Once and Again a fall TV hit

Warm, gooshy, oh-so-romantic drama you'll want to watch again and again

By Pat Lee -- One of the few shows to live up to the pre-season hype (along with the compellingly literate The West Wing), Once and Again is firmly at the top of my must-see TV list this fall.

Warm and gooshy and oh-so-romantic, the drama is one of those put the kids to bed, get a cup of hot cocoa and curl up with a warm blanket kind of shows, thanks to smart writing and a great cast headed by the impossibly gorgeous Sela Ward and Bill Campbell).

Ward and Campbell play architect Rick Sammler and bookstore owner Lily Manning, 40-year-old divorced parents who are just starting to date and dealing with all of the grown-up ramifications of their relationship, including grossed out kids and jealous exes.

During a month or so on the air, the pair have weathered the does he/she think I'm cute phase, the what to wear on the first date phase and, most recently, the do we or don't we "do it" phase.

One of the strongest elements of the show is the kids' reactions to the sexually charged relationship.

Not surprisingly the two teenagers (Rick's son Eli, played by Shane West, and Lily's daughter Grace, the wonderfully insecure Julia Whelan) are the most confused about it all since their own hormones are a ragin' along with mom's and dad's.

Also complicating matters are the estranged partners, played by Susanna Thompson and Jeffrey Nordling, and Lily's opinionated sister and business partner Judy (Marin Hinkle).

Another strong feature of the series is the thankfully not overused gimmick of cutting to black and white segments where the characters reveal their true feelings.

Instead of being distracting, the interview portions add another dimension to an already layered drama.

The drama is also a haven of adult programming (without the brutality of a show like Oz) in a world aimed the Clearasil crowd.

Created by thirtysomething's Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, Once and Again is a joy to behold.__Halifax Herald (October 29, 1999)