses.

Directors: Vincent McEveety
Writer: Stephen Baum
Watch Now:Amazon
star
6.92
13 votes

#13 - Vengeance

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/12/1989

An outlaw family seeks revenge against Bubba after he is forced to shoot one of them during a holdup.The chief wants him to stay out of sight until they are arrested - a suggestion that does not set well with Bubba.

Directors: E.W. Swackhamer
Writer: Mark Rodgers
Watch Now:Amazon
star
6.92
13 votes

#14 - Bubba's Baby

Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/27/1990

Someone abandons a baby at Bubba's door.

Directors: Jeffrey Hayden
Watch Now:Amazon
star
6.89
9 votes

#15 - December Days

Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/13/1990

The Sparta police investigate a suspicious death in a nursing home.

Directors: Vincent McEveety
Writer: Kim Friese
Watch Now:Amazon
star
6.82
11 votes

#16 - Murder Most Ancient

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/7/1989

An unhappy wife asks her lover to place a bomb in her abusive husband's truck.

Directors: Winrich Kolbe
Watch Now:Amazon
star
6.75
8 votes

#17 - Home is Where The Heart Is

Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/6/1990

Maybelle the madam returns to Sparta with her "" nieces "".And sets up shop just out of Gillespie's jurisdiction.Her return is not without controversy and soon one of her most vocal critics is found murdered.

Directors: Leo Penn
Watch Now:Amazon
star
6.73
11 votes

#18 - King's Ransom

Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/2/1990

The F.B.I. tries to talk an ex-boxer into testifying against a mobster he once worked for, but the fighter sees the situation as an opportunity for blackmail.

Directors: Jeffrey Hayden
Watch Now:Amazon
star
6.64
11 votes

#19 - A Loss of Innocence

Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/20/1990

Darnell plans on indicting a teenager for murder after her father is found in the basement and her mother turns up missing.But Gillespie and his men don't believe she is guilty.

Directors: Paul Lynch
Watch Now:Amazon
star
6.60
10 votes

#20 - Indiscretions

Season 3 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/20/1990

Althea does not realize that an old friend from Philly is hiding a dark secret, nor does Sweet who has fallen in love with the woman.

Watch Now:Amazon
star
6.33
12 votes

#21 - My Name is Hank

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/19/1989

A 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.

Directors: Harry Harris
star
6.33
6 votes

#22 - Hello in There

Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/30/1990

Bubba 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.

Directors: Vincent McEveety