''Once and Again'' is an American family drama television series that aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

from September 21, 1999, to April 15, 2002. It depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father. It was created by

Marshall Herskovitz Marshall Schreiber Herskovitz (born February 23, 1952) is an American film director, writer, and producer, and currently the President Emeritus of the Producers Guild of America. Among his productions are ''Traffic'', '' The Last Samurai'', '' ...

and

Edward Zwick Edward M. Zwick (born October 8, 1952) is an American filmmaker. He has worked primarily in the comedy drama and historical drama, epic historical film genres and was awarded an Academy Awards, Academy Award, as well as a British Academy Film Aw ...

. One of the show's then-unique aspects was the "interview" sequences filmed in

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...

and interspersed throughout each episode, where the characters would reveal their innermost thoughts and memories to the camera.

Premise

Lily Manning (

Sela Ward Sela Ann Ward (born July 11, 1956) is an American actress. Her breakthrough TV role was as Teddy Reed in the NBC drama series ''Sisters'' (1991–96), for which she received her first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama ...

) is a suburban

soccer mom Soccer mom is a term that broadly refers to an American, Canadian, or Australian, middle-class, suburban woman who spends a significant amount of her time transporting school-age children to youth sporting events or other activities (whether o ...

in her forties, who lives in

Deerfield, Illinois Deerfield is a village in Lake County, Illinois, Lake and Cook County, Illinois, Cook counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A northern Chicago metropolitan area, suburb of Chicago, Deerfield is located on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore, ...

. Recently separated from her philandering husband Jake (

Jeffrey Nordling Jeffrey Richard Nordling (born March 11, 1962) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jake Manning in ''Once and Again'', Larry Moss in '' 24'', Nick Bolen in ''Desperate Housewives'', and Gordon Klein in '' Big Little Lies'', as wel ...

), Lily is raising her two daughters: insecure, anxiety-ridden 14-year-old Grace ( Julia Whelan) and precocious nine-year-old Zoe (

Meredith Deane Meredith Deane (born August 9, 1989) is an American former child actress most known for her role as Zoe Manning in the TV show ''Once and Again''. She recently starred in the ''Law & Order'' episode "Profiteer" as Ashlee. Deane attended the Dalt ...

). For support, she turns to her more free-spirited younger sister, Judy (

Marin Hinkle Marin Hinkle (born March 23, 1966) is an American actress. Among many television and movie roles, she is best known for playing Judy Brooks in the ABC television drama ''Once and Again'' (1999–2002), Judith Harper-Melnick in the CBS sitcom ''Tw ...

), with whom she works at their bookstore called My Sister's Bookstore (renamed Booklovers later in the series). Lily's life changes when, during the pilot episode, she meets Rick Sammler (

Billy Campbell William Oliver Campbell (born July 7, 1959) is an American film and television actor. He first gained recognition for his recurring role as Luke Fuller in the TV series ''Dynasty'' and in '' The Rocketeer''. Then, he became known for playing R ...

) in the principal's office of Grace's school,

Upton Sinclair Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American author, muckraker journalist, and political activist, and the 1934 California gubernatorial election, 1934 Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

High School. Rick is a single father and co-head of an architectural firm, Sammler/Cassili Associates, which is located in downtown

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Rick has been divorced from his uptight ex-wife Karen (

Susanna Thompson Susanna Thompson (born January 27, 1958) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films ''Little Giants'' (1994), ''Ghosts of Mississippi'' (1996), ''Random Hearts'' (1999) and ''Dragonfly (2002 film), Dragonfly'' (2002). On televisi ...

) for three years and has two children: Eli (

Shane West Shannon Bruce Snaith (born June 10, 1978), better known as Shane West, is an American actor, singer and songwriter. He is known for his portrayal of Eli Sammler in the ABC family drama ''Once and Again'', Landon Carter in '' A Walk to Remember' ...

), a 16-year-old

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player at Sinclair High who suffers from a

learning disability Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty (British English) is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficulty ...

and sensitive 12-year-old Jessie (

Evan Rachel Wood Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress. She is the recipient of a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. She began acting in the 1990s, a ...

), who longs for the days before her family's disintegration. Lily and Rick share an immediate mutual attraction and begin dating. Their budding relationship causes problems in both of their respective families. Grace strongly objects to Lily and Rick's relationship as she still hopes to see her parents get back together. Karen, a public interest attorney at the downtown law firm of Harris, Riegert, and Sammler, is worried about the toll Rick's new relationship would take on their children, particularly Jessie, who is shy and emotionally fragile. She is also working through her own feelings of jealousy that Rick is moving on to a new relationship. In addition to Lily and Rick's relationship, the show also focused to a lesser degree on their exes, Jake and Karen, and their own struggles to move on in a post-divorce environment.

Plot summary

Season 1

Lily is in the process of divorcing her restaurateur husband, Jake. She is reluctant to begin dating again due to the sensitivities of her daughters, who are still emotional about the divorce. She meets and is instantly attracted to divorced architect Rick Sammler. However, their new relationship is complicated by Lily's many remaining emotional and financial issues with Jake. Lily must navigate the complicated worlds of divorce, finding herself in midlife, and reentering the workforce. She is able to find strength and resilience as she affirms her marriage to Jake is over, starts a new job as a publishing assistant at the magazine Pages Alive, and grows in her relationship with Rick. Grace and Eli become close when she becomes his tutor. Judy has a relationship with Rick's friend, Sam Blue (

Steven Weber Steven Robert Weber (born March 4, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Brian Hackett on the television series '' Wings'', and as Dr. Dean Archer on NBC’s Chicago Med. He also voiced Charlie B. Barkin in '' ...

) before discovering Sam is married.

Season 2

Lily and Jake's divorce is finalized and she hopes to spend more time with Rick. However, Rick becomes sidetracked by difficulties at work and has to begin working with unscrupulous developer Miles Drentell (

David Clennon David Clennon (born May 10, 1943) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Miles Drentell in the ABC series '' Thirtysomething'' and ''Once and Again'', as well as his role as Palmer in the John Carpenter film '' The Thing''. He ...

, reprising his role from the series ''

thirtysomething ''Thirtysomething'' is an American drama television series created by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz for United Artists Television (under MGM/UA Television) and aired on ABC from September 29, 1987, to May 28, 1991."The 'don't trust a ...

''). Things become difficult for Lily when Rick's project runs into legal difficulties and his ex-wife Karen is hired to represent the opposition. Jessie flirts with an eating disorder and begins to address her problems with the help of a therapist (played by show producer

). Jake's girlfriend Tiffany announces she is pregnant. At the end of season two, Rick has to dissolve his architectural firm, and Lily and Rick get married.

Season 3

Rick resumes his partnership with Sam Blue, now divorced, to design a hotel for a new client. Sam and Judy try to be friends but eventually resume their romantic relationship. Jake and Tiffany have a baby girl and eventually decide to get married. Grace develops a crush on her English teacher, Mr. Dimitri (

Eric Stoltz Eric Cameron Stoltz (born September 30, 1961) is an American actor, director and producer. He played Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film ''Mask'' (1985), which earned him the nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting ...

); although their relationship never became sexual, an investigation eventually forces Mr. Dimitri to leave the school. Meanwhile, Jessie discovers she is attracted to another girl: upperclassman Katie Singer (

Mischa Barton Mischa Anne Marsden Barton (born 24 January 1986) is a British-American film, television, and stage actress. She began her career on the stage, appearing in Tony Kushner's '' Slavs!'' and took the lead in James Lapine's '' Twelve Dreams'' at ...

), and after Katie acknowledges her own romantic feelings towards Jessie with a love letter, the two girls quietly begin dating while hiding their romance from everyone, in what became the first teen lesbian romance on American network television. Karen deals with her depression; just as she is starting to make progress, she is hit by a car, leading to months of painful rehabilitation where she meets physical therapist Henry Higgins ( D. B. Woodside). Lily faces more painful domestic struggles when her mother begins to show signs of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

and her brother Aaron (

Patrick Dempsey Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor and racing driver best known for playing neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd in ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005–15; 2020–21). He is also known for his leading man romantic film roles, such ...

), who is schizophrenic, wants to move in with his girlfriend. By the end of the season, Rick and Lily face big decisions when he is offered a job in Australia and she is offered a nationally syndicated radio show. Their decisions are never shown, but in the last moments of the series finale, Lily reveals she is pregnant and everyone comes together to attend Jake and Tiffany's wedding.

Cast

Main

as Lily Manning: Grace and Zoe's mother, separated from Jake *

as Rick Sammler: Eli and Jessie's father, divorced from Karen *

as Jake Manning: Lily's estranged husband, Grace and Zoe's father *

as Karen Sammler: Rick's ex-wife, Eli and Jessie's mother *

as Eli Sammler: Rick's son * Julia Whelan as Grace Manning: Lily's elder daughter *

as Jessie Sammler: Rick's daughter *

as Zoe Manning: Lily's younger daughter *

as Judy Brooks: Lily's younger sister *

Todd Field William Todd Field (born February 24, 1964) is an American filmmaker and actor. He is known for directing '' In the Bedroom'' (2001), '' Little Children'' (2006), and '' Tár'' (2022), which were nominated for a combined fourteen Academy Award ...

as David Cassilli (season 2; recurring season 1): Rick's business partner and friend *

Ever Carradine Ever Carradine (born August 6, 1974) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Tiffany Porter and Kelly Ludlow on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series ''Once and Again'' and ''Commander in Chief (TV series), Com ...

as Tiffany Porter (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1): Jake's mistress/girlfriend *

Jennifer Crystal Foley Jennifer Amie Crystal Foley (born January 26, 1973) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Christie Parker in ''Once and Again'' and Rachel Taub on ''House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range i ...

as Christie Parker (season 2; recurring season 1, guest season 3): Lily's boss at PagesAlive.com *

as Miles Drentell (season 2): Rick and David's primary client *

as Samuel Blue (season 3; recurring season 1): Rick's friend and Judy's lover

Recurring

Kimberly McCullough Kimberly Anne McCullough (born March 5, 1978) is an American actress and television director. She is best known for her role as Robin Scorpio on the soap opera ''General Hospital'', a role which she originated at age seven, playing the characte ...

as Jennifer: Eli's girlfriend before Cassidy and before Carla * Kelly Coffield as Naomi Porter: Lily and Karen's mutual friend *

James Eckhouse James Hays Eckhouse (born February 14, 1955) is an American actor, best known for playing Jim Walsh on ''Beverly Hills, 90210''. He also directed three episodes of the show. Career Before his part on ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', Eckhouse had sm ...

as Lloyd Lloyd: Karen's ill-fated date *

Paul Mazursky Irwin Lawrence "Paul" Mazursky (; April 25, 1930 – June 30, 2014) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. Known for his dramatic comedies that often dealt with modern social issues, he was nominated for five Academy Awards for '' ...

as Phil Brooks: Lily and Judy's father *

Bonnie Bartlett Bonnie Bartlett Daniels (born June 20, 1929) is an American retired actress. Her career spans about seven decades, with her first major role being on a 1950s daytime drama, '' Love of Life''. Bartlett is known for her role as Grace Snider Edwar ...

as Barbara Brooks: Lily and Judy's mother *

Mark Feuerstein Mark Feuerstein (; born June 8, 1971) is an American actor. He had an early, recurring role on the NBC sitcom ''Caroline in the City'', playing the title character's boyfriend, and later gained notice in a guest appearance on an episode of Sex ...

as Leo Fisher: Karen's younger boyfriend *

Alexandra Holden Alexandra Paige Holden (born April 30, 1977) is an American actress. Known for her film work in the comedy and horror genres, her credits include '' In & Out'' (1997), '' Drop Dead Gorgeous'' (1999), '' Sugar & Spice'' (2001), ''The Hot Chick'' (2 ...

as Cassidy: Eli's girlfriend after Jennifer *

as Aaron Brooks: Lily and Judy's

schizophrenic Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...

brother *

Audrey Marie Anderson Audrey Marie Anderson (born March 7, 1975) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Kim Brown in the CBS action-drama series ''The Unit'' (2006–2009) and her recurring roles as DC character Lyla Michaels / Harbinger ...

as Carla Aldrich: Eli's girlfriend *

Mark Valley Mark Thomas Valley (born December 24, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Brad Chase in the TV drama ''Boston Legal'', Oliver Richard in the NBC drama ''Harry's Law'', FBI Special Agent John Scott in the Fox sci fi series ...

as Will Gluck: Handyman and Judy's lover *

D. B. Sweeney Daniel Bernard Sweeney (born November 14, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jackie Willow in Francis Ford Coppola's '' Gardens of Stone'' (1987), Lt. Phil Lowenthal in '' Memphis Belle'' (1990), and Travis Walton in '' Fire ...

as Graham Rympalski: Lily and Christie's co-worker at PagesAlive.com * Marco Gould as Spencer Lewicki: Grace's boyfriend *

as August Dimitri: Grace's English teacher/acting coach/romantic interest *

Paul Dooley Paul Dooley (born Paul Brown; February 22, 1928) is an American character actor. He is known for his roles in '' Breaking Away'', ''Popeye'', '' Strange Brew'', '' Sixteen Candles'' and various Christopher Guest mockumentaries. He co-created the ...

as Les Creswell: Lily's boss at WIPX *

as Katie Singer: Jessie's friend/girlfriend *

Christina Chang Christina Chang () is an American actress, who has appeared in '' 24'', '' CSI: Miami'', ''Nashville'', and '' The Good Doctor''. Early life Chang was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, to a Taiwanese-Filipino father and an American mother. ...

as Amanda: One of Rick's employees

Notes

Episodes

Season 1 (1999–2000)

Season 2 (2000–01)

Season 3 (2001–02)

Production

The series was filmed at the Century Studio Corporation sound stages in

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights to the ea ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and also on location in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

area.

DVD releases

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment) is the home entertainment distribution arm of the Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films, television series, a ...

(formerly Buena Vista Home Entertainment) released Season 1 on November 5, 2002, mere months after the series finale. However, it took three more years and numerous petition drives for season two to be released, which occurred on August 23, 2005. A little over a month later, on September 30, 2005, news broke about the release of the third and final season, which was slated to occur on January 10, 2006. Mock-up photos of the packaging were even released. However, by October 2005 the title was delayed indefinitely with no explanation and was never released. It was almost two years before another official word was uttered on the subject and in July 2007, it was reported that Buena Vista's license on the program was soon to expire. As a result, a new company could acquire the distribution rights to the title and potentially release the third season."Once and Again on DVD, Release Info, News at TVShowsOnDVD.com"
,

TVShowsOnDVD.com TVShowsOnDVD.com was a website dedicated to cataloging, campaigning for, and reporting news about Region 1 television series releases on DVD and region A Blu-ray. The site's slogan asked: "Is YOUR Favorite Show On DVD?". From February 2007 un ...

. Retrieved on October 30, 2011.

Ratings

Awards

References

External links

* {{Edward Zwick 1990s American drama television series 1999 American television series debuts 2000s American drama television series 2002 American television series endings 1990s American LGBTQ-related drama television series 2000s American LGBTQ-related drama television series Deerfield, Illinois American English-language television shows Lesbian-related television shows Primetime Emmy Award–winning television series Television series by ABC Studios Television shows filmed in Los Angeles Television shows set in Illinois American Broadcasting Company television dramas Disney and LGBTQ