TWICE IN A LIFETIME

NOTES ON THE SECOND SEASON

Twice in a Lifetime is a made-in-Canada, “heavenly” series that is returning for its second season to the CTV network September 9, 2000

Starring two well-known Canadians, this inspiring and provocative series taps into a universal fantasy: to be given a second chance to fix an error of the past.

Paul Popowich stars as a heavenly emissary who accompanies souls back to earth and to a time when they went astray. Al Waxman co-stars as the biblical Judge Othniel, who, with a rap of his gavel, sends the recently deceased into the past for three days to cajole their younger selves to not make the same mistake. It is not as easy as it first appears because the characters must overcome deep biases and character flaws.

Every week there is a well-known film or TV star that plays the person who gets the second chance. Some of them include; Lesley Ann Warren, Bruce Boxleitner, Markie Post, Ed Marinaro, and Miko Hughes. .

Twice in a Lifetime is an anthology series. The central problem, plot, situations, actors and settings change weekly. As Al Waxman puts it, “It is a brand new movie every week. Instead of having the same five or six characters – like most TV series today, Twice in a Lifetime can go into so many different directions.”

This second-season series is substantially different from the last.

The second season has a brand new “star,” Ontario native Paul Popowich. His Mr. Smith is a very different sort of celestial guide than Gordie Brown’s Mr. Jones of the first season. Mr. Smith plays a much more active role as emissary. Smith has his own agenda, attitudes and opinions, and he’s not afraid to let wisecracks fly. But at the core, he’s got a heart of gold. Adventuresome, enterprising and a little rebellious, Smith is on a quest to make sense of human nature and to unravel the mysteries of the Universe.

Multiple-award-winning actor Al Waxman has also changed from the first season. Instead of deciding the fate of souls in a heavenly courtroom, he arrives to the scene of death in whatever mode of transportation is available; police cruiser, ambulance even garbage truck. He wears his judge’s robes and carries his gavel in a large, black leather doctor’s bag.

Judge Othniel and Smith invariable clash and disagree about the merits of each case. Smith is usually convinced that this week’s assignment is unworthy or impossible – but Othniel knows that there’s goodness in the hearts of all men and knows too, that with each soul who gains a second chance at life, Smith has a valuable lesson to learn himself.

As in the first season, this season’s episodes are cleverly written and always offer up some surprises and twists. They tell bittersweet stories that touch the heart and, at the same time, deliver a moral message with wit and humour.

Twice in a Lifetime tells dramatic stories that families can watch together.

The stories are about hope and redemption and the lessons learned are about taking stock of how we live our lives now – and how to treat people in such a way that we aren’t regretting decisions and wishing for a second chance to make corrections.

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