'The Job' to stretch sitcom boundaries

By Julie Hinds, staff writer --
"Once" is enough?: As "Once and Again" settles into its new home on Wednesday nights, its cast and creators are hoping the show can lure enough viewers away from "Law and Order" to come back next year. It will be an uphill battle, but fans are rooting for the gem of a drama.

"We're never going to be an 'ER,' " says Jeffrey Nordling, who plays Lily's rakish ex-husband, Jake. "We're just not that animal. I think we'll always have a smaller, more devoted following. We're not a big mass-appeal show."

For their part, ABC execs sound loyal to the show -- at least for now. Top honcho Stu Bloomberg praised it for "holding a mirror up to our lives so brilliantly" but noted that "it doesn't have those big, promotable life-and-death moments."

He also said he's had conversations with "Once and Again" creators Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz about how he can remain true to the integrity of their stories but make them easier to sell.

Lily tries out for a reality show, anyone?__Detroit Free Press (January 17, 2001)