I'll Fly Away

This was a sensitive, complex series about a family struggling with the complexities of life in a small Georgia town during the Civil Rights Movement. It was ably acted by the entire cast, beautifully written. Never cloying, always intelligent. Happily, after being shown on regular network television, it was repeated on PBS about a year later. A memorable, glowing work. The finale -- "Then and Now" was wonderful -- but you really should see the entire series to appreciate it fully.

I used to compare it to To Kill A Mockingbird, but realize now that was inappropriate, except in that it was set in the same kind of small town -- many years later -- as Harper Lee's masterpiece. And Forrest Bedford was no Atticus Finch. But nevertheless, I'll Fly Away did have that kind of timeless quality.

My comment is simple. My favorite TV show ever (and I go back to about 1962 or 63 for television) is "Homicide: Life on the Street." Number two is "I'll Fly Away." It's just a masterpiece. I believe this is the first "10" I've ever given anything.

It's been awhile, so I'll forget some characters' names, and I'm too lazy to hit the back button and open a new window here. The youngest son was one those exceedingly rare little-kid characters in television or movies who acts precisely his age, as opposed to an obnoxious seven-going-on-seventeen. Francie was adorable and winning as his older sister and, again, absolutely believable as being her correct age, and in going through the crises of her particular age.

The actress who played Lily (I've got to hit that back button), their "colored" maid and the center of the cast, was the gem of the show. As so often happens, though, she never seemed to get anywhere after "I'll Fly Away." I thought for sure we had a real up-and-comer there. (And as I recall, so did many critics).

And oh yes, Sam Waterston had a life before "Law & Order" for you kiddies out there. To a degree I still think of Jack McCoy as the guy from "I'll Fly Away." Nowadays on television, his character's relationship with Lily, the maid, would be riddled with politically correct sensibilities, which is to say it would be pandering, one-dimensional and cloying. But no, Waterston is not some cartoonishly "evolved" white good guy; he's a convincingly complex southern liberal in the 1950s. At any rate, the relationship between Lily and Waterston's character is rich to watch unfold.

Is it out there somewhere on DVD or video? If so, rent it and get caught up in it like you would an HBO series. The story lines are continuous for the most part. The ratings for "I'll Fly Away" were just about zero for the first of its two season, on ABC, but it was one of those occasional noble instances by a network where they renew a losing show purely on the basis of its unanimous critical acclaim.

Respectfully, I disagree with the one comment posted so far.

My wife and I discovered this series when it was on PBS. As stated, we are amazed that something this good was originally on commercial TV. Is it totally unrealistic that a maid would ultimately be that outspoken, and that a Southern white lawyer could slowly have his eyes opened? Maybe. But I think the key is that everything developed slowly, over time. There were no unrealistically sudden conversions.

Among the other things that impressed us: There were no easy answers; every episode, it seems, almost painfully explored issues with complexity. If you want easy answers, this is not the series for you.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" was certainly a classic (although, as my 85 year-old father has observed, Gregory Peck played the same essential character in virtually every movie.) And it may be true that its characterization was true of the vast majority of even well-meaning southern whites. But I accept the possibility that, even in that time, at least one person of color "pushed the envelope". And that at least one Southern white of good heart found himself or herself slowly transformed.

If you can accept this, admire this series for its excellent performances and refusal to take the easy way out in any episode.

I absolutely loved I'll Fly Away but sometimes find myself thinking Im the only person who ever watched it. All my friends don't know or remember it. I think the relationships between blacks and whites were portrayed in a sensitive yet realistic way. Regina Taylor was brilliant!! I had forgotten her name unfortunately, so I opened up the I'll Fly Away page for information. I was surprised that her name did not even appear on the 1st page of the cast list! I don't understand why Regina Taylor's name is not first on the list. After all the film was mostly from her perspective and about her experiences! It looks to me she has been relegated to the bottom of the list for some weird reason, its not like the list is even in alphabetical order!

The quick summary is "To Kill a Mockingbird" made into a TV series, but this show is so much more. It's more sophisticated than Mockingbird in terms of moral ambiguity, political realities, and human relations. The black characters aren't merely background or props to test the virtue of the white characters as they are in so many well-meaning stories about race; They are fully fleshed-out people, with their own stories. Sam Watterson's character, unlike Atticus Finch, is flawed, human. He compromises,stumbles, fails on occasion, and this makes his struggles and progress all the more affecting. Some might complain that Regina Taylor's maid character is perhaps too noble, too perfect, but her dignity under trying circumstances moved me to tears almost every episode. The acting, writing, direction is consistently excellent. When will this landmark series be given the DVD box set it deserves?