Both shows began with a pilot movie, lasted seven years and ended due to cancellation.
Both shows starred ex-professional football stars.
Hunter:
Fred Dryer - Defensive End for New York Giants
& Los Angeles Rams.
In The Heat Of The Night:
Alan
Autry - Quarterback for Green Bay Packers. (as Carlos Brown)
Carl
Weathers -
Both shows have deceased cast members.
Hunter: Charles
Hallahan
In The Heat Of The Night: Carroll O'Connor, Hugh
O'Connor & Howard Rollins.
Hunter's
Charles Hallahan made a guest appearance on In
The Heat Of The Night.
In The Heat Of The Night's
Alan
Autry, Anne-Marie Johnson, Christopher Allport & Rugg Williams made guest
appearances on seperate episodes of Hunter.
In the Hunter episode Shades, Rick Hunter was kidnapped
by a group of vigilantes, presumed dead and later released.
For In The
Heat Of The Night's second season finale, the exact same thing happened
to Carroll O'Connor's character.
Both shows had an epiosode that aired in the '90s called "Unfinished Business", where the storyline dealt with past romances between partnered male and female police officers.