Boost in ratings heartens 'Once and Again' supporters

By Gail Shister

Don't wave any pom-poms yet, but there may be hope for Once and Again.

ABC's poignant Sela Ward-Billy Campbell family drama won the 10 p.m. Monday slot last week, giving the show's small but passionate fan base a sliver of hope for a fourth season.

"If the numbers stay high, this absolutely could affect our fate," says Philly-born cocreator Marshall Herskovitz. "But one episode with a highly promotable story line will not save the show."

The segment - which featured a girl-girl kiss and was pulled by the affiliate in Lynchburg, Va. - was the second of seven episodes in Again's last-gasp trial in yet another time slot. (The usual competitors, CBS's Judging Amy and NBC's Crossing Jordan, didn't run that night.)

"The numbers are certainly encouraging," ABC spokesman Kevin Brockman said. "This is an amazingly well-crafted series. Any decision about the show's future will be made in May."

Monday's episode drew 8.6 million viewers - up 2.2 million from Again's season-to-date average and its best showing since May's season finale.

Just as important, Again went up almost two million viewers from its 9 p.m. lead-in, a news special on the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Another good sign: Viewership increased from the first to second half-hour.

Despite the ratings upturn and a national e-mail campaign to save the ratings-impaired show, Herskovitz isn't getting his hopes too high. "I still feel negative. The reality is, we've been on three years and we've never done great. The signs and portents tend toward not being around next year, but nobody on the show has given up.

"I've been kind of amazed at the level of work and commitment. No one has particularly cared about the ratings or whether we might not be around next year. . . . No one wants it to end."

Production wrapped last week on the 19th - and final, at least for the season - episode. ABC in January reduced its original order from 23 to 17 episodes, but it went to 19 after a plea from Herskovitz and his producing partner, Ed Zwick.

"We talked about our creative needs for the show," Herskovitz said, "and we said it would be very difficult for us to set up story lines in less than 19 episodes."

Two story lines focus on the angst of teenage girls - Grace's (Julia Whelan) burgeoning relationship with her English teacher (Eric Stoltz) and Jessie's (Evan Rachel Wood) homosexual exploration with her best friend.

So, Marsh, will episode 19 be a season finale or a series finale?

"The only way you can truly have a series finale is if all the characters die. Their lives go on. For us, the question is, is the episode a fitting goodbye, and will it be satisfying to the audience?" __ Philadelphia Inquirer (March 18, 2002)

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