When this was on television in 1999 I did not watch it nor do I have any memory of it being on. That being said Now and Again is definitely the forefather to several shows like Alias, Nikita or Person of Interest. Michael Wiseman (played by John Goodman) is a middle aged, overweight insurance salesman. One night while going home to his wife and daughter in the suburbs he is accidentally pushed in front of an oncoming subway. Michael is killed. Unbeknownst to his family his brain is taken out of his body and transplanted into the body of a biologically engineered 26-year-old. Michael (played by Eric Close) is given the option of living again by the scientist who created him Dr. Theodore Morris (played by Dennis Haysbert) in this body under the condition that he not let anyone he knew or loved like his wife Lisa (played by Margaret Colin), his daughter Heather (played by Heather Matarazzo) or his best friend Roger (played by Gerrit Graham) that he is alive….sort of.
Episode 1: Origins: Insurance salesman Michael Wiseman is tragically killed in a subway accident. The U.S. government under Dr. Theodore Morris offers him the chance to live again in a biologically engineered body.
Episode 2: On the Town: Michael escapes from the New York City townhouse which Dr. Morris keeps him in. He does this for an opportunity to see Lisa and Heather.
Episode 3: Over Easy: The Eggman (played by Kim Chan) has threatened to attack New York with his deadly eggs unless he gets 10 million dollars. Michael is sent to deliver the ransom to him but things become complicated when Lisa, Roger and Heather show up.
Episode 4: One For the Money: Michael is sent on his first mission and it is to Hong Kong. He is to kill an ex-agent who is selling government secrets to different terrorist groups.
Episode 5: The Insurance Man Always Rings Twice: Michael finds out that his former company is refusing to pay Lisa the insurance money owed to her. Trying to help out, he takes on a job as an assistant with the crooked agent (played by Chad Lowe) responsible for the decision.
Episode 6: Nothing to Fear But Nothing to Fear: A pharmacist has created a brain altering chemical that causes people to act without fear and is without them knowing dosing people with it. Lisa summons up the courage to ask Michael out for dinner.
Episode 7: A Girl’s Life: Dr. Morris gets Michael to test out a high-tech skydiving jumpsuit which lights up and is visible from miles away. Heather sees the light and follows it but ends up getting struck by lightning.
Episode 8: Pulp Turkey: Dr. Morris tells Michael he is bringing him with him to spend Thanksgiving with his family. When the car breaks down it changes their plans drastically.
Episode 9: By the Light of the Moon: The government has decided to send in another scientist to help out Dr. Morris with Michael. Turns out the doctor is a beautiful young woman (played by Reiko Aylesworth) and Michael starts developing feelings for her.
Episode 10: I’ve Grown Accustomed to His Face: Dr. Morris sets up a scenario in order to test Michael’s survival skills. When Michael awakes the townhouse front door is open, the alarm is going off and Dr. Morris is nowhere to be found.
Episode 11: Fire and Ice: Dr. Morris has to share a testing facility with a group of other scientists. While working in close proximity with them he finds himself attracted to a female scientist (played by Ellen Bethea) and finds he cannot speak around her.
Episode 12: Disco Inferno: A body is found burnt from the inside out. The police call upon Dr. Morris for his help.
Episode 13: I am the Greatest: Dr. Morris is forced to tell Michael he is not the first of his kind. The earlier version has managed to escape and live out in the world for years.
Episode 14: Film at Eleven: Michae
l and a group of hostages are locked in a bank vault during a robbery. When one of the hostages collapses Michael uses his superhuman strength to break down the vault door.
Episode 15: Deep in My Heart is a Song: General Irving (played by James Rebhorn) is on his way to inspect Michael and give his recommendation to the President about whether the program should continue. Just before his arriva
l for no discernible reason Michael falls into a catatonic state.
Episode 16: Everybody Who’s Anybody: The General sends Michael into an exclusive party given by a politician with the orders to get back a disc filled with compromising pictures. It is all going smoothly until Roger and Lisa show up at the same party.
Episode 17: Boy Wonder: A teenager who is mentally challenged and obsessed with comic book superheroes believes that Michael is a superhero. The teenager stumbles upon a cache of terrorist owned weapons.
Episode 18: Lizzard’s Tale: Dr. Morris and Michael are invited to dinner by an old friend and fellow scientist (played by Bob Balaban) of Dr. Morris’. Soon afterwards, realizing what Michael is, Lizzard kidnaps him.
Episode 19: There A
re No Words: All the words in books in libraries, people’s letters and all types of printed material are being erased by a type of virus. Panic sets in when the virus starts spreading across the globe.
Episode 20: The Bugmeister: K
iller bugs are on the loose and no one has any explanation. Dr. Morris believes that a human is behind it all.
Episode 21: The Bugmeis
ter, Part Bee: More and more humans are falling victim to the different types of bugs. It is up to Michael and Dr. Morris to find the person behind it all.
Episode 22: The Eggman Cometh: The Eggman manages to escape from prison and has a deadly plan he puts in motion. Lisa gets some news about her husband’s death.
Special Features: Now and Again: On the Set, Gimme a Sign: Engineering Now and Again – Part One: Genesis, Part Two: New Life, Part Three: Remembrance, Part Four: Timelessness, In Conversation: Writing Now and Again
