Can a television drama successfully bridge the gap between 1960s civil rights and today?
In short: Any Day Now, a Lifetime drama that ran from 1998 to 2002, pioneered a dual-timeline format to explore the enduring impact of racism in Birmingham, Alabama. By weaving together the childhood friendship of two women in the 1960s with their adult lives, the series tackled systemic trauma and social justice.
Created by Nancy Miller, who drew on her own childhood experiences in segregated Birmingham, the series followed the lives of Mary Elizabeth 'M.E.' O'Brien and Rene Jackson. The narrative structure relied on alternating scenes between the 1960s—the peak of the Civil Rights Movement—and the contemporary era. This approach allowed the show to examine how past damage, such as the racial tensions of their youth, continued to shape the protagonists' adult realities. The show was noted for its commitment to difficult topics, including police brutality, homosexuality, and the long, often uneven road to justice.
The production was notable for its diverse writers' room, where at least 50 percent of the staff were people of color, primarily Black. This diversity extended to the cast, including Donzaleigh Abernathy, the daughter of civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy, who played Rene's mother. Despite early skepticism from critics like Anita Gates, who felt the pilot relied on stereotypes, other reviewers such as Howard Rosenberg praised the series for its candor, humor, and tenderness in addressing the 'still-raw sores' of American racism. It was lauded for avoiding white savior tropes and focusing on the systemic impacts of prejudice.
Over its 88-episode run, the series navigated complex personal and political arcs. While M.E. remained in Birmingham as a homemaker and writer, Rene became a successful civil rights attorney in Washington, D.C., before returning home. The show concluded with the resolution of long-standing animosities between the characters' mothers and Rene's marriage to Judge Clyde 'Turk' Terhune. By centering the experiences of two women from different racial backgrounds, the show provided a unique, if sometimes overlooked, contribution to television's exploration of the American South's history and its modern-day echoes.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Any Day Now (TV series)
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