Weekend's top 3: Once again great?

By Robert Bianco

Ah, the weekend-- so many time slots, so few live-action shows worth watching. Luckily, one of TV's best series is moving to Fridays: ABC's Once and Again. Saturday remains a wasteland, but if you can hold out until Sunday, you get The Practice and X-Files - two shows trying to rebound from rough seasons. Can they do it? We wrap up a week spent reviewing the challenges facing some of TV's returning shows with this look at the weekend's top three.

Once and Again (ABC)
The challenge: There's never been anything wrong with Once that a few more viewers can't fix.
The fix: Once's producers say they're making the show a bit lighter. Keep in mind, though, that "lighter" is by definition a relative term. The beautifully done season premiere has a brighter tone than last season's norm, but it's still miles away from being a Providence-type Friday sapfest.
The prognosis: Fair. Once doesn't have to triumph in the ratings; it just has to improve. __USA Today (September 7, 2001)

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