About
I'll Fly Away is an American drama television series set during the late 1950s and early 1960s, in an unspecified Southern U.S. state. It aired on NBC from 1991 to 1993 and starred Regina Taylor as Lilly Harper, a black housekeeper for the family of district attorney Forrest Bedford, whose name is an ironic reference to Nathan Bedford Forrest, the founder of the Ku Klux Klan. As the show progressed, Lilly became increasingly involved in the Civil Rights Movement, with events eventually drawing in Forrest as well. I'll Fly Away won two 1992 Emmy Awards, and 23 nominations in total. It won three Humanitas Prizes, two Golden Globe Awards, two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Drama Series, and a Peabody Award. However, the series was never a ratings blockbuster, and it was canceled by NBC in 1993, despite widespread protests by critics and viewer organizations. After the program's cancellation, a two-hour movie, I'll Fly Away: Then and Now, was produced, in order to resolve dangling storylines from Season 2, and provide the series with a true finale. The movie aired on October 11, 1993 on PBS. Its major storyline closely paralleled the true story of the 1955 murder of Emmett Till in Money, Mississippi. Thereafter, PBS began airing repeats of the original episodes, ceasing after one complete showing of the entire series.
Cast
Sam Waterston
as Forrest Bedford
Regina Taylor
as Lilly Harper
Jeremy London
as Nathaniel 'Nathan' Bedford
Ashlee Levitch
as Francie Bedford
John Aaron Bennett
as John Morgan Bedford
Peter Simmons
as Paul Slocum
Kathryn Harrold
as Christina LeKatzis
Bill Cobbs
as Lewis Coleman
Mary Alice
as Marguerite Peck
Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly
as Adlaine Harper
Episodes
Season 1
I'll Fly Away (Pilot)
Lawyer Forrest Bedford struggles to raise a family amid the civil-rights strife of the 1958 South, aided by Lily, a lack housekeeper who comes to work in the opener to find Forrest prosecuting a young white for a bus accident that killed three black; and little John Morgan missing his hospitalized mama.
The Hat
When John Morgan loses his cowboy hat out of the car window, Lilly finds it—but then so does her daughter—-while Forrest faces verbal cross-fire over a beating case arising from the demonstration.
Rules of the Game
With Forrest away on a weekend hunting trip, womanhood takes aim at Francie, who feels utterly alone; while worries about the fate of an errant arrow dog, John Morgan.
Amazing Grace
As Forrest joins the race for attorney general, Lilly considers attending a voting-rights meetings, while Francie elects to overcome her writer's block by committing a betrayal.
All God's Children
John Morgan is upset when he doesn't get to go to Lilly's birthday party; the wrestlers aren't celebrating Zollicofer's decision to let a black join the team; Forrest realizes running for office isn't going to be a piece of cake.
Beyond Here Dar Be Dragons
On Halloween, the specter of the KKK haunts Christina as she's asked to investigate Prevtiss Carver's death. It also haunts John Morgan, who's heard about the ""dragon men"" from Adlaine.
Parallel Lives
Slocum wrestles with his conscience—-and with-–Evans as Zollicfer applies pressure over the brick-throwing incident; Lilly balks when Lewis, wanting to relive his time in the Negro Leagues, takes his eyes off the ball at home.
Coming Home
Thanksgiving brings family—and conflict—home: Gwen's visit from the mental hospital knocks the stuffing out of the Bedfords, especially Nathan; and Lilly's brother makes a pilgrimage home after discovering the New World of the North.
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