From 1999 to 2002, the sweet family drama Once And Again aired on ABC, telling the story of the relationship between Rick Sammler (Billy Campbell) and Lily Manning (Sela Ward). The show focused on the struggles that the two main characters experience while dealing with their ex-spouses and their new relationship, along with how their children are faring.
While seasons 1 and 2 of Once And Again are available on DVD, having been released in 2002 and 2005, season 3 was never put out on DVD. Unfortunately, the show isn't available on any streaming platform, and so the third season has become a prime example of lost media.
It's surprising that season 3 of Once And Again has never become available on DVD and even more surprising that the show can't be streamed anywhere. Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz co-created the series, and they also created thirtysomething and My So-Called Life, two beloved dramatic series from the '80s and '90s. These shows are out on DVD, with My So-Called Life available on Disney+. TV fans are so used to watching various TV shows on Netflix and other streaming services, and while viewers look forward to original content, it's nice to find older series to revisit or perhaps discover for the first time.
In September 2020, Variety published an article called "Why Isn’t Evan Rachel Wood’s ‘Once and Again’ Available to Stream?" The acclaimed and talented actor played Jessie Sammler, Rick's young daughter who struggles with an eating disorder and who, in season 3, falls in love with a character played by Mischa Barton. Wood told the publication in her interview, "“It’s such a good show! I rewatched it as an adult, and as a divorced parent. And could not get off of my sofa. I knew it was a good show when I was on it, but I really understood it as an adult.”
It's even more surprising that Once And Again can't be entirely found on DVD considering the great cast. Julia Whelan played Lily's teenage daughter Grace, and Whelan is now an author of the memoir My Oxford Year and the recent release Thank You For Listening along with being a beloved audio book narrator. Shane West of A Walk To Remember fame played Rick's teenage son Eli, who loves making music and who struggles with school and the unfair pressure of his parents. Marin Hinkle played Lily's single sister Judy, who owns a bookstore, and she can now be found as Rose on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
TV fans feel nostalgic for '90s and 2000s series, and so many of them are available on streaming services. Blossom, the memorable '90s sitcom starring Mayim Bialik as a young girl dealing with not having a mother as she goes through changes, is on Disney+, and Hulu has a variety of young adult series from the past. The concept of lost media can feel both upsetting and confusing. With so many streamers and so much content out there, how can an entire season of television really be lost? There is clearly an appetite for season 3 of Once And Again, with comments on the Amazon page for the season 1 DVD ranging from "Let's hope they release the *entire* series" to "And again (Season 3), please!"
Once And Again is also a beautifully crafted and moving show, which is why so many fans look back on it fondly and would love to be able to watch every single episode. It can definitely be considered one of the best TV dramas. Each season deals with topics that are so real. In the season 1 episode "A Dream Deferred," Lily's ex-husband Jake (Jeffrey Nordling) doesn't pay the mortgage on what is now her house, and she has the harsh realization that she needs to think more carefully about money.
The series also portrays Lily's brother Aaron (Patrick Dempsey)'s experience with schizophrenia with care and thought. Lily and Judy have a smart conversation as Lily says that Judy wants him to stay troubled so she can look after him and feel needed and Judy feels Lily is putting too much pressure on Aaron. Once And Again deals with how hard and messy and sad life can be, but also how hopeful, as Lily and Rick have a great love story and want to make it all work.
Season 2 delves into Jessie's anorexia, and Evan Rachel Wood gave an incredible performance. Jessie understandably has trouble with the fact that her parents are divorced and that now she has to spend time with Lily and Lily's daughters Grace and Zoe (Meredith Deane). The season also shows the complications of being an adult, as Rick works on a huge project for his client Miles Drentell (David Clennon) and then realizes that his new mall would displace a women's shelter, which no one is happy with. Once And Again excelled at being a show about teenagers and also adults, treating all of the characters equally no matter what their age and problems.
According to the article in Variety, no one from Touchstone Television (now ABC Studios) has commented on why the third season of the show is lost. But it looks like the cast loves it as much as the fans. In 2018, Marin Hinkle said she would be thrilled to do a reboot. According to Metro.co.uk, the actor said, "So from your words, to my words, to the universe, let’s have a little bit of Once And Again. Even a small movie. We’ll just do it that way. Producers, Amazon, whoever, just sign away. I’m there with bells on. You wouldn’t even have to pay me."