Ward's TV Series cancelled by network
By Chris Allen Baker

Actress Sela Ward's television show 'Once and Again' has been canceled after a three-year run on ABC network. The series finale is scheduled for April 15.

Ward, an award-winning actress and Lauderdale County native, and her cast could not escape a second network decision to drop the show due to low ratings.

ABC announced a decision several months ago to cancel the series. An extensive advertising and letter-writing campaign by the show's fans convinced ABC to give the show a second chance.

Ward was in meetings all day Friday, according to her assistant, Jackie Moses, and could not be reached for comment. Moses said ABC's decision was made Thursday and published on the network's Web site on Friday.

The show co-stars Ward with Billy Campbell as a couple who try to merge families after their divorces. The show was widely praised but it was not enough to boost ratings enough to keep it on the air.

ABC moved the show several times to different nights to find the best slot. In one move, the network placed 'Once & Again' in the Friday time slot usually held by '20/20,' sparking a protest by Barbara Walters.

In Associated Press reports, ABC executives and series creators Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick paid tribute to devoted fans.

"We are just proud and honored to have reached and touched as many people as we did over the course of three years," Herskovitz said. "We have always judged our efforts on the basis of the passion with which they are received, not be the size of their ratings." __ Meridian Star (March 30, 2002)

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