Series synopsis
Once and Again is an American drama television series that premiered on ABC on September 21, 1999. It ended on April 15, 2002. It was created by Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz. It stars Sela Ward, Billy Campbell, Jeffrey Nordling and Susanna Thompson.
The series depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father.
Premise
The series depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father.
Premise: The best show you're not watching.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Sela Ward as Lily Manning
- Billy Campbell as Rick Sammler
- Jeffrey Nordling as Jake Manning
- Susanna Thompson as Karen Sammler
- Shane West as Eli Sammler
- Julia Whelan as Grace Manning
- Evan Rachel Wood as Jessie Sammler
- Meredith Deane as Zoe Manning
Supporting cast
- Marin Hinkle as Judy Brooks
- Todd Field as David Cassilli
- D. B. Sweeney
- Jim Fyfe
- Gina May
- Eric Stoltz
- Jacob Smith
- Saul Rubinek
- John Lehr
- Kay Lenz
- Ellen Geer
- Catherine McCord
Guest cast
Episodes
This series spans 3 seasons with 63 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 22 | September 21, 1999 | April 24, 2000 |
| Season 2 | 22 | October 24, 2000 | May 2, 2001 |
| Season 3 | 19 | September 28, 2001 | April 15, 2002 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Pilot Lily Manning, separated from her husband, and Rick Sammler, divorced for 3 years, meet by chance when her daughter, Grace, injures her ankle in a soccer game. They go out on a date, and are instantly attracted to each other. |
September 21, 1999 |
| 2 |
Let's Spend The Night Together Rick and Lily ponder taking their relationship to the next level. |
September 28, 1999 |
| 3 |
The Scarlet Letter Jacket Rick and Lily's families gather at the school carnival. Lily and Karen, who don't know of each other at this point, are paired to work together in a booth there. |
October 5, 1999 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Wake Up, Little Susie Lily and Rick try to blend their families together, but it doesn't go smoothly. Jesse has trouble adjusting to high school. |
October 24, 2000 |
| 2 |
Booklovers Judy turns the bookstore into a ""book club for singles."" This attracts an interesting clientele, including Jake (who's tiring of his girlfriend Tiffany) and Lily's boss Christie. Judy isn't sure of her attraction to the handyman who's fixing up the store. |
October 31, 2000 |
| 3 |
I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down Parental pressure bears down on Eli to get his act together for college. However, Eli wants to form a music group. |
November 14, 2000 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Busted As the two families merge into one house, disagreements over Jesse and Zoe's room decorations dominate the breakfast discussion. Lily's employer, Pages Alive, shuts down, so she's out of a job. Eli's busted for marijuana possession following a car accident. The officer finds Coop's marijuana in the car. This renews Karen's demands that Eli get a job and give up music. Lily, however, has a different opinion. Karen also talks with Rick about Eli living with her for a while. Predictably, Rick gets caught in the middle. Rick finally stands up to Karen and says that Eli will be okay. In the end, Eli ignores his mother's wishes and gets a job in a recording studio and continues to live with Rick and Lily. |
September 28, 2001 |
| 2 |
The Awful Truth Grace doesn't know what to make of her new teacher. Judy asks Lily to work at her planned bookstore/cafe. Lily also interviews at a radio station. Karen brings up the idea of hiring Jake to work on the bookstore/cafe. Lily isn't sure about that idea or where she wants to work. She gets hired at the radio station, so she has a decision to make. Jessie becomes increasingly annoyed by Grace and Eli's behavior when they're around each other. Judy and Lily argue about working together. Judy and Jake resolve the dispute they had the day before and Jake agrees to work on the bookstore/cafe. Will tells Judy that he found his daughter in Florida and that he's moving there to get to know her again. Eli becomes the subject of Grace's journal entries. Judy finally realizes that she has to do the bookstore/cafe without Lily. |
October 5, 2001 |
| 3 |
Kind of Blue Sam returns to town, further complicating the lives of Judy, Lily, and Rick. Sam wants to hire Rick to be the architect for a project he has. Judy, however, wants to hire Rick to redo her bookstore. Colin is agitated over Sam's inability to produce any sketches. Jake grows increasingly worried with the impending arrival of his and Tiffany's baby. Fearing he's having an anxiety attack, Judy tells him to go see her doctor. Colin gives Rick an ultimatum: Sam better produce some sketches, or else Rick and Sam will be fired. So Rick lets Sam know how serious the situation is. Jake's test results are clean and Sam comes through. Sam and Judy agree that now isn't the right time for them to be together. |
October 12, 2001 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | ABC |
|---|---|
| First aired | September 21, 1999 |
| Last aired | April 15, 2002 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Monday |