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.

Once and Again is a pearl of a show. It's always interesting, and more importantly, realistic.

I started watching it as my sister had a crush on Shane West, but by the second episode I watched, I was hooked. Expecting it to be nothing more than a lightweight excuse for Shane West to act moody and broody, I found that instead it was a show where I saw that he actually can act, not to mention all his co-stars.

Easily the most impressive is Evan Rachel Wood, showing to me (before Thirteen was even an idea) that she had a tremendous amount of talent, I found her story lines to be compelling, and her to be exemplary in them. Indeed, it was this show that made me want to see Thirteen so much, so as I could see her performing again.

But I won't ramble.

Once and Again is brilliant, and if there was ever a show that should be continued, this is it.

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!

Every time I see a cast member in another production, I think of this program.

At a minimum, someone should write a novel based on the show.

What happened to these people? The ending...wasn't. (But was very exciting, all the same.)

I can't see giving a synopsis, because that's been done very well already.

In the same time-frame were the shows, "Time and Again" and "Now and Again," also. Due to this, our family resorted to calling "Once and Again," "The Dead Insurance Guy Show."

The dissatisfying (non)conclusion of this program has resulted in my hesitation to become interested in many series since that time. Don't leave the viewer "hanging," like this. Please!

"Once and Again" is an absolute treasure of a show. I could not be more amazed at the incredible acting from every member of the talented cast, the stellar writing,and the perfect pacing. This show was criminally ignored at the Emmys and that is a shame because I believe that this is easily the best family drama of all time, if not the best drama series of all time. It is certainly my favorite show of all time. Every single actor gave consistently brilliant performances week after week, with the standouts being Susanna Thompson, a totally underrated actress, and the lovely Evan Rachel Wood, who has more talent in her left pinky finger than Hillary Duff has at all. I miss this show, but I will always treasure the three amazing seasons we had of it!