Tuesday, September 21, 1999
'Once and Again' is a fine show that doesn't happen often
BY JOHN KIESEWETTER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Every once and again, a quality TV series comes along. Sela Ward's Once and Again is one.
The same can't be said about Mission Hill, WB's first prime-time cartoon, or NBC's Mike O'Malley Show.
• Once and Again (10 p.m., Channels 9 and 2, until NYPD Blue returns Nov. 9, then returns in January): The thirtysomething team puts a terrific twist on the old “boy-meets-girl” story by making them divorced ... with children.
Sela Ward (Sisters) stars as Lily, mother of daughters, 14 and 9. Billy Campbell (The Rocketeer) plays Rick, who has a son, 16, more interested in girls and sports than homework, and a daughter, 12.
Sparks fly when they meet at school, but their high-maintenance children keep dousing the flame. Lily's teen tells her: “I should go out on a date before you do.”
If this were a Fox show, Lily and Rick would get engaged tonight. But Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick will take their time exploring the complexities of divorce, as they did with marriage (thirtysomething) and teen-agers (My So-Called Life).
Rick asks Lily tonight: “Do you understand what happens between us doesn't happen that often?”
She knows. So do you.
• Mission Hill (Preview 9 p.m., Channel 64; moves to 8 p.m. Fridays on Oct. 8): Hate to break the bad news to you, but WB's new cartoon isn't “Friends on acid,” or some cutting-edge satire, the “anti-Friends or anti-Felicity.”
I've used both phrases to describe the series, quoting the producers (Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein from The Simpsons) or voice talent Vicki Lewis, the Anderson Township native from NewsRadio.
But that was BEFORE I saw the show, which is awful. Not funny. Not insightful. Not clever. Definitely not on par with The Simpsons.
Here's the premise: A 24-year-old waterbed salesman shares his inner-city loft with his geeky 17-year-old brother (Scott Menville, The Wonder Years); his best friend (Jim Posehn); and latent flower child (Ms. Lewis).
The good news: You can skip it to catch the season premieres of Dharma & Greg (Channels 9, 2) or Will & Grace (Channels 5, 22).
• Mike O'Malley Show (9:30 p.m., Channels 5, 22): You might not know actor Mike O'Malley, whose claim to fame is playing “Rick” in ESPN commercials, or hosting Nickelodeon's Guts show.
You still won't want to know him after watching his NBC sitcom.
He plays a New Haven, Conn., sports junkie fearful of commitment who lives with a slacker roommate named “Weasel” (Mark Rosenthal, Uncle Buck). He talks directly to the camera about if whether he should attend the wedding of his pal (Will Arnett) to Marcia (Kate Walsh, Drew Carey Show), who left him at the altar a year ago.
“I've gotta be honest,” he says. “I don't know what I'm supposed to do here.”
You will: Change the channel. And wait for the premiere of ABC's Sports Night in two weeks.
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