A woman falls asleep after drinking and dies from smoke inhalation. She gets a second chance to change her life of alcohol, help her marriage and become closer to her son.
Roger Stovall's son Steven disappears during a fishing trip and Roger lets everyone, from the sheriff down to his wife know what he thinks of their search. But after a hard day's work at the IRS, he sees his son, runs after him, and is killed by a car. Othniel tries to tell him about caring for other people, such as an IRS case where Roger cold-heartedly closed a man's dog shelter, but it's only when Roger is sent back and sees how he treats his family that he truly understands and gets his younger, rule-following self to change. But when Roger is returned to the present, he has to relive the disappearence of his son - his kindness didn't prevent it... and Roger blames Mr Jones...
Grace, an ambitious OB/GYN doctor who never stop doing what it takes for her to get ahead in life, dies when she fails to stop her car at a railway crossing. Othniel accuses her of being self-centered, to the point of competing with her loving husband, Sam, and ending his career at the hospital. Sent back as a nurse, Grace (now known as Daisy) immediately get on her younger self's nerves - and at the same time attract the attention of Sam. Sam's wandering eyes makes young Grace even more cold, and Jones has his problems trying to talk Grace/Daisy out of taking her last chance at a real date with her husband...
Mr Jones has trouble convincing a chain-smoking woman that she must somehow persuade her younger self to stop smoke. In the process, she finally comes closer to her own mother, whose absence in her teens now becomes painfully clear.
Young Julie listens too ardently when her single embittered mother says to forget her dreams of becoming a photographer. Until Jones gets her a second chance and she works hard as a waitress where her younger self comes in to eat regularly. She has her younger self take pictures at a birthday party in the park and entices her to stand up to her mother and go to art school after all.
Charlie, a Vietnam veteran, still blames his mother for not being able to go to college, 30 years ago. But when his mother slips into a coma, things take a turn for the worse.
Joe Penny as a young boy who cannot forgive himself for turning his brother in for a crime. His brother is vindictive and adds to his guilt by expressing his hatred of Joe Penny's character. Joe Penny becomes an alcoholic and can only get a job doing school yard work when he had a real chance of becoming an excellent coach prior to the crime events. He also ignores a young woman who would have been a great support system. As His 2nd chance, he is willing to take the blame for the crime his brother initiated, but instead of ending with any of the previous bitterness by the brother, it turns out, as all 2nd chances should. For the betterment of the Whole.
Teacher, hardened by a Life with out Male/Female companionship & Love, has no compassion or understanding for her students... Specifically a sincere young athlete, Eric, who would do any number of make-up assignments just to able to go to college. She refuses Eric a 2nd chance. She has no idea that the father she is a relative servant to has manipulated the man she loved out of her life. She is shot during a burglary of a grocery store where Eric is begging with a cup outside the store. After Jones sponsers her 2nd chance, things of course change for the Ultimate Better. And we, the audience, even find out the Father has a very human side and his manipulation came from his own lonliness.
A female lawyer is killed by a mugger on the way to a date with the man she has always loved. Jones argues that she has led an examplary life, and Othniel seems to go with his feeling, but she argues for going back, and Othniel agrees. Her job becomes to defend her younger self and the man she loves for a small crime, which they didn't do. But soon the younger self once again becomes stuck between the two men in her life - the conservative father and the radical boyfriend. And the repercussions of her actions are perhaps so severe that it is impossible for her older self to change her life.
At a fancy banquet, a successfull man, Pete, is verbally attacked by his drunk son. And it seems his entire family are having one complaint or another. Later, he dies during a jogging trip. When Pete's sent back by Othniel (as a priest), he soon has to come to terms with his younger self's problems - he loves one girl, but another claims that he's the father of her unborn child, and that's who he married in the future he knows. But can he convince his younger self to marry the other girl, a poor Latin girl, with other means than disclosing the terrible secret he has been hiding for himself all these years?
After a skillful and successful closing argument against a black convict, lawyer Meg McCleary denies her daughter Heather permission to date her boyfriend, because he's black. Heather leaves Meg in anger. Meg drives after her, but her car breaks down in a bad neighbourhood. She's hunted by some young men, which strains her already bad heart too much and she dies. Othniel charges Meg with being a racist. Meg denies this, but later claims that it depends on the murder of her old boyfriend by a hispanic man, when Meg was still a police officer. ""They fit the profile,"" she claims. Othniel answers that her job was too charge criminals on evidence, not profiles. He sentences her to life... ... as vice officer Esposito (from Puerto Rico), to try to stop her younger self to identify hispanic man Hector Soto who was innocent, but the previous was sentenced to death. Meg (as Esposito) tries to stop the undercover operation where her boyfriend was killed before, but she fails to save his life, an
After taking a job as a singing waitress, she accidently electrocutes herself and gets a second chance in life. She gave up everything for her career and was left with nothing, now she can find what she really wanted.
Tory, a former tennis player, is bitter since a car crashed ended her career, her relationship and - she thinks - her life. But just before the wedding of her niece, she dies for real. And Othniel doesn't buy her story about the accident ruining her life, so he sends her back to try to convince her younger self to accept the love from her boyfriend instead of sending him away.
A bride to be complains that her father is not present at her wedding, but as she speaks she falls down a flight of stairs and dies. When she meets Othniel he claims that she can still save her dead sister, if she can only put aside her hatred for her estranged father. She returns (as a doctor) to a time just before her sister's death, and is told that she must find their father to get a bone marrow sample, so that her sister can live on. But neither the sister nor she knows where her father is. It's only when she confronts her sick sister that she finds out that she has a photograph of him, and a phone bill that has his number. Reluctantly she tracks down the father, and develops some kind of understanding for him, but the father reveals a secret about her, that changes everything.
Barry, a teacher not really celebrating his 50th birthday, dies while hindering his pupils from playing a piece he wrote in his youth. In Othniel's court it turns out that Barry stopped write music when his girlfriend OD'd. But Othniel reveals that Barry really didn't care about her, he only cared about fame, and that he's been ridden with guilt ever since her death. Mr Jones accompanies Barry to three days prior to the band's big audition, to stop Charlotte from dying. But the band doesn't want to see Charlotte's addiction. And then Barry makes the mistake of telling the band that he's dead and used to be Barry... Now they think he's crazy and time's running out.
An old actress who never had her break and is on her way downward is electrocuted by a neon sign. Othniel charges her with having blamed everything on a rival at a casting session many years ago, who cheated her way in. When Mr Jones accompanies her back, she becomes a make-up artist to her younger self. Her first strategy is to hinder her competitor wrong, but somehow she finds out anyway. And her idol has some startling news for her...
Sophie Price, a rich woman with a nearly deaf mother and a son who rebels against her through stealing, dies in a sauna accident. Othniel charges her with ignoring her son, ever since the day when he found $200.000 from a drug bust and she decided that they should keep it. She gets a second chance to set it straight, but to her surprise she's not sent to the time where her son found the money, but two months afterwards. She's hired as the new nanny, and soon she discovers that Othniel was right - and that it was worse than she ever thought. Her six year old son has become bitter and wets his bed. But when she confronts herself, she's fired. And even her own mother doesn't want anything to do with her. So she kidnaps the boy and takes him fishing...
Mrs Edwina Lewis is filled with joy when Othniel sends her back, so that she can satisfy her curiosity about a man she once had the chance to have an affair with - and didn't. Jones isn't equally thrilled. But perhaps her marriage was better than she thought...
Ron, clerk at a publishing house, has a hard time at his job, and on top of this, his own daughter, Kaitlin, won't give up her unborn child so that she can continue study, but instead wants to live in her boyfriend's garage. Ron blames this on his wife, Tammy, who he thinks should have stayed at home with Kaitlin, while she was a baby. Soon however, Ron trips on a book and dies. Othniel sees that Ron is serious in his regrets and sends him back in time, as a handy-man, a joiner. It doesn't take long for Ron (now Randy) to try to get Tammy to be a stay-at-home mom, but before he has a chance he discovers the reason why Kaitlin is so shy - because nobody cares about her, not even her nanny. So Randy spends some time with her. When it's time to leave her with Tammy he discovers that she is very good at her job, and that she's up for a promotion. The only problem now is to convince himself that, in spite of what people might think, perhaps it better for him to stay home with Kaitlin...
After Blair Wilson, a young mother, once again loses her battle for custody of her daughter, Chloe, because she has been drinking, she goes to a bar to forget everything, but ends up dying from hitting her head on a railing. Othniel argues that Blair still lives in denial about her drinking problem, and that she still blames her mother for the death of her boyfriend, Kevin. But since Blair shows more care for her daughter than for herself, Othniel sends her back, as a social worker. Her first case is her own alcoholic mother, and Blair tries to get her stop drinking so that the car crash that killed Kevin would never happen. But she doesn't want to see that her younger self is also drinking, and that will have disasterous results...
Musical composer Tom Lasky is constantly bothered by his neighbour Harry, and doesn't notice that the gas oven doesn't work properly. After he is gassed to death, Tom finds himself at Othniel, who shows him that Harry dies without Tom's help. Tom is returned as a hobo, only one hour before he dies, but Harry disturbs the rescue attempt, and they are put in a mental institution together. Tom gets in two uncomfortable positions: advocating Harry in front of himself, and living beyond his first death. But can he persuade himself to turn into his ""brother's keeper""?
Sam, a 17 year old boy, finds out that his mother is looking for him and his sister. This makes him question his father's story of the mother as a dangerous drug addict. He however says nothing to his sister, but she's having visions of her mother. When Sam refuses to tell her what's up, she accidentally shoots him. Othniel sends Sam back in order to convince himself to tell his sister Angel about the mother. But his old self has trouble believing a green-haired punk-rocker he just met. Soon after, the new Sam meets a sick woman at the boarding house, where he lives, who turns out to be his mother. But can he control his anger and blame when he finds out why she's on drugs?
Ray, a firefighter with an outstanding record dies at the hand of his own son Richie. Ray's problems with his son began when Richie beat up another boy and Ray then covered it up. Mr Smith, who had died in a fire Ray had fought, is his newly appointed guide - and not a very willing one.
Bitter recluse Nancy, who cares more about her cats than about people, ironically dies from being hit in the head by a cat statue. Othniel wants to give her a second chance to learn to like people, and takes her back to the orphanarium, where she used to dream about being adopted by the perfect mom from her favourite movie. Instead she had this harsh adoption board attendant, who hates cats. While her guide Mr Smith is taught a lesson in humility, and maybe something about himself, Nancy tries her best at getting her younger self adopted by the seemingly perfect woman. But things aren't always the way they seem... or how we remember them.
Rhonda, a divorced mother, discourages her daughter Molly from going out with a man she just met, because ""he's a man."" When Rhonda's hate for men causes her death moments later, Othniel argues that Molly will be alone her entire life, unless Rhonda goes back and somehow makes Molly open to love again. Rhonda agrees, but to her surprise, she comes back as the manager of a matchmaking company. But Molly isn't the only one who's having problems with love - and Rhonda doesn't even see that her friend, the baker Zeke is in love with her. Before he has the chance to tell her, Rhonda's ex-husband (who left her 11 years ago) comes back - and proposes! Neither Zeke nor Molly can understand it when Rhonda says yes... Finally, after a number of matchmaking attempts have failed, it's a cake that changes everything.
Ben is an overbearing father. He only wants his son, Max, to do his best and that means winning. After an accident, both Ben and Max are in hospital and to Mr Smith's displeasure it is Max that dies. Instead of being sent back to Max's childhood - his is afterall only 14 - he and Smith are sent to Ben's childhood. Where Max learns the truth about his grandfather and the reasons behind his father's pressure. Ultimately, Max is able to convince Ben that he doesn't have to be the same as his father.
All his life, Dan Patello aspired to be a cop like his father and grandfather. But Dan wasn't prepared for the rampant corruption within the police department, which included bribery and planting evidence. When Dan is killed during an illicit traffic stop, Mr. Smith doesn't have any symopthy for this 'dirty cop' and doesn't want to defend him. But Othniel see's Dan's promise and sends the due back to prevent Dan's younger self (10 years before) from accepting his first bribe. Along the way Dan discovers his father's secret, a secret he may not be able to accept.
Mark and Mindy were married young and fought for the rest of their life until their car crashes during one of their arguments. Both Mark and Mindy must go back to find out the real reasons behind their failed marriage. They are sent back to their honeymoon, as proprietors of the hotel, and as both claim that it was a tennis match that started the resentment, they try to stop Mark's back injury which happened during the match. They fail, and the newlyweds spend the honeymoon separately: her in the dining room and he in the hotel room. During that day they discover the real reasons behind their failed marriage: a fake diamond ring, and a call from a former lover. Young Mark and Mindy break up. But as Mr Smith tells them: It's not over till the fat lady sings...
Stage magician Tony is executed in the electric chair after being found guilty of the murder of his sister, Vicki. Othniel says that if Tony had only relied more on his girlfriend after the murder, he could have been freed. Tony protests, showing anger towards God. Sent back as a security guard, he starts looking for the real killer among the other talents at the theatre. Soon the rivalry between Vicki and Tony's girlfriend Dee Dee is apparent - Dee Dee wants to get out of the small town, while Vicki is content to stay there - as well as fellow magician Jacques' infatuation with Vicki. But in the commotion during one of Tony's tricks, the killer strikes and Tony is once again arrested. Even more angry with God, security guard-Tony has a hard convincing his younger self to accept that he wasn't sent back to stop the murder, and not to shut Dee Dee out.
Tabloid reporter Kat meets her untimely death in a dumpster going after a video. She gets a second chance to go back and convince her younger self not to destroy actress Dorothy Ireland's life by printing pictures of her with another woman. Posing as Dorothy's new assistant, Kat learns the truth about who the woman in the picture is, but she is unable to stop her younger self from getting a scoop, but this time it's she who's Dorothy's alleged lover, which spins Dorothy's life out of control, and she attempts to take her own life. When nothing seems to get the younger Kat to listen to reason and retract the story, she is forced to expose her own dirtiest secret.
Celebrity dentist Sandy is interviwing a new receptionist and hits on her constantly. Finally she agrees to go to the opera, but Sandy has no intention of going to the opera - he's ordered a luxurious dinner instead. Ironically, he chokes on an oyster. Othniel explains how he's refused to see women as thinking persons, and how he needs to walk a mile in their shoes, and since Mr Smith defends him sends him along for the ride - as Mandy and Lorraine. They are promptly hired by a younger Sandy in 1986, and Lorraine/Mr Smith decide that Mandy could learn a lot from Sandy's shy longtime nurse, Kirsten. Under Mandy and Lorraine's guidance, Kirsten's love for Sandy matures, but so does Sandy, up to the point where he asks Kirsten out to opera - for real. But knowing himself, Mandy goes to the opera, and when he doesn't find Sandy and Kirsten there, Mandy suspects that Sandy has put the moves on Kirsten, quite wrongly as it happens, but the result is that Mandy and Kirsten are fired. But Mr S
David gets a second chance to go back and change a decision he made and the regret of allowing his son to live. When he was younger toxic waste was being dumped, the first sign being dead frogs turning up in the water. David has to decide which is more important - people or his career. At the same time his wife is pregnant with their first child, Jeremy. Mr. Smith shows him how much of a miracle Jeremy is and that just because he has down syndome doesn't mean he isn't special, and the perfect son.
Darcy, a successful car dealer, dies after a posh car rolls onto her. She is sent back to correct a fatal error - she sold a car to a young girl, Rebecca, who died after an accident due to mechanical faults. She gets the chance to meet Rebecca's brother, and learns that they had already lost their parents which makes her more determined to stop the accident as she has already bought the car. The accident isn't prevented and as Rebecca lies in hospital she has one last chance to talk sense into herself.
Ruth, an unsuccessful writer, comes back after 50 years to the farm where she grew up in poverty, but she has barely time to see her brother Paul's grave before she dies. Since Ruth had left the farm when Paul died, Othniel shows her how he died: Ruth had told him to bury the only shoes he had, his grandmother's shoes to make a stand against poverty - which left him unprotected when a snake bit him. Othniel gives her a chance to make things right, and Ruth is determined to take Paul with her when she leaves this time... But then, maybe there is something that she has refused to see, in her poor family home.
Delia has hated Christmas for 19 years when after an argument with her twin sister Amanda over Jake (a member of their band). Amanda had taken off on a motorcycle and never come back. She gets a second chance in life with family and gets a second chance in love as well.
When Reese O'Malley visit his and his brother Ethan's bar, the old conflict between the siblings result in a threat to sell the bar, and Reese's death... Othniel accuses Reese with causing Ethan to fail the fraternity hazing, but Reese feels that it's Ethan that should be taught a lesson. Sent back to the days of the hazing, Reese (now called Chip) sees how harsch he is to Ethan, but still maintains that Ethan always got the attention from their dying mom, even if he didn't seem to care about her at all. Chip tries to convince Ethan to let Reese have this frat club to himself, when he learns that Ethan's sole motive is to have his brother's love. But will young Reese believe that?
Dr. Steven Weaver, an anger management therapist, is surprised to see his newest client is Buzzy, a man who used to be his childhood bully. Steven uses the opportunity to exact revenge against the man during the session, but the argument becomes violent and Steven dies while falling out the window of his office. During his trial, Smith and Othniel determine Steven's problems stemmed from his struggle to understand his parent's divorce, and his trauma over catching his father with a mistress. Steven is sent back in time as an ice skating coach, and he attempts to use the job as a way to prevent an event started by the bully that embarassed him in front of his friends. He also tries to get closer to his mother and make her realize how much she babied Steven so he wouldn't defend himself against Buzzy. Although he isn't able to stop the event, he learns that when he stopped the younger Steven from running into his father, it led to a heartfelt talk with a classmate who would become his wi
After a brief appearence at a school, Charlie - a gang member in the 1930s and 1940s - is killed. Othniel tells him that he has redeemed his bad ways ever since, but that he can get a second chance anyway, to solve his conflict with the love of his life, Rose. Mr Smith follows Charlie back to Harlem during the Prohibition era, where Charlies interracial relationship to Rose is something strange and frowned upon. But the real problem is that Rose's father is with the FBI, and that Rose will turn Charlie in. Now Charlie must somehow convince himself to get out before the deal that will be raided by the FBI, or get Rose to not turn him in.
After running away from his responsibilites all his life Bobby finally has a heart attack and dies, while gambling again. He gets a second chance to look after and care for his daughter Rennie. He was once engaged to her mother Colleen, but didn't think was good enough so he left. Ten years on and Colleen has died leaving Rennie to go with relatives. Taking charge Bobby tries to convince himself that not only does she need him, but he needs her as well.
A former champion boxer, Jimmy, gives up on life after he challenges his brother to a fight. The fight being rigged ends up in his brother dying. He gets the second chance to return and save the life of his brother, but he is still determined to win the fight.
Roger Hamilton had gone through life with more money and power than he could ever have dreamed of as a child, but when a transaction goes sour and he ends up dead he gets his second chance. Roger is returned to his youth as a doctor who has to make the decision of who to give a kidney trasplant to. He meets Caroline and her newphew Mikey, and falls in love. On the way out of a jewelry shop (with a ring) Roger is injured and they discover his kidney isn't working properly. Roger must then decide whether to give the available kidney to his younger self - or sacrifice himself for Caroline.
Camilla has spent her life looking after her daughter and granddaughter, but all comes to an end when a wayward piano kills her. She gets to go back and try to fix her daughter marriage and make her daughter take responsibility to look after her own daughter (who ran away after Camilla's death). She also gets the chance to pursue a career of her own as a hairdresser.
Luke is flying to France where his wife and son are planning to live after the marriage had failed. Mr Smith, a flight attendant, helps an eldery woman named Anne to prevent her from taking her own life. Also, a young boy who lost his leg when he was younger believes he can hear his dog, Willy, barking, they find out the dog has been placed into the wrong compartment and if the plane doesn't turn around the dog will die. Luke has to make the decision whether the dog and his family are really the most important things in his life.
Ryan gets a second chance to return to his teenage years to prevent his father, a successful doctor, from having a heart operation which led to him being brain damaged. He always blamed himself as he had talked his father into having the proceedure. Mr. Smith gets to spend time with them and Rachel, Ryan's sister, lets him know who she thinks he really is: their guardian angel. Despite Ryan's pleading, his father still goes ahead with the surgery, this time with no complications and Ryan's finds himself not as a doctor - but as a priest, which he had always wanted to be.