Fans of 'Once and Again' sending out SOS signals By Richard Duckett
Once again it is a worrying time for fans of "Once and Again." For the second year in a row, there are rumblings that ABC may cancel the Golden Globe-nominated family drama starring Sela Ward and Billy Campbell. But many devotees of the show are spelling out to ABC why they think it should return for another season.
Karen C. Ramsey of Holden is a member of a group that raised $3,300 for a "Save Our Show" advertisement that appeared in Variety magazine earlier this month. In January, they raised $2,800 for a similar ad that ran in The Hollywood Reporter.
"All this is to get ABC's attention," Ms. Ramsey said. She recently went so far as to visit the set of "Once and Again" and was interviewed there by E! Entertainment Television. "After the interview, Sela Ward invited us to watch some of the filming," Ms. Ramsey said."We were also given a tour of most of the sound stages. Everyone on the set -- from the production people to the cast -- kept saying to thank everybody for all the work being done.
On March 4, Ms. Ramsey was part of a contingent in the "Good Morning America" audience holding signs saying "Once and Again" was returning that night after a hiatus.
Pleasant and thoughtful, Ms. Ramsey comes across as anything but a fanatic. Married 30 years to Douglas Ramsey (he thinks "Once and Again" is pretty good too, Ms. Ramsey said), and the mother of three children, she said she's never done anything like this before. In fact, "This is basically the only show I've watched ... "We're all busy people, ordinary people, Ms. Ramsey said of the "Once and Again activists. "We're just ordinary people going about ordinary lives trying to save something that's high-quality.
"Once and Again" airs at 10 p.m. Mondays, but perhaps not for much longer. The show, created by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz (who were the brains behind "thirtysomething" and "My So-Called Life" ), is about the lives of the Sammlers and Mannings.
Rick Sammler (Billy Campbell) and Lily Manning (Sela Ward) fell in love 2½-years ago, and that love caused ripples in the lives of those close to them. Between them, they have four children, the youngest 11 and the eldest 18, as well as two very involved ex-spouses.
"Once and Again" has tackled such themes as divorce, dating, family conflicts, anorexia, the blending of two families, struggles and successes in the workplace and at school, romance and peer pressure. There was some controversy last week when an ABC affiliate in Lynchburg, Va., did not air the latest episode because it showed two teen-age girls kissing. One of the characters was confused about her sexual identity. Gay activists protested the station's decision. ABC said the Virginia station was the only affiliate to pre-empt the show.
Ms. Ramsey said her interest in the show was piqued in 1999 when she read a piece in The Wall Street Journal that was full of praise for the about-to-debut series. She began watching in September 1999. "It took, to be honest, a couple of episodes to get into it, but by the first month, I was hooked," Ms. Ramsey said. "I guess it's the relationships, and Zwick and Herskovitz are able to make people and relationships layered. They're not afraid to show people in a bad light, but they also show them in a good light."
The show received excellent reviews, but a year ago it appeared "One and Again" would not be renewed for a third season.
The movement by viewers to try to save the show began on the Internet. ABC has what looks like a very lively message board for "Once and Again" on its Web site, www.ABC.com.
"I was just interested in seeing what was available with 'Once and Again.' It (the message board) was almost like a book club. You were able to critique the show. That really got me hooked on the ABC message board," Ms. Ramsey said.
When word came out that "Once Again" was in danger last season, one person who regularly left messages began rallying people, Ms. Ramsey said. "It was through the message board that this group came together. We wanted to let ABC know that there are people out there who don't have Nielsen (ratings) boxes."
The show returned, but ratings remain an issue. According to Ms. Ramsey, when "Once and Again" debuted, its viewership was about 10 million people. Now the figure is about half that. But fans make the case that in 2½ years, the show has been changed time slots seven times. Besides wanting to save the show, fans are also pleading that "Once and Again" be given a permanent night and time. "We're basically saying, you keep moving the show, nobody's going to follow it," Ms. Ramsey said. Looking at the matter from ABC's perspective, she said the network may feel that it has given the program a shot and left it on the air.
At the beginning of the year, "Once and Again" was put on a seven-week hiatus. It returned March 4 for seven more episodes. Ms. Ramsey said the feeling is that if the ratings don't improve by the end of the seven weeks, it could really be the end for the series.
An official at ABC said last week that no decisions about the network's fall lineup will be announced until May.
Meanwhile, letters, petitions, e-mail and phone calls have been made to ABC on behalf of the show. Internet fans have appointed leaders for various aspects of the campaign. Organizers say that hits to the principal fan Web site -- www.angelfire.com/tv/onceagain -- increased by 570 percent over a recent two-week period.
"We're making a pitch for quality," Ms. Ramsey said. "We're making a pitch to ABC to make it more difficult to cancel the show. "ABC has been quoted as saying they want to take the high road and have high-quality family drama -- and we're saying you have it." __ Worcester Telegram and Gazette (March 19, 2002)
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