Returning shows stand their ground

By Robert Bianco --
On TV, it has been a season of many happy returns. From the courtrooms of Ally McBeal to the bedrooms of Will & Grace, television's best series have come back to us in remarkably good shape. They may not all be at their best, but none of the dozen returning shows reviewed for this report is in immediate danger of collapse — and that's cause to celebrate.

This good news gets even better when you look back at 1999. Last November, Ally was in free fall, The Practice was headed for its first bad season, and Friends was in a minor slump. This season, Ally is in the midst of a remarkable rebound, The Practice is back on a more even keel, and Friends has rallied around the promised marriage of Monica and Chandler.

Keep in mind, this is a report card, not a prediction. As the season goes on, some of these shows — selected on the basis of popularity, quality, Emmy status or media heat — may get better. And some may get considerably worse.

Still, for now, it's good news all around. Is it any wonder some of us prefer TV to real life?

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Once and Again (ABC)
Tuesdays, 10 p.m. ET/PT

Best episode: Lily's sister runs a singles club out of the bookstore (Oct. 31). A wonderful episode about loneliness and sibling rivalry that shows how brave and embracing this series can be. Worst episode: Eli would rather form a band than study, which causes conflict with his father (Nov. 14). Once's willingness to whisper where others shout is one of its strengths, but sometimes it drops its voice and its pulse so low, it's barely with us. Ratings report: Down 27% Quality status: Even Summing up: No drama does a better job of exploring the conflicts, agonies and victories of American family life — in fact, none of the other quality dramas has any comparable interest in the subject. Yes, there are times when too little happens, and the small things that do happen are given too much import. But more often, the show is able to find those crucial moments in everyday life that seem small from a distance but are overwhelming when seen up close.

(rest of article "snipped")__USA TODAY (November 17, 2000 )