''Twice in a Lifetime'' is a Canadian mystery/ drama series that originally aired from 1999 to 2001. Created by

Steve Sohmer Steve Sohmer (born June 26, 1941 in Savannah, Georgia) is a Shakespearean scholar, author of fiction and nonfiction books, television writer and producer, and former network television and motion picture studio executive. In 1966, his first nove ...

, the series aired on

CTV CTV may refer to: Television * Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet North America and South America * CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media ** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...

in Canada and PAX in the United States.

Plot

The series follows an aspiring angel who for some reason, will not enter heaven, but is assigned to guide someone who has died prematurely. The prematurely deceased, played by the episode guest stars, may choose from the afterlife to correct something that went wrong earlier in their life. The key concept to the series was that each episode featured a different guest star in the leading role, while the series regulars played a supporting role. Episodes are centered on an individual who had reached the end of their life in one timeline, and due to circumstances seen by their advocate and judge, is then given 3 days to travel into their past, and without revealing their true identity, convince their younger self to make a different choice at a pivotal point to effect a different outcome for example, by quitting smoking, or choosing a different job and in changing this learn a key lesson to make them become a better person. This way, the series was an anthology of many different arenas and characters. Season One featured Gordie Brown as advocate Mr. Jones, and

Paul Popowich Paul Popowich is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Mr. Smith, an angel who helps people change their pasts, in season two of '' Twice in a Lifetime''. Popovich has performed in many television series, including ''Beverly H ...

played the role of advocate Mr. Smith in Season Two. Al Waxman played Judge Othniel in 42 of the 44 episodes, replaced for two episodes of Season One by

Polly Bergen Polly Bergen (born Nellie Paulina Burgin; July 14, 1930 – September 20, 2014) was an American actress, singer, television host, writer and entrepreneur. She won an Emmy Award in 1958 for her performance as Helen Morgan in '' The Helen ...

as Judge Deborah. Waxman died in heart surgery on January 18, 2001, while the second season was airing.

Cast

Main

* Al Waxman: Judge Othniel Jepthah * Gordie Brown: Mr. Jones (season 1) *

: Mr. Smith (season 2)

Recurring

: Judge Deborah (season 1) *

Diahann Carroll Diahann Carroll (; born Carol Diann Johnson; July 17, 1935 – October 4, 2019) was an American actress, singer, model, and activist. She rose to prominence in some of the earliest major film studio, major studio films to feature black cas ...

: Jael, a lawyer (season 1)

Production

Crew

Ten episodes were directed by sci-fi veteran David Winning; including "The Trouble with Harry" ( Jere Burns, Brent Carver), "Moonshine Over Harlem" ( Earle Hyman) and "It's a Hard Knock Life" ( Markie Post). Veteran television producer

Barney Rosenzweig Barney Rosenzweig (born December 23, 1937) is an American television producer. Biography Rosenzweig was born to a Jewish family in Los Angeles Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by ...

'', ''

Cagney & Lacey ''Cagney & Lacey'' is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very di ...

'') oversaw the first season of the series.

Writing

* The scenario of this series always takes place in four stages: the accidental death of a person, their judgment, their second chance in the past and the happy ending. * In season 2, Mr. Jones is replaced by Mr. Smith, a mystery man with no ID pulled out of a burning church by a firefighter (season 2 episode 1: Fallen Angel) He dies in the firefighter's arms. His death seems to make him lose his memory. Jones is as much an expert as Smith is a clumsy beginner. Note that in the second season, the passage to the afterlife is different from season 1. Also Mr Smith seems to be trying to remember who he is and complete his job as a guide/defense and helper to the souls he picks up so he can either get his life back or become an angel. It's never made clear and we never find out what his whole story is. * In two episodes of the first season, we see the judge Deborah, played by

, and

playing the role of prosecutor.

Episodes

Season 1: 1999–2000

Season 2: 2000–2001

Reception

Awards

Syndication

Reruns of ''Twice in a Lifetime'' are currently airing on the

W Network W Network (often shortened to W) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts general entertainment programming oriented towards a female audience. W Network was established in ...

in Canada and Ebru in the United States.

Home media

Video Service Corp has released two volumes of ''Twice in a Lifetime'' on DVD, with each volume featuring two episodes. In February 2022, Visual Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Region 1.Twice in a Lifetime: The Heavenly Collection
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References

External links

* *{{epguides, id=TwiceinaLifetime, title=Twice in a Lifetime 1999 Canadian television series debuts 2001 Canadian television series endings 1990s Canadian drama television series 2000s Canadian drama television series Angels in television Canadian fantasy television series CTV Television Network original programming Canadian time travel television series Television shows filmed in Toronto Television series by Muse Entertainment Religious drama television series 1990s Canadian time travel television series 2000s Canadian time travel television series