Bite Night

By David Bianculli, Daily News TV Critic --
I'dd identify the winner of tonight's Best Bet -- but after weeks of considering the prospect, the race remains too close to call. It's between WB's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and ABC's "Once and Again," and the ABC show always wins handily in the Nielsens, pulling millions more viewers than WB's equally superb Tuesday show. But are the Nielsens that accurate? I don't think I'll accept a final winner without a manual recount.

(snip to OandA)

10:00 (ABC) "Once and Again." Since no other drama on TV dissects family values and tensions as expertly and tenderly as this series, Thanksgiving episodes are a natural. It's especially true since this show delves so much into the extended-families concept — and Thanksgiving, with various sets of parents and kids and relatives, provides plenty of ready-made conflict. Bonnie Bartlett plays Lily's (Sela Ward) mom, and Barbara Barrie plays Rick's mom.__New York Daily News (November 21, 2000)