There's a line in Macbeth when the new king of Scotland has his best friend killed, then sees his ghost at a state dinner. He says something to the effect that back in the day, "When the brains were out, the man stayed dead." Oh, if only everyone who got hanged in movies and television stayed dead, keeping Mac happy and Banquo resting peacefully.
But Steve Forrest just looked and acted dead in ABC's The Hanged Man, a series pilot that went nowhere, thanks to the saner heads at the network. The mini-movie--an interminable 74 minutes of back lot cheesiness and dreadful acting--is available on video in dollar stores across the nation.
You can read the other reviews for a synopsis. I will just tell you that there are constitutional safeguards against cruel and unusual punishment for prisoners.
No such safeguards are in place for TV viewers.