

Published: Wednesday, August 11, 1999


That Sela Ward and Billy Campbell, stars of ABC's new romantic drama, "Once and Again," are perceived as old "is absurd, but I guess that's the reality," says co-creator Marshall Herskovitz, 47.

"It's funny to me. Sela and Billy are so gorgeous, so utterly vital and alive, there's no reason to think of them as old," says Herskovitz, a Philadelphia native and Lower Merion High alum.

"As baby boomers, we're the kids. We'll always be the kids. I see them (Ward and Campbell) as kids. It's so funny when people say to me, 'Wow, they're middle-aged.' "

Ward, best known as Teddy on NBC's "Sisters," and Campbell, star of the feature film "The Rocketeer," play divorced single parents who awkwardly fall in love. The first six episodes will initially air in the 9 p.m. Tuesday slot now occupied by "NYPD Blue," which is launching late.

After that, ABC's plan is to put "Once and Again" on the shelf until "Monday Night Football" concludes in mid-January, freeing up that 9 p.m. slot. The strategy is risky at best, given viewers' short memories, particularly for a deep, subtle drama that needs time to grow.

"Everyone assumes it won't work," says ABC Entertainment czarina Jamie Tarses in an interview, "but we won't fritter away an asset like that. We know our responsibility to the show and to the network."

Smart money says "Once and Again" will return well before January by replacing the first 8 p.m. drama that tanks. (ABC has nothing open at 9 p.m.) Critical consensus is that it will be David E. Kelley's private eye "dramedy," "Snoops," on Sundays.

It's no coincidence that "Once and Again" executive produced by Herskovitz and his longtime creative partner, Ed Zwick, 46 is being dubbed "fortysomething." The same duo created the classic "thirtysomething" (1987-91), which captured the voice of that generation.

"It doesn't bother us," Herskovitz says. Like "thirtysomething," "Once and Again" "comes out of our concerns and our lives and the people we know."

"I know that I'm middle-aged, but I don't feel middle-aged. For the next five to 10 years, we'll see a re-evaluation of aging, because the baby boomer generation won't accept the fact that they're old. They're just going to redefine what 'old' means."

Unlike 99.9 percent of actors, Ward, a mother of two, doesn't hesitate giving her age. Or enjoying being the age that she is.

"We're in a very strange place at the moment in our society. It's a youth-worshiping cult. We rarely value age, wisdom and life experience like we did when I was growing up."

Ward, who's producing a documentary on ageism for cable's Lifetime, says aging represents "a comfort level with oneself. It's a maturation process that allows you to feel much more accepting of who you are."

After a five-year run on "Sisters," "I was sure I never wanted to do another show," Ward says. "I wanted a life. That script sat on my desk for two weeks. ... By the time I was through with it, I couldn't get it out of my head. I hadn't seen writing like that maybe in my entire career."

Great writing aside, being seen as an older lead "disturbs me," says Campbell. "I find it absurd and a little sad. People are just the age they are. We're not worth any more or less because TV's appetite is a certain way."

Several years ago, Zwick met legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve, then 50. "I said to her, 'I can't believe you're 50.' She said, 'My darling, this is what 50 looks like.' People any age can look fabulous."