Any Day Now (TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name = Any Day Now


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starring = Annie Potts
Lorraine Toussaint
Mae Middleton
Olivia Hack
Sherri Dyon Perry
Maya Goodwin
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opentheme = "Any Day Now"
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country = USA
language = English
num_seasons = 4
num_episodes = 88
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network = Lifetime
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imdb_id = 0161233
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"Any Day Now" is a hit Lifetime TV series which originally ran four seasons from 1998 to 2002. The show stars Annie Potts and Lorraine Toussaint, who are best friends despite the difference in their races.

The show's title is taken from the 1962 Chuck Jackson song "Any Day Now", which was later covered by Ronnie Milsap in 1982. A version performed by Lori Perry served as the show's theme song.

etting

The show is set Birmingham, Alabama in the 1960s, during the peak of desegregation. "Any Day Now" focuses on the lives and interactions of two female protagonists: Mary Elizabeth O'Brien - Sims ("M.E."), an outgoing Caucasian girl, and Renee Jackson, a shy African-American girl. The two had grown up as close friends but their friendship ends when M.E. becomes pregnant and chooses, despite Rene's disapproval, to keep the child and marry her boyfriend. More than twenty years later, M.E. and her husband still live in Alabama where they struggle to make ends meet. Their oldest son, Bobby, died as a child, but they have two younger offspring (Kelly and Davis). Renee has moved to Washington D.C. where she is a successful attorney. After the death of her father, Renee decides to move back to her old hometown, where she reunites with M.E.. The two quickly resume their close friendship and contemporary storylines are interwoven with a similar storyline from their shared past.

Format

Each episode lasts 60 minutes and consists of alternating scenes from two different timelines. The first timeline follows the young version of the girls, dealing with such issues as: M.E.'s racist parents, her loving grandmother, who often helps M.E. and Rene overcome daily obstacles that threateen their friendship, her uncle who is a Ku Klux Klan member, her brother who goes to war, and her cruel sister, Teresa. The second timeline shows the grown, present day, version of the girls, dealing with such issues as: racism, homosexuality (Rene's clients, Rene's brother Elston), religion, women's rights, rape, natural disaster, poverty, alcohol, suicide, and death. In most episodes there was either a common theme between the scenes presented from each timeline, or a direct connection between the events depicted in the past and how it affected those in the present.

Fourth Season Actors

In the fourth season, the young version of the girls became older and more mature. To show this change, the actresses Mae Middleton (M.E.) and Sherri Dyon Perry (Rene) were replaced by Olivia Hack and Maya Goodwin, respectively.

End

"Any Day Now" ended after its initial 4 season (88 episodes) contract expired. The show would have been renewed, but Annie Potts chose instead to care for her family. The series ended with Rene's marriage, as well as M.E. and Rene's mothers finally putting an end to their decades-long animosity.

Future Spin-Offs

On the official website for the show on www.lifetimetv.com, in the Frequently Asked Questions section, there is a Question and Answer that states that there will be a movie made using the "Any Day Now" storyline. This has been on the site since 2002, and a movie has yet to materialize. This page also states that Toussaint was to star in a Lifetime movie entitled "Justice Denied", this also never materialized.

Main Cast & Crew

* Annie Potts as Mary Elizabeth "M.E." Sims
* Lorraine Toussaint as Rene Jackson
* Sherri Dyon Perry as Young Rene Jackson (1998-2001)
* Mae Middleton as Young M.E. O'Brien (1998-2001)
* Maya Goodwin as Young Rene Jackson (2002)
* Olivia Hack as Young M.E. O'Brien (2002)

upporting Cast

* Chris Mulkey as Colliar Sims
* Christopher Winsor as Davis Sims (1998)
* Calvin Devault as Davis Sims (1999-2002)
* Olivia Friedman as Kelly (Sims) Williams
* Derrex Brady as Ajoni Williams
* John Lafayette as James Jackson
* Donzaleigh Abernathy as Sara Jackson
* Christopher Babers as Young Elston Jackson
* William Converse-Roberts as Matthew O'Brien
* Nancy Mcloughlin as Catherine O'Brien
* James Deeds as Johnny O'Brien
* Elise Shirley as Young Theresa O'Brien
* Delta Burke as Theresa O'Brien
* Michael Pavone as Jimmy O'Brien
* Dan Byrd as Young Colliar Sims
* Millie Perkins as Grandma Irene Otis
* Richard Biggs as Bill Moody
* Bronson Picket as Joe Lozano
* Tony Barriere as Young Tully
* Mary-Pat Green as Odessa
* Taneka Johnson as Lakeisha Reynolds
* Don McManus as Graham Pearce
* Alyssa Nichols as April
* Alexandra Hedison as Rhonda
* Monique Edwards as Cynthia

Main Crew

Deborah Joy Levine (Executive Producer), Bill Finnegan, Bob Lowry, Nancy Miller, Sheldon Pinchuk, Gary A. Randall, Lori-Etta Taub, Oz Scott, Joe Ann Fogle, Michael Zinberg, Sibyl Gardner, Dayna North, Nicole Mirante, Annie Brunner, Valerie Woods, and Lois Johnson

Joy Levine is an American television writer and producer on "Any Day Now", "Dawson's Creek", "Early Edition", "Class Actions", "The Division", "", "Beautiful People", "Courthouse", and "Strong Medicine".

Trivia

In the pilot episode, James Jackson was played by Courtney B. Vance.

External links

* [http://www.lifetimetv.com/shows/anyday/ Any Day Now page from Lifetime]
*imdb title|id=0161233|title=Any Day Now
* [http://www.ichannel.ca/anydaynow Any Day Now page from ichannel (this link is in dispute as spam please refer to the discussion page)]