Old shows, new to me

I've been watching two television shows recently that I missed the first time around. Both have been highly recommended, I just never got around to them. (or I was living in China when they were on.)

The first is Felicity. It's about a girl in college. Created by J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost, and Mission Impossible:3), it looks it finding yourself out in the adult world for the first time. The title character is a very introspective girl who probably over thinks everything in her life, especially her relationships with men. I can certainly relate. It's kind of fun to watch the train wreck that her life can become, but at the same time -- there is a sense of honesty in the emotional crisis. I'm about 1/3 of the way through Season 2. I'd recommend it.

The second show is even better. It's called Once and Again and tells the story of two divorced parents who start a relationship and all the people in their lives. This show is truly amazing. It has all the characters talk to the camera (in black and white) and comment on the story lines. They talk about why they do what they do, or how they don't understand what they do. It's brilliant. Almost every episode there is a moment that I could pull out to start a conversation with someone. The show doesn't shy away from hard topics and almost all of the characters are complicated with layers and layers of motivation. No one is stereotypical. Even characters that you think are one-sided become complicated as you begin to hear their voice. I've just started the 2nd season and I can't wait for the 3rd to come out on DVD early next year. Unfortunately, that's all there is. Like so many well written shows, it was cancelled before its time.