Customer Reviews

Now and Again

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was so sad when I learned that CBS had canceled this show after the first season - it was an interesting meld of sci-fi adventure and CBS comedy/drama. In its way Now and Again was completely original; far more character based then action, a wonderful and interesting cast. The show ended on a cliff-hanger - I'll never forgive CBS for not at least making a TV movie to tie up loose ends.

There was something about the era this show was made in - Stargate, Dark Angel, Firefly, 7 Days, The Invisible Man, , Brimstone, Vengeance Unlimited, Special Unit 2 - to name just a few of the interesting shows that made it o screen - unlike the present "reality TV" loaded TV schedule; all of these shows were on Network stations. Today almost everything worth watching is on Showtime, HBO or FX.

I can hardly wait for Now and Again to be released on DVD just so I can watch the bonus material.

NOW AND AGAIN came out in 1999, the same time that the ABC family drama ONCE AND AGAIN debuted, and I remember that in the first two or three weeks of that fall season I used to get the titles of these two shows mixed up. But, as good as ONCE AND AGAIN was, NOW AND AGAIN was the one I really ended up looking forward to watching. This was creator/writer/producer Glenn Gordon Caron's baby and, as apropos of the guy responsible for REMINGTON STEELE and MOONLIGHTING, NOW AND AGAIN, airing on CBS, was graced with humanity, great storytelling and whimsy. Once again, though, it became yet another case of a major network giving up on a really promising show before the show had time to find its audience. I remember how very angry I was when NOW AND AGAIN got cancelled.

The premise is this: John Goodman plays New York insurance agent and devoted family man Michael Wiseman who, in the show's debut, dies in a subway train accident. Exit John Goodman. Except that the U.S. government then takes Michael Wiseman's brain and secretly implants it in a young bio-engineered body (Eric Close of DARK SKIES, WITHOUT A TRACE). And, suddenly, Michael has the "the speed of Michael Jordan, the strength of Superman and the grace of Fred Astaire." The Six Million Dollar Man treatment doesn't sit well at all with Michael - who now has a new identity as Mr. Newman. All he wants to do is get back to his devastated wife and daughter. But the government has plans for Mr. Newman, intending to turn him into its secret weapon - and so contact with his old family is strictly forbidden. Wiseman's main watchdog is the imperious Dr. Theodore Morris (Dennis Haysbert), who performed the experimental brain transplant and who heads up this very top secret government project. To clue in folks who haven't ever eyeballed this series, the quirky tug-of-war relationship between the doctor and the ex-insurance salesman provides some of the show's most terrific moments.

Dennis Haysbert (24, THE UNIT and, of course, those All State Insurance ads) is fabulous and exudes sheer presence. His Dr. Morris is written as a complex enough character that most times I felt quite ambivalent about him - is he a bad guy, Newman's eventual pal, a domineering egotist, what? And, as a bonus, with his deep and imposing voice, Haysbert also treats us to some very good singing. The central role of Michael Wiseman/Newman is played by a tremendously-in-shape Eric Close, and he gives as good as he gets in his exchanges with Haysbert. Eric's performance lends his character that needed weight and maturity, making us believe that there really is a more mature brain housed in that 20-something-year-old secret agent body. What makes Michael and Dr. Theo's interactions so compelling is that Michael never for a moment allows the high and mighty Dr. Theo to dismiss him as a mere laboratory experiment.

Under Dr. Theo's supervision Michael is frequently restricted to quarters and forced to undergo an ongoing series of rigorous training and testing. Seems like we see the man being examined and prodded more so than we see him out in the field. So one more element which may have turned off potential viewers is that not every episode is action-packed. Mr. Newman isn't always in the middle of a mission as the show chooses to focus more on characterization and delving into the various relationships. Which is fine by me. One of the things I like best about NOW AND AGAIN is the wistfulness evoked. Michael Wiseman may be in a young new body and may suddenly have all these superhuman abilities, but, at heart, the guy hasn't changed. At his core, he's a family man desperately in love with his wife, his daughter and his former life (to quote or maybe paraphrase the opening credit sequence). Each episode demonstrates his constant pining for what he'd lost, with Eric Close being simply marvelous and very heartfelt in these yearnful moments.

The show frequently checks in on Wiseman's grieving widow Lisa (Margaret Colin) and his precocious awkward daughter Heather (Heather Matarazzo) as they try to move on with their lives. Both these actresses - but especially Margaret Colin - are wonderful and lend solid forms to Wiseman's vision of his dream family. Also rounding out the key supporting cast is Wiseman's fussy but likeable best friend Roger Bender (Gerrit Graham). The neat thing for hopeless romantics like me (and, hopefully, you) is that, even though Wiseman is supposed to stay away from his old life at all costs, well, dude doesn't. Not only does he touch base with his buddy Roger, but those who regularly tuned in to these episodes were soon treated to moments brimming with romantic tension and anticipation as Wiseman begins to interact with his wife and with his daughter, against Dr. Theo's express wishes. Except that only Roger knows who Mr. Newman truly is (Lisa and Heather think Michael and Theo are IRS agents). And, then, is it really so strange or surprising that, despite still very much mourning her dead husband, Lisa Wiseman should find herself attracted to the much younger Mr. Newman? No, right?

I did mention that this show has an element of whimsy, of quirkiness. In Wiseman''s fledling secret agent career, he gets caught up in his share of odd, surreal pickles - whether it's a case featuring spontaneous human combustion, a wave of fearlessness affecting New Yorkers and resulting in recklessness and fatality, or a plague which erases the words off books, leaving behind only blank pages.

All the episodes are very good, so it's really hard picking out favorites. I really like the first three episodes: "Origins," "On the Town" and "Over Easy." Note that "On the Town" has Michael escaping confinement and accidentally runing into Lisa, who instantly thinks he's some kind of homeless stalker but also senses something familiar about him. This one is also one of the funniest episodes of the season, thanks largely to Roger's assumption that Michael has returned from the dead, but reincarnated. These first three episodes also introduce the Eggman, an old innocuous-looking Asian guy whose expertise lies in biological terrorism. The Eggman would also reappear in the season/series finale "The Eggman Cometh," thus qualifying him as a recurring antagonist. My two cents is that, had the series gone on, the Eggman would've developed into an awesome villain; he is such an atypical Big Bad. And, for some reason, the episode "Pulp Turkey" also immediately springs to mind. This one has Michael and Dr. Theo having Thanksgiving dinner at Lisa and Heather's house and they end up foiling a home invasion.

Very much like POPULAR, one of its contemporaries and yet another gone-too-soon series, NOW AND AGAIN frustratingly ends on an unresolved cliffhanger, as things come to a head between Michael and Dr. Theo and between Michael and his family. As the years keep on passing, I've given up hope for even a follow-up TV movie, and I'm resigned to there not ever being a resolution to the cliffhanger story. The aggravating thing is that the networks haven't learned their lesson; good shows keep on getting kicked to the curb (JERICHO, ELI STONE and PUSHING DAISIES being the most recent casualties).

NOW AND AGAIN had that perfect blend: amazing cast chemistry and wonderful elements of romance, comedy, pathos, and sci-fi adventure. Even the theme song hooked you in with its catchy groove. And since I'm pouring it on with the mad love, let me also mention that this series oozed creativity, wit and unpredictability. All this, apparently, making up the recipe for too much of a good thing.

This show offered a younger Eric Close (who was in a number of series I liked much better before landing his current long-standing role in Without a Trace) playing a man who held the essence of the deceased John Goodman. Once you got past this premise the show held its own special magic. Some episodes were better scripted than others but the character development was amazing and the desire of the deceased to watch over his wife and daughter from his prior life was bittersweet. The actor who played the president on 24 and who is now in The Unit played the role of the shadowy scientist. All-in-all it deserves a look if you liked the shows mentioned by the other reveiwer. I look forward to watching it again.

I was devasted when this show was cancelled - now 10 years ago! - when will they stop messing around and release the DVD?? If you love great drama, action and relationship development you will love this show. It was a crime that they cancelled it and that cliffhanger - unbelievable!!!

Over many years of TV disappointments with series canceled too soon, this is the one I miss the most - wonderful cast, wonderful characters, interesting and thought-provoking stories, comedy and true heartfelt drama - I loved this series. I agree completely with the reviewer who said Eric Close was better used in series before Without a Trace, and I think this was the best, closely followed by The Magnificent Seven. 'Now and Again' was also where I first became a fan of Dennis Haysbert - before 24 or The Unit.

I absolutely love Now and Again. My teenage son and I watched every episode together-- and some of the best bonding we ever did was during those weekly episodes. I mean, he was a teenager and I was a middle aged mother, but that hour every week brought us so close together that we often speak of the show and our addiction to it even now. We both wait with bated breath for the e mail informing us it is available on DVD.

I absolutely loved this show! It was cruel that it was canceled after only one brilliant season, and especially with that heart-stopping cliffhanger. It's lovely that Glenn Gordon Caron has gone on to do Medium, another show I love, but I still haven't forgotten about this amazing show.

I still have my recorded VHS copies and every person I've had watch them has loved it and they always ask me for more when they get to the end, even after I warn them there isn't any!

There are so many shows that get a "complete series" DVD release after they're canceled, and so many of them, like Firefly, are big successes. I think with all the word-of-mouth buzz to be found through the new resources that weren't available when this show first came out, such as blogs and Twitter, this DVD could be a real hit!

Here's hoping whoever holds the rights comes to their senses and gives the fans like me who've held onto the memory of this show for a decade a little relief and give us a DVD release, please!! :)

My favorite aspect of this series was the enduring love Michael has for his wife and child. Normally on shows today, the guy is portrayed as relieved to be rid of his former life. I always wanted Michael to be reunited with his family. At least the cliffhanger ending had them fleeing together -- even if Lisa and Heather did not know the man they were running out the door with was Michael.

That HAS to be their premise, ESPECIALLY if we are talking about witty shows that do not rely upon sex and gore, but on great characters, great dialogue and great plots.
This show was witty. It was a completely unlikely, wholly ridiculous idea that somehow was ...MAGIC.
And CBS yanked it PURELY because of expense because the reality show age was coming and they were canceling good series because reality shows are pure profit.
If they are so into profit, somebody should RENT a brain cell (because it's obvious none of the 'suits' OWN any!), LOOK at the GLOBAL reviews for this show and put it on DVD.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....

Remember when Bravo would do those mini-series on Sundays ? They would show about 3 or 4 episodes in a row. What a shame. CBS 1st put the show on Friday nights, which are a killer of anything worthwhile. They also skipped some episodes during the Holiday Season, to show Charlie Brown, and Rudolph that screwed its chances of ever sustaining a regular audience.

I agree with many of the above reviewers. This show was about Mr Wiseman/Newman's love for his family more than his new Government Agent ID and abilities. That was always 2ndary to the story. It was done brilliantly and lovingly. The cast was PERFECT. Eric Close was incredible as our super-hero, but he was also tender as the longing husband & father. He captured the essence of what was necessary to portray this complex character. I was happy he did find a place on another show, but he should have been on NOW AND AGAIN for 4 or 5 seasons (at least) and taken home a couple of Emmy Awards for it.

I can't wait for someone to get the good notion to put this series out on DVD. PLEASE DO IT CBS !