Now and Again

For our 80th episode (wow), we’re going back to 1999 and looking back at a criminally underrated and forgotten sci-fi drama, Now and Again. Yes, that sounds like a soapy teen romcom like Once and Again, but it was actually a great thriller/romantic drama/spy drama/comedy that only ran for one season, but still has a cult following 20 years later. Starring Eric Close, Dennis Haysbert and John Goodman, we look back at what went right with Now and Again, what went wrong, and why you should give it a go (it’s all on YouTube…). This includes remembering its downright strange theme tune, its unintentional comical beginnings, and why Dennis Haysbert has the best voice of all time. In case you didn’t know (which is quite likely), the series focused on overweight family man Michael Wiseman (John Goodman), who is accidentally killed and brought back to life. However, he is now the ultimate perfect man, with a much younger, ripped, body (Eric Close). He is forced to go on government spy missions and must not reveal his identity to his wife and daughter. Yes, it sounds like the plot of a Karl Pilkington movie idea, but it actually happened. And it deserved at least a second season, but alas…