Once and Again

I panned Thirtysomething on this site, so I'm duty bound to give praise where due...the same people made Once and Again. I saw an episode or two on TV and remembered it fondly enough to get the DVD, which I proceeded to devour in about 4 nights. (I now know why DVD TV shows are so popular: you don't have to wait a week to see each episode.)

I thought the situations and dialogue were completely realistic. My wife, a divorce attorney, saw the show years ago and remembers it as completely unrealistic. But isn't that the master craft of entertaining TV and movies -- making the unrealistic appear realistic? I'll bet there is some good writing on this point...please send me a message if you know of any.

Every time I see a rerun of Once and Again, I am baffled by just how incredibly brilliant every aspect of this show was. The superb acting by arguably one of the best if not the best full ensemble of actors ever to team up on a TV series. From the main leads Sela Ward and Billy Campbell's incredible chemistry and great sensitivity toward their characters to the smallest performances by Marco Gould as Spencer Lweicki and Mischa Barton as Katie Singer, every bit of casting was magically on the money. The Great courageous and non-traditional writing is unforgettable. The Cinematography and editing served the story in every regard and gave every plot and subplot just what it needed without dragging it or chipping away at it. Special kudos must go to Julia Whelan, Meredith Deane, Marin Hinkle, Susanna Thompson, Jeffrey Nordling, Bonnie Bartlett, Evan Rachel Wood, Shane West and Ever Carradine for taking such complex characters and breathing enough life into each one of them for a series of his or her own. As an actor, I can write a thousand words about each one of these actors alone. The show also had the distinctive feel of not being a franchise show (i.e.: law, Hospital, cop, political or any specific workplace type show). O&A was about life and just how real life can be. It was a brief and yet bright spark that lit up television for three amazing years during which Herskovitz, Zwick and company gave TV audiences a show that went everywhere a good show should and lived with its characters through personal and professional matters with such lucid transition that would make an art film jealous. The fact that The TV academy ignored the show to that extent will forever remain one of the reasons why Emmys continue to be dismissed as a serious merit award and instead are thought of as just a well-marketed popularity contest. As for the ratings...My guess is that either this show was pitched to the wrong network from the start (Just think what NBC, CBS or HBO could have done with this GEM) or those Nielsen families have some serious explaining to do. In the end, all that matters to me is that somehow the show still managed to inspire me more with every viewing, but never once jeopardized its integrity by creating paper-thin and perfect characters that were free of flaws. This is just one of those shows that time will remember :)

"Once and Again" is without question my very favorite show of all time. One of the show's greatest strengths is the writing. The writing is wonderfully crisp and natural and actually sounds like people talking for a change. It examines daily life in a very intricate, exquisite, and truthful way. The second greatest strength is its acting. I don't know if there has ever been a television ensemble this good. From Sela Ward's self absorbed and yet lovable Lily to Billy Campbell's conflicted Rick to Jeffrey Nordling's perpetual screwup Jake to Susanna Thompson's uptight but loving Karen to Marin Hinkle's resilient romantic Judy, all of the adults in the cast put in consistently stellar performances.

But perhaps the show's finest performances came from its younger actors. Julia Whelan was perfect as whiny teenager Grace,awkwardly trying to survive the hell of being an adolescent. Shane West touched our hearts as Eli, never quite sure of his place in the world, and Evan Rachel Wood lit up the screen as Jessie,blossoming in front of our eyes from a shy, insecure child to a beautiful, more confident young woman. All three of these young people have the potential to be stars someday soon.

"Once and Again" is a gem of a show that was never truly given the recognition it deserved. Nevertheless, it's a show that has touched my heart. I can't imagine television being any better than this.

Once and Again has struck me unlike any other show ever! I never expected to accept a new show so quickly, but once I saw it I quickly caught up with the rest of the first season.

When I saw the names of Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick in the show I knew I was about to watch a high quality TV show! They produced both Thirtysomething and My So-Called Life. These previous shows were unlike anything I've ever seen before on television and Once and Again broke new barriers.

This show takes us in a tremendous psychological journey through the lives and minds of members of two different families in ways so natural and simple that the characters displayed almost seem real.

The actors and actresses that portray these unforgettable characters are by all means the finest in the business. However, no actor or actress has amazed me as much as Evan Rachel Wood. Not only she portrays an amazingly normal character like Jessie, but has managed to show us a character with this eating disorder so sincerely in a way no other young actor/actress could ever have done it. She's with no doubt the finest young actress of her generation.

My favorite episode was the one Rick and Karen take Jessie to see a therapist played by Edward Zwick himself who also wrote and directed this episode. I'm a huge fan of this producer and I was amazed by his role interacting with a character he created himself along with Marshall Herskovitz who also co-wrote the episode. The dynamic and level of emotion displayed in the episode was unparalled in any family show. Even Party of Five's highest dramatic moments could never match such a quiet yet intense moment such as Jessie admitting she's disgusted by eating.

Sela Ward herself deserved her emmy, but there are supporting cast members in the show such as Marin Hinkle. But the finest actress I've had the privilege to watch was Susanna Thompson. The actress who played the Borg Queen on Star Trek: Voyager landed in her finest role ever as Rick's ex wife Karen. Her character strikes the screen as a real person conflicted with her demands and worries. Jeffrey Nordling who plays Lily's ex husband Jake has recently shown how good an actor he is during the hostage situation in the restaurant.

I also love to watch Rick working under the scrutiny of Miles Drentell. David Clennon is a reasonably good actor and can deliver some mind bogging lines. I wonder what the future holds for the Atlantor project.

Edward Zwick is the most talented producer I've ever seen. From producing high budget movies with the intensity of The Siege and Courage Under Fire to high quality simple TV dramas like My So-Called Life and Once and Again. He deserved to take the academy award for producing Steven Soderbergh's Traffic.

I hope Once and Again stays around for a while longer delivering fresh quality scripts every week into our sets. In contrast to the constant garbage we watch on TV designed to boost meaningless ratings, Once and Again strives for quality rather than ratings. In a world so plagued by commercial and low quality programming designed to attract dumb viewers, Once and Again strikes as a mental heaven for those who wish to settle for peace and quiet. This show deserves a 10 out of 10!

Bought Series One on spec and I am so glad I did. I expected an updated version of Different Strokes or something. No way. I watched all the episodes over the last two days stopping only to sleep. Wow! I went through all the emotions, crying a lot which doesn't come easily to a middle aged man. Superb acting from big and small, the script was outstanding with hardly a dull moment. The camera-work switching between homes mid dialogue and once coming through fridge doors! Series Two coming out soon and I can't wait. Yes everyone is a bit too good looking but I can cope with that as the story lines are all too true. Relationships, bereavement, etc are all there and are not sensationalised. Very nicely surprised and very much recommended.