Am 28. März 2002 wurde es offiziell: ABC hat in einer Pressemitteilung bekanntgegeben, dass die Serie „Once and Again“ nach drei Jahren am 15. April 2002 nach Episode 3-19 eingestellt wird.

Fans aus aller Welt hatten bis zuletzt mit Petitionen und vollseitigen Anzeigen in „Daily Variety“ und „Hollywood Reporter“ versucht, die Show vor der absehbaren Absetzung zu retten. Nach „My So-Called Life“ und „relativity“ scheitert damit erneut eine Bedford Falls Serie viel zu früh an schlechten Quoten.

Hier einige Auszüge aus der offiziellen Pressemitteilung sowie Webartikeln:

„For the past three seasons, we’ve been incredibly proud of the creative work done on `Once and Again,'“ said Ms. Lyne. „The program has passionately devoted fans who deserve a fully realized conclusion to Rick and Lily’s story. And we owe it to Marshall and Ed – and the phenomenal cast they assembled — to give the series a great send off.“

„At this moment we are just proud and honored to have reached and touched as many people as we did over the course of three years,“ executive producer/creator Marshall Herskovitz commented. „We have always judged our efforts on the basis of the passion with which they are received, not by the size of their ratings.“

„We have been particularly moved by the outpouring of support by so many fans in their efforts to save the show,“ executive producer/creator Ed Zwick continued. „And we’re grateful that ABC has given us the chance to create a final episode that does justice to those who have been so loyal to the series.“

The finale is reportedly titled „Chance of a Lifetime.“

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http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?24885
‚Once and Again‘ Runs Out of Second Chances
Thu, Mar 28, 2002 04:16 PM PDT
by Rick Porter
Zap2it.com, TV News

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) – ABC’s „Once and Again“ has one of the most devoted audiences on television. Unfortunately for them, however, their numbers aren’t large enough to keep the show alive.

The network announced Thursday (March 28) that „Once and Again“ would end its three-year run with a series finale Monday, April 15.

Though the show — which stars Sela Ward and Billy Campbell as a couple dealing with the everyday obstacles of their blended family — has been widely praised by critics and earned both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations (Ward has won one of each), it never found a permanent home on ABC’s schedule. The network shuffled it around to seven different timeslots in its three seasons, finally placing it at 10 p.m. Mondays midway through this season.

As a result of the frequent moves, „Once and Again“ had trouble finding an audience beyond its loyal core fans. Ratings for the show have improved somewhat since it moved to Monday from Friday nights, but it still averages only about 6.5 million viewers a week. It’s the lowest-rated drama on ABC’s schedule.

Still, ABC President Susan Lyne says she’s „incredibly proud“ of the show. „The program has passionately devoted fans who deserve a fully realized conclusion to Rick [Campbell] and Lily’s [Ward] story,“ she says.

Creators Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, whose „My So-Called Life“ and „Relativity“ were cancelled without a true finale, say they’re happy both for „Once and Again’s“ fan support and that ABC is allowing them a chance to give the show a proper sendoff.

„At this moment we are just proud and honored to have reached and touched as many people as we did over the course of three years,“ Herskovitz says. „We have always judged our efforts on the basis of the passion with which they are received, not by the size of their ratings.“

Zwick adds, „We’re grateful that ABC has given us the chance to create a final episode that does justice to those who have been so loyal to the series.“