'Once, Again' going, but Ellie' hangs on

By Allan Johnson

"Once and Again," the sensitive drama about a couple's blended family, was officially canceled by ABC on Thursday. Its series finale will be at 9 p.m. April 15 on WLS-Ch. 7.

"The program has passionately devoted fans who deserve a fully realized conclusion to Rick and Lily's story," ABC Entertainment president Susan Lyne said. "And we owe it to [creators-executive producers] Marshall [Herskovitz] and Ed [Zwick]--and the phenomenal cast they assembled--to give the series a great send-off."

"Once" stars Sela Ward, who won an Emmy and a Golden Globe award for playing Lily Manning, and Billy Campbell, who was nominated for a Golden Globe as her new husband, Rick Sammler.

Despite a loyal following and praise for intelligent portrayals of characters and situations, "Once" was never a huge ratings winner. ABC arguably never helped, constantly moving the show around the schedule during its three years on the air. It is averaging 6 1/2 million viewers, down from almost 11 million viewers last season. __ Chicago Tribune (March 29, 2002)

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