Once and Again - The Complete First Season

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Summary: Once & Again 3 Seasons Box set
Review: We can only hope and wait for a box set DVD release of the single BEST program ever to grace the air waves. To bad it was wasted on a terrible network. Let's all demand this be released as a DVD box set. The series is a must see. "It's just such a beautiful story."

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Summary: The Best Drama That Network Television Has Ever Offered
Review: About three years ago I started seeing a few nifty commercials for a neat-looking little show called "Once and Again," and over time I sorta got this hunch that it would be worth saving. So the night it premiered (Tues., Sept. 21, 1999), I decided not only to watch it -- but to tape it, as well...and I didn't stop recording until this past May, when it was, after a long struggle in the ratings, cancelled. And although valiant efforts by fans to save it ultimately proved fruitless, those who truly adored the show are now getting a gift from Heaven: all 22 episodes of the first season forever minted on DVD. Offering a pristine transfer (and, sadly, not much else) the six discs here are the perfect way to re-capture the warmth, depth and intelligence of the finely crafted, intricate tale of Rick Sammler (Billy Campbell) and Lily Manning (the luminous Sela Ward), two divorcees struggling to find romance in a bustling suburban world of PTA gossip, demanding exes, and jaded kids. And at the very same time the show was making smart, heartbreaking observations about the Way We Are, it was also slowly paving the way for astoundingly deep character development. The basic idea of the series was that drama could be created without too much of a plot; take a moment, stand back, and watch the people -- how they interact and react -- and you'd find all the drama you could possibly need. What helped "O&A" become so successful in proving that was, foremost, the writing. It allowed for many moments of silent introspection without ever becoming navel-gazing tripe. Also quite integral to the show's main purpose was its remarkable ensemble. There was not a single bad casting choice. Even young Meredith Deane (who played Zoe, the button-cute 9-year-old daughter of Lily) held her own when it was required (just watch her dismay after learning the truth about Santa Claus in the eventful "Gingerbread House" episode). In fact, I would go so far as to say that "Once and Again" had the best dramatic ensemble in TV history -- and I would love to go on and describe the beauty of every actor's gifts, but for the sake of time and space I'll say only this: I shall never forget any of their names. As TV drudges through its first season without "O&A," it's becoming incredibly clear how much this series will be missed. Never again, I think, will network TV see such a fantastic character-driven show. I doubt anything will even come close -- unless, of course, it's the next brilliant spark of an idea created between the two geniuses ultimately responsible for "Once and Again"'s every success: executive producers Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick.

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Summary: LOVE this show! Want the entire series on DVD!
Review: This is a most wonderful series for all ages. It appeals to adults as well as teens. My sons and I watched every episode and we miss the series but we watch the Season One DVD together. We hope they release the remainder of the seasons soon. Anyway....If you haven't seen this series, it is great. It deals with real life problems and has real life characters. Not one character is "perfect" and they all deal with their flaws as best as possible or remain in denial. There were so many issues I could personally connect to. This was a great series that got cancelled way WAY too soon. Guess we will just have to view the 3 seasons over and over and over again....Once and Again. Sigh...Once and Again...we miss you like an old friend taken from us in your prime!

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Summary: And where are seasons 2 & 3??
Review: Distinct from the scandal-happy nighttime soaps like Melrose Place or The OC, the nighttime melodrama has safer, more character-oriented stories to tell, and for the past twenty years, no one's been better at bringing the nighttime melodrama to the screen than the Herskowitz/ Zwick pairing that created Thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, and Relativity before coming up with their best show in 1999 with Once and Again. Told with delicate humanity and enough intricate drama to become at first a guilty pleasure (I was a 17-year-old guy in high school when I started watching), and then just a pleasure, a rich and rewarding multi-character drama that was remarkably sure of itself right from its first episodes. The show was inventive in its highly self-conscious - but also highly effective - use of the in-show interview with the character, black-and-white scenes of catharsis that really did seem to be eminating from the characters' subconsciouses. But what worked so well in Once and Again was its ordinariness - the plain, unfussy performances by Julia Whelan as gawky teen Grace, Marin Hinkle's alluring work as sister Judy, Jeffrey Nordling and Susanna Thompson as the exes, and especially Sela Ward as Lily, whose tough and graceful work seemed to be earning every possible acting award for a while. The show hit some creative dry patches in their second season - perhaps the reason season 2 has yet to come to DVD - but as concluded in its third season, it proved to be a resonant and cosy beacon of pure ol' drama at its best. The fact that that season can't be seen is a shame, but until then, I'm happy to say I can watch the episodes of the first season over and over.

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Summary: Big Fan of "Once and Again"
Review: This was one of the best shows in television history and I was very disappointed when it was canceled. However, I was excited to find the first season on DVD, and hope that the remaining two seasons are available soon. Having found myself in a similar situation ten years ago, I can really relate to the characters in this show. Wonderful, realistic acting and life situations! You really become involved in the lives of the characters and look forward to each episode.

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Summary: Disappointed, Frankly
Review: I went into this show expecting to love it. I enjoyed Sela Ward on "Sisters" ... I'm a huge fan of Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick's previous work (including "Family," "thirtysomething" and "My So-Called Life") ... plus I'm a total sucker for a well-written romance. So it pains me to report how much I ended up NOT liking "Once & Again." I'm not even really sure how to explain it, except to say that there was never a single moment, the whole time I was watching it, when I wasn't acutely aware that I was watching actors acting. The whole thing seemed very artificial and contrived. The adolescent characters didn't ring true for me, either, nor did the character of Lily's sister ... and since these characters are integral to the plot development, that left a huge believability deficit for me. I actually ended up returning the DVD set for a refund. Hopefully it will be purchased by someone who enjoys the show as much as the rest of you seem to.

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Summary: really good show
Review: This was a well written and acted show. But it did have its cons. It occasionally had a few unrealistic and contrived moments although not that many. It could be overly angsty at times but not as angsty as shows like Party of five. Sometimes it did seem as if the writers were trying too hard. But overall it was a great show. It was fairly realistic and original and I grew to really care about the characters and what happened to them. It was definately cancelled way too early.

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Summary: Once and Again and It's still Garbage....
Review: The reason why this show barely last a few years on TV. It was terrible. It had bad casting,bad script writing, the so-called realationships looked like zombies coming back from the dead, A daytime soap opera had better drama then this drek. To release it on DVD means that Disney wants to make a cheap buck and a cheap laugh.

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Summary: Sign this petition for the Seasons 2 & 3 DVDs
Review: I just found out about this online petition:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/oa1902/petition.html

Please go and sign it if you're a true fan of the series, like I am. ^_^

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Summary: We want more!
Review: This was one of the best shows ever placed on the small screen. Although it lived a short life, it was all the more intense. Fantastic writing and acting. And many beautiful people to watch! Please make seasons 2 and 3 available on DVD!