A smart, emotionally observant family drama that treats divorce, co-parenting, and blended-family tension with unusual honesty. It’s especially rewarding if you like character-first network drama with a reflective, adult tone and strong performances.
61% ★★★☆☆ (3,228)
Once and Again
Where to watch: Buy
TV Show · Drama
1999 · ★ 61% (3.2K)
The best show you're not watching.
Starring: Sela Ward, Billy Campbell, Jeffrey Nordling
Overview
The series depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father.
Production
ABC
Cast
Sela Ward, Billy Campbell, Jeffrey Nordling, Susanna Thompson, Shane West, Julia Whelan, Evan Rachel Wood, Meredith Deane, Marin Hinkle, Todd Field
Curator Review
Verdict
A smart, emotionally observant family drama that treats divorce, co-parenting, and blended-family tension with unusual honesty. It’s especially rewarding if you like character-first network drama with a reflective, adult tone and strong performances.
Best for
viewers who like intimate relationship drama
fans of thoughtful 1990s prestige network TV
people interested in blended-family and co-parenting stories
audiences who prefer emotional realism over melodrama
Skip if
you want fast plotting or big twists
you dislike quiet, talky family drama
you prefer lighter comfort TV
you need a long-running series with many seasons
Overview
Once and Again is one of the more quietly accomplished family dramas of its era. Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz bring the same sensitivity they used on thirtysomething, but here the focus is on the practical, messy realities of divorce, new love, and the emotional logistics of raising kids across two households.
Worth noting
What makes it stand out is its patience. The show is less interested in soap-opera shocks than in the small, cumulative pressures that shape a family. Sela Ward and Billy Campbell give it warmth and credibility, while the younger cast helps the series feel grounded in the specific awkwardness of adolescence and blended-family life.
Bottom line
It can be a little too earnest for viewers who want sharper edges or more propulsion, and its network-TV rhythms are very much of the late 1990s. But if you appreciate adult drama that listens closely to its characters, it remains a strong and often underrated watch.
The essential precursor: intimate, adult, relationship-centered drama from the same creators, with the same interest in marriage, parenting, and emotional nuance.