5. The Chemistry, Part II: Michael and Lisa Wiseman

Michael: And don't hold this against me.
[He pulls her in for a breath-stealing, bone-melting, passionate kiss.]
Lisa [after, dazed]: Okay, I won't.

A wisecracking romantic couple set inside a genre universe? Okay, so it's not the most original premise, but the uniqueness comes from the lack of UST. Yes, you read that right. The lead couple were a couple when the show started.

This being a genre show, of course, things had to change. In a dramatic way. Dramatic as in death. But love, like life, is funny. Michael has been given a second life, however he's not given the opportunity to bask in the love that he's used to. In fact, he's been specifically ordered not to. Hence, the dilemma.

Unlike another genre show I won't mention -- THE X-FILES -- the romance is both intentional and the main focus of the series. Michael Wiseman's quest isn't to uncover and expose some shadowy government conspiracy. After all, his continued existence is the product of one. Perpetually longing for the chance to see his wife and daughter, he only hopes that life will hand him such opportunities. He may have a new body, but his soul is still the same.

And unlike another show I won't mention -- ROSWELL -- the people behind Now and Again understand what makes a great couple great. They utilize banter, eye contact, and -- gasp -- facial expressions denoting something other than brainless adulation to demonstrate the attraction and longing Michael and Lisa feel for one another.

And when they kissed? Our knees buckled. Now that, boys and girls, is what you call chemistry.

6. Roger Bender (Gerrit Graham): The Wacky Best Friend

Roger: I don't completely understand it, but... I think I've been made a fool of.

It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Genreman!

Well, it would be if having an IMDB entry that read like a what's what of genre projects earned you superhero status. Gerrit Graham was genre when genre wasn't cool. In fact he is so genre that's he even played a Q for goodness sake! Okay, so it was on Voyager, but you can't have everything. And there's a reason that his dance card has been continually full; the man has perfected the art of playing a regular guy in irregular circumstances. Face it, not everyone can do that sort of thing. It takes imagination, talent, and a willingness to look a little foolish in order to retain your humanity while spouting technobabble, running from a muppet, or screaming in terror while staring at a blue screen.

Thank goodness he hasn't had to do any of those things on Now and Again. At least not yet.

Spineless, but generally a good guy, Roger Bender isn't at his best under pressure. But for all his faults, he has good intentions, and tries to keep a sunny disposition when it comes to the Wiseman clan. Besides, it's fun to watch him crack under the influence of Dr. Morris' rumbling voice or awe-inspiring presence. Yup. No one shivers his timbers quite like jolly Roger.

7. Heather Wiseman (Heather Matarazzo): The Realistic Teenager

Heather [to "an angel"]: Wait. If you see my daddy will you tell him that I love him?

You may need to sit down when you read this.

Actress Heather Matarazzo is a teenager. Yes, she's a teenager portraying a teenager. Is that wild or what? And as such, her whining, her grouching, her grumbling, and her occasional bouts of awkwardness ring truer than most of the twentysomethings masquerading as characters in the throes of puberty. That's not to say she isn't talented. In the hands of a lesser actress, the negative characteristics of Heather Wiseman could overshadow the bone-deep goodness of the girl. Matarazzo walks that fine line between the angel and demon spawn stereotypes usually associated with TV teens and gives us a look at the complex inner workings of a real life adolescent.

Heather Wiseman is clearly not some overly-sentimental 7th Heaven-ite, but neither is she a hellion. Yes, she's smart-mouthed, snide and materialistic, but she also loves her mother and misses her father. Introduced as your typical surly teen who is too cool to hang out with her parents, the loss of her father has affected but not completely changed her. Perhaps she's still obnoxious on occasion, but now she is more likely to connect, to bond, to express the affection for the only parent she has left.

A real-life teenager actually playing one? What will they think of next?

8. The Impressive, Eclectic Soundtrack

Dr. Morris [singing]: Why do birds suddenly appear, everytime you are near?

Janet Jackson, Randy Newman, Stevie Wonder, Blossom Dearie, The Five Stairsteps, The Carpenters and Marvin Gaye are only a few of the artists featured and we've still got more than a handful of episodes left in the season. Even the theme song has a snazzy hip hop sort of riff that is guaranteed to stick in your brain long after the opening credits.

Unlike some shows that seem built around selling bands with contracts whose ink isn't even dry yet -- *cough* Roswell *cough* -- Now and Again, like Caron's Moonlighting before it, relies heavily on 60's R&B. However, added to the mix are some jazzy tunes and a surprising number of standards. In a recent episode they even used Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation" as the background music to a burst of joyful, yet basically harmless, rebellion from daughter Heather.

It seems fitting that as the ages and backgrounds of the characters differ, so does the music used. What's most intriguing is that the genres overlap, complimenting one another. Each song seems to be chosen because it befits the scene, not because they're pushing a particular artist or trying to seem hip.

9. The Almighty Quirk

Theo: Helpless? I don't think so. When it comes to talking -- conversation -- the business of stringing words together -- I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anybody who would describe me as helpless.
Michael: Well, maybe most of the time. But admit it, Doc. When you look at that woman, your brain coagulates. If I hadn't of been there to help you out, you would have drowned in your own drool.

The doctor serenades his creation awake. The 26-year-old hottie has a weakness for peanut butter cups and bowling. The project has the innocuous sounding name "Toys B Fun" printed on the side of the truck it uses for surveillance. The wacky best friend once mistook the doctor's voice for that of God. The realistic teenager's first driving lesson with the wacky best friend ended with the car atop a crypt.

You want more?

When confronted by a woman who was possibly the love of his life, Dr. Morris found that he couldn't form a coherent sentence. During an attack, instead of using his training, Michael gave his assailant an Indian Rope Burn and then bit him. One of the nameless project goons once offered to off Roger simply because he was annoying and worked for an insurance company. Roger, when confronted by Dr. Morris bathed in light, folded like a card table, sang like a bird, and ratted an escaped Michael out. Realizing that she was alone in the house until her mother got home from work, Heather, giddy with freedom, tried on her mom's frilly things only to be shocked into immobility at finding a particularly racy bra in the drawer.

If you need more examples, just watch the show. You won't be disappointed.

10. It's A Rebel, Baby.

Dr. Morris: Whether I like it or not, whether it's convenient for me or not, the man loves his wife.

You can count on today's genre shows adhering to a few basic rules.

1) Due to budget constraints and projected demographics, genre shows generally appear on the schedules of upstart networks like Fox, UPN, or The WB. While NBC and ABC have taken shots at genre, they haven't been successful in years.

2) Every week genre shows tell stories involving aliens, monsters, demons, ghosts, superhuman abilities, space and/or time travel.

3) Character growth on genre shows occurs only as a byproduct of the mission, the hunt or the adventure.

Now that you've read the list, throw it out as Now and Again breaks every single one.

1) Now and Again is a -- brace yourself -- CBS show.

2) In thirteen episodes the lead character has been sent on only two missions and investigated one fishy case, all of which were solved more through brain power than super human abilities.

3) More time is spent on the inner lives of the characters than any mission, case, or feat of superhuman strength.

What that boils down to is that there is a noticeable lack of technobabble and a strong focus on characterization, rather than on the small element that makes it genre. But isn't that what makes a show good? Now and Again has characters that you care about, situations that strike a chord of familiarity, and reminders that life is often a bittersweet experience.

11. Breaking The Friday Night Curse

The stereotypical genre geek sits at home on Friday nights alternating between several chat rooms and surfing through the 200+ channels on her extended satellite package, hoping for something even remotely sci fi or horror that requires more than half a brain cell to follow. Which of course leaves out The Sci Fi Channel's Lexx. And with Farscape in reruns until March...

What's surprising is that of the best genre shows this year is available via one of your local affiliates. And I'm pretty certain that one of the first signs of the apocalypse is a well-written genre series on CBS. I mean what are the odds of that happening, right? Well, make sure you hit all those post-Y2K yard sales pretty hard, my friends, because the end is near and it's all because of show that goes by the name of Now and Again.

However, we may escape total armageddon due to one fly in the ointment. It occupies the dreaded Friday night at 9pm time slot. Millennium floundered there. Harsh Realm died a quick death there. The only genre show to become a success airing Friday nights at 9pm in the past decade was The X Files.

Until now. (Ha! Take that Chris Carter!)

Now and Again is, in fact, doing very well for that time slot. The only problem is that for the most part, the hard core genre community is ignoring this gem. Most likely because the shame involved in being caught watching CBS -- home to Walker, Texas Luser and Diagnosis Boredom and Martial Yawn -- is too painful to even contemplate.

Okay, so on Friday nights we are all out negating the stereotype of the stay-at-home geek with no life. But we're genre fans, damnit. We know how to program our VCRs!

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