This series stinks compared to the 1967 film with Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. Carroll O'Connors' Mississippi accent is really phony! Hal
True, Rod Steiger did the accent well. Carroll O'Connor should not have tried. It was a distraction. Clark Gable refused to do the accent in Gone With The Wind. Vivian Leigh nailed it. I should say, she nailed one of them. There are several variations of the southern accent.
Rod Steiger was a consummate actor. One of the best America produced in my view. In the Heat of the Night was a great film. Never saw the series. By the sound of things @Nancy Hart and @Hal Pollner ..I missed nothing.