Networks stuff lineups with family fare for Thanksgiving
BYLINE: M.S. Mason, Television critic of The Christian Science Monitor --
The holiday season tends to bring out the "family" in family programming. Several shows and special movies this week emphasize the importance of family - and the need to face and remedy dysfunction wherever it raises its ugly head.Check out Hallmark Hall of Fame's "The Lost Child," starring Mercedes Ruehl. Or "Love Lessons," starring Patty Duke, as you labor over stuffing and pie-making.
Fans of the new seriocomic series "Ed" may appreciate a single man's attempt to construct a family out of a ragtag assortment of friends.
The most thoughtful of the family shows this week may be an episode of "Once and Again." These latter two have overt Thanksgiving themes, but all four programs explore new definitions of family and the challenges they present.
(Snip to OandA stuff)
Once and Again: Feast or Famine, ABC, Nov. 21, 10-11 p.m.
When the children and mothers of Lily (Sela Ward) and Rick (Billy Campbell) come together for their first Thanksgiving as a new family, Rick must face his lifelong distress with the season. Fortunately, his mom (the wonderful Barbara Barrie) helps him to see both his own strengths, and the weaknesses that endanger his children.
"I think the basis of the episode is to try to talk about a subtle but powerful phenomenon having to do with parents' difficulty in staying connected with their children," says executive producer Marshall Herskovitz. "He is a very good man, a good father. He loves and cares for his children.
"The episode explores these themes. His mother is our eyes and ears - she knows he needs to wake up to what his children are experiencing."
The writing in this episode is moving because it is real and specific - and ultimately honest. Most parents experience some sort of awakening while they raise their children, however conscientious they are. It's refreshing to see the subject approached skillfully.__The Christian Science Monitor (November 17, 2000)
