A reality series similar to An American Family, An American Love Story follows follows the lives of Bill Sims and Karen Wilson. Bill, an African-American man, and Karen, a white woman, dealt with racial prejudices during their almost 30-year relationship as they raise their two bi-racial daughters. Culled from a thousand hours of footage, the ten episodes followed about 18 months in their lives. Episodes address their daughter starting college, Karen dealing with illness, Bill working with his children from a previous relationship, and facing their pasts. A key recurring theme throughout the series is their 20-year-old daughter’s struggles with her biracial identity. Cicily attends Colgate University in upstate New York, and she struggles to find her place there. A trip to Nigeria brings new questions for her, and her return to the university after the trip finds her struggling to find an identity between two groups who do not share her experiences. The series aired on PBS during September 1999.
The WHMT site offers an overview of the series and recaps of the episodes. Director Jennifer Fox discusses the series’ production with Current.