Lily (Sela Ward) and Rick (Billy Campbell) exchange vows on Once and Again, the best family drama in primetime today. Despite low ratings, given that ABC will probably have only one other returning drama - The Practice -- on their fall slate (NYPD Blue is midseason and I doubt Gideon's Crossing will be back), chances are we'll see more of newlyweds Lily and Rick next fall.

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-What to Expect:
With The West Wing and Law & Order in the mix, it's a given - NBC will win the night. If there is any justice, though, let's hope the season finale of Once and Again gets some much needed attention

Zwick is hoping the show will buck its downward ratings trend with tonight's season finale, in which Lily and Rick marry, officially uniting their children under one roof.

The second season of ABC's "Once and Again" began a little late (Oct. 24, to be precise), and ends a little early — tonight. And with a wedding between Lily and Rick as the centerpiece, it's the evening's major highlight — though "The West Wing," with its medical-conspiracy plot, runs a very close second.

10:00 (ABC) "Once and Again." On-air promos for this second-season finale show Sela Ward's Lily in a wedding gown, and Billy Campbell's Rick suitably dapper. Savvy TV viewers know better than to believe what they see in promos — on television, there's many a slip between the promo and the altar — but this series is too honest to be dishonest in that respect.

Tonight's second-season conclusion plays adroitly on the suspense about whether or not Lily and Rick will really wed. Once again, some of the most moving moments are small and incidental to the plot. Such as an appearance in dreamlike sequences by Lily's late father (Paul Mazursky), who lovingly kisses Lily's ruffled sister, Judy. Or a tender scene between Rick and young Zoe, who has misplaced a prized little mirror. But the finale is the most intense heart-tugger: a sweet and sentimental coda capped by a rendition of "When the Red Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob Bobbin' Along." There won't be a dry eye in your screening room.

'Once and Again' gets stellar season sendoff

By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY

How like the folks at Once and Again to plan a big wedding and then worry whether anyone will attend — including the bride and groom.

It's no secret that Rick and Lily are having second thoughts about getting married — just as it's no secret that fans are afraid ABC may be having second thoughts about continuing this exceptional series. Though Once and Again ends its second season tonight with its quality standard held impeccably high, large numbers of viewers continue to decline its invitation.

Still, despite the lagging ratings, the show's prestige and its advertiser-friendly core audience should win it another season; we'll know in two weeks, when ABC announces its schedule. As for the wedding, well, things don't go as planned, but that's not always a bad thing. In the end, tonight's episode is an insightful, mist-inducing and ultimately life-affirming tribute to the beauty that can be found in families, which is the gift Once and Again brings to television.

Written by Winnie Holzman, Once uses its season-ender to revisit themes that have been swirling all year around its central couple, Rick (Billy Campbell) and Lily (Sela Ward). Though he has weathered the legal threats to his business, Rick still is feeling the economic repercussions.

And while she has moved closer to Rick, Lily still feels the financial tug of her ex-husband Jake (Jeffrey Nordling) and the emotional pull of her late father (Paul Mazursky).

Combined, those pulls and pressures lead the couple to reconsider their wedding plans — and then to question the wisdom of marriage itself. Like all of the best work of TV producers Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, the resolution is astute and moving without being melodramatic, and it reveals yet one more aspect of the remarkable talents of young Evan Rachel Wood, who plays Rick's daughter, Jessie.

As they have all season, Ward and Campbell give performances of uncluttered honesty.

They're two notably beautiful people who are willing and able to expose sometimes unattractive emotions and traits, a rarity in network series.

So what can you do if most of the other invitees don't show for their wedding? You celebrate with those who do, and you wish the bride and groom a long and happy life together.

Preferably, on TV.

PHOTO: Sela Ward and Billy Campbell are once again wonderful. (ABC)

PHOTO: Tonight's wedding doesn't go as planned, but that's not always a bad thing. (ABC)

Once and Again **** (out of four)

In tonight's season finale, Lily Manning (Ward) and Rick Sammler (Campbell) are scheduled to tie the knot.

The season finale of "Once and Again" airs tonight at 10 on ABC. The network has rated it TV-PG (may be unsuitable for young children).

"Once and Again" (10 p.m., WXYZ-TV, Channel 7, ABC). Wedding bells are set to peal for Lily (Sela Ward) and Rick (Billy Campbell) as the show ends its second season, but both are wracked by last-minute doubts.

From ginny34: On Once and Again, does anything happen after Eli and Grace nearly kiss?

Nothing major, but at the end of the episode, they share a warm leading-to-a-future kind of hug. The writers have definitely opened the door on that one.

From kellyhere: Will Lily and Rick really get married? I'll cry a river if they don't.

Hmmm...Well, I would stock up on some Kleenex, because you're going to get weepy--but only because the ending is so sweet. L&R call the wedding off because of money troubles but decide at the last second to go ahead and have it in the backyard--that night. They can't find a rabbi on such short notice, but they find out Will Gluck is actually an ordained minister, so he does the ceremony. Lily's mom shows up at the last minute and surprises her. Eli plays the guitar, and his sister sings. And Rick has a surprise of his own for the bride.

Once and Again: The show's May 2 season finale focuses on the angst surrounding Rick (Billy Campbell) and Lily's (Sela Ward) long-awaited wedding day. Lily keeps referring to a book titled "Weddings for Complicated Families" in hopes of making the event inclusive to both their broods. She and Rick later find themselves wondering whether they should actually go ahead with the nuptials.

Boston, MA: Hey Robert! I have heard that the season Finale of Once and Again is the best episode yet. Have you seen it? If yes, do you agree?

Robert Bianco: Almost. The finale, which airs Wednesday, is a fabulous episode, and I plan to advise USA Today's readers to tune in. But as for whether it's the best episode, I'm not sure. As good as this episode is, I might give that award to the "Once" show featuring Patrick Dempsey as Lily's mentally ill brother - a show, by the way, that should win him the best guest actor Emmy.

Rick and Lily (Billy Campbell and Sela Ward) share a case of mutual cold feet about their upcoming wedding as "Once and Again" (10 p.m., WABC) ends its second season. ABC executives have shared their own reservations about renewing this critically acclaimed, but ratings-challenged drama.

In a magically complicated, funny, heartwarming, and 'breaking conclusion to what's proven to be a magnificent second season, Sela Ward's Lily and Billy Campbell's Rick get married. But, this being O&A, their hitching is full of hitches. Paul Mazursky returns as the ghost of Lily's father, but once and again, the great ensemble is highlighted by Evan Rachel Wood as Rick's daughter--her sweet countenance and sweeter voice. A

"Once and Again" (10 p.m., ABC) Lily and Rick (Sela Ward, Billy "Woof" Campbell) are finally headed down the aisle - despite second thoughts, fear of failure, financial ruin and appearances by Lily's dead daddy (Paul Mazursky). All red flags they completely ignore. Ain't love grand?

On the season finale of Once and Again, Rick and Lily consider postponing the wedding.

Rick and Lily develop doubts and reconsider the wedding.

From maureen: What happens with Eli and Grace?

Eli is heartbroken, because not only did he get jilted by Carla but he finds a letter from her to Grace, saying she doesn't miss him at all. Right after he reads that in Grace's room, she comes in, and they have a very touching scene rife with flirtation. As soon as they move in for a kiss--that's right, a smoocharoo!--Zoe's little sister barges in. And she has a surprise of her own: Rick and Lily's wedding is off.

Tensions escalate as the wedding day nears for Lily and Rick (Sela Ward and Billy Campbell, pictured).

They've planned an extravagant affair, but intensifying personal and financial concerns are giving the couple second thoughts. For openers, the bride-to-be gets distressing news from her ex about the restaurant he took over from her late father, Phil (Paul Mazursky, who reappears to Lily in bittersweet, dreamlike scenes). And the bridegroom-to-be, who's just lost a huge contract, wonders: Is he “Panicked? Pressured? Poor?” Or maybe just “exhausted." It all seems overwhelming, but somehow, in the end, it leads to a resolution that's both tender and touching. Will Gluck: Mark Valley. Barbara Brooks: Bonnie Bartlett. Amanda: Christina Chang.

May 2nd....Lily ties the knot with Rick

The Season Finale Of "ONCE AND AGAIN" (5/2/01)

"The Second Time Around" - Both Rick and Lily get a strong feeling that they should reconsider the wedding, on "Once and Again," WEDNESDAY, MAY 2 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

"Once and Again" stars Sela Ward as Lily Manning, Billy Campbell as Rick Sammler, Julia Whelan as Grace Manning, Shane West as Eli Sammler, Meredith Deane as Zoe Manning, Evan Rachel Wood as Jessie Sammler, Susanna Thompson as Karen Sammler, Jeffrey Nordling as Jake Manning, Todd Field as David Casilli, Marin Hinkle as Judy, David Clennon as Miles Drentell and Jennifer Crystal-Foley as Christie Parker.

Guest starring are Paul Mazursky as Phil Brooks, Christina Chang as Amanda, Bonnie Bartlett as Barbara Brooks, Mark Valley as Will Gluck, Michael Tucci as Arnold, Doreen Calderon as the client and Samantha MacLachlan as the receptionist.

"The Second Time Around" was written by Winnie Holzman and directed by Dan Lerner.

The characteristically turbulent ceremony is scheduled for the lump-in-the-throat season finale May 2.

Among the hurdles the Mannings and Sammlers have contended with since we've known them: the sudden death of Lily's father (though he still haunts her at pivotal moments) . . .

To co-executive producer [Winnie] Holzman, . . . "This is a show about hope."

She wrote Once and Again's wedding-themed season finale and believes it "puts the show in a nutshell. Having been married and having it fail, [Lily and Rick are] very conflicted about getting married. And yet it's very touching that people do try again."

"I wanted to show the romance, the fear and the fact that it's not two people but two families getting married." (Throughout the episode, Lily consults a book titled Weddings for Complicated Families.)

For Holzman, "This show is about how when things come to an end, when things change in our lives, we continue to take risks, which is what it is to fall in love and get married. To me, that's the essence of hope--being willing to take that huge leap."

St. Louis, MO: The networks are starting their end of season pruning. Have you heard anything about the fate of Once and Again? I just love this show and will be so upset if ABC cancels it. Also, do you think Rick and Lily will really get married on the season finale?

Robert Bianco: The word here is that "Once and Again" will return. And yes, I think Rick and Lily will get married, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of some wedding delay cliffhanger. I hope not, though - it doesn't strike me as the show's style.