But now, a reprieve. PBS started production last week on a 90-minute conclusion to the series, to air Oct. 11. The final episode “ties up the loose ends,” says John Falsey, who produced the show with his partner, Joshua Brand. (The two have been luckier with “Northern Exposure.”) After the conclusion, PBS will re-air all 39 original episodes. Falsey and star Sam Waterston both say “Fly Away” was able to last as long as it did largely because of viewer support and viewer mail. But the show’s recent rescue had as much to do with PBS’s needs as with “Fly Away” fans: public-TV programmers were looking for an American show to complement their British selections like “Masterpiece Theater” and “Mystery.” When they heard “I’ll Fly Away” was due for chopping, they went shopping.
They didn’t buy cheap. Even with the cast working for union minimums, the 90-minute finale will cost nearly $2 million. PBS is now looking for a corporate sponsor. Waterston says no one minds the short money on the hot, humid Atlanta set where the last “I’ll Fly Away” began filming last week. “This is a paid reunion,” he says. “It’s PBS pay, but we have got a dignified exit.”
