Once Upon a Time (TV series)
Once Upon a Time is an American fantasy adventure drama television series that aired for seven seasons on ABC from October 23, 2011, to May 18, 2018. The action alternates between two main settings: a fantastical world where fairy tales happen, and a fictional seaside town in Maine called Storybrooke. The "real-world" part of the story unfolds with the characters of Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) and her 10-year-old son, Henry Mills (Jared S. Gilmore). Henry discovers the other people of the town are fairy-tale characters. The audience is shown the backstory of the town's people as fairy-tale characters, in conjunction with their unfolding stories in the "real-world". In the seventh and final season, the "real-world" portion of the story takes place in Seattle, Washington, in the fictitious neighborhood of "Hyperion Heights", with a new main narrative led by adult Henry (Andrew J. West), and his wife and daughter.
This article is about the 2011 American series. For the various French animated TV series, see Once Upon a Time...Once Upon a Time
- Ginnifer Goodwin
- Jennifer Morrison
- Lana Parrilla
- Josh Dallas
- Jared S. Gilmore
- Raphael Sbarge
- Jamie Dornan
- Robert Carlyle
- Eion Bailey
- Emilie de Ravin
- Meghan Ory
- Colin O'Donoghue
- Michael Raymond-James
- Michael Socha
- Rebecca Mader
- Sean Maguire
- Andrew J. West
- Dania Ramirez
- Gabrielle Anwar
- Alison Fernandez
- Mekia Cox
Mark Isham
Cindy O'Connor (S7)
Michael D. Simon (S7)
United States
English
7
155 (list of episodes)
- Edward Kitsis
- Adam Horowitz
- Steve Pearlman
- David H. Goodman
- Andrew Chambliss
- Damon Lindelof
- Christine Boylan
- Robert Hull
- Kalinda Vazquez
- Jane Espenson
- Daniel T. Thomsen
- Brian Wankum
- Kathy Gilroy
- Ian Goldberg
- Liz Tigelaar
- Samantha Thomas
- Jerome Schwartz
- Helga Ungurait
- Steven Fierberg
- Stephen Jackson
- Tony Mirza
- Geofrey Hildrew
- Mark Goldman
- Scot J. Kelly
- Joe Talbot Hall
43 minutes
October 23, 2011 –
May 18, 2018
Once Upon a Time was created by Lost and Tron: Legacy writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. The core themes of the show are hope and optimism. Horowitz told The Hollywood Reporter that they had a conscious purpose to "do a show that had optimism at its heart", as they "felt like there was so much darkness in the world". Kitsis said: "We are guys who like to see the world as half-full, not half-empty", and it's about "seeing that among all the trials and tribulations of life, you can persevere and find light among the darkness";[2] "it's that ability to think your life will get better".[3] Star Jennifer Morrison told the Calgary Herald that it's a show about hope and positivity and connectivity, which "encourages people to believe in themselves and believe in the best versions of themselves and to have hope to have the life that they have."[4]
A spin-off series, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, consisting of 13 episodes featuring the title character of the 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, premiered on October 10, 2013, and concluded on April 3, 2014.[5]
Premise[edit]
The series is primarily set in the fictional seaside town of Storybrooke, Maine, in which the residents are actually fairy tale characters that were transported to the real world town and robbed of their memories by Regina, the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla), who used a powerful dark curse obtained from Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle). The residents of Storybrooke, where Regina is mayor, have lived an unchanging existence for 28 years, unaware of their own agelessness and their past lives. The town's only hope lies with a bail-bonds person named Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison), who is the daughter of Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas). Emma was transported from the Enchanted Forest to the real world via a magic wardrobe as an infant before the curse was cast. As such, she is the Savior, the only person who can break the curse and restore everyone's lost memories. She is aided by her ten-year-old son, Henry Mills (Jared S. Gilmore), with whom she was recently reunited after giving him up for adoption upon his birth, and his Once Upon a Time book of fairy tales that holds the key to breaking the curse. Henry is also the adopted son of Regina, providing a source of both conflict and common interest between the two women.
Episodes usually have one segment that details the characters past lives that, when serialized, adds a piece to the puzzle about the characters and their connection to the events that preceded the curse and its consequences. The other segment, set in the present day, follows a similar pattern with a different outcome, but also offers similar insights.
Series overview[edit]
In the first season, the Evil Queen interrupts the wedding of Snow White and Prince Charming to announce that she will cast a curse on everyone that will leave her with the only happy ending. As a result, the majority of the characters are transported to the town of Storybrooke, Maine, where most of them have been stripped of their original memories and identities as fairy tale characters. On her 28th birthday, Emma Swan, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, is brought to Storybrooke by her biological son Henry Mills in the hopes of breaking the curse cast by his adoptive mother, Regina Mills–the Evil Queen.
In the second season, despite Emma having broken the curse, the characters are not returned to the fairy tale world and must deal with their own dual identities. With the introduction of magic into Storybrooke by Rumplestiltskin, the fates of the two worlds become intertwined, and new threats emerge in the form of Captain Hook (Colin O'Donoghue), Regina's mother Cora (Barbara Hershey), and sinister operatives Greg Mendell (Ethan Embry) and Tamara (Sonequa Martin-Green) from the real world with an agenda to destroy magic.
In the third season, the main characters travel to Neverland to rescue Henry, who has been kidnapped by Peter Pan (Robbie Kay) as part of a plan to obtain the "Heart of the Truest Believer" from him. Their increasing power struggle with Pan continues in Storybrooke, which results in the complete reversal of the original curse. All the characters are returned to their original worlds, leaving Emma and Henry to escape to New York City. The characters are then mysteriously brought back to a recreated Storybrooke with their memories of the previous year removed, and the envious Wicked Witch of the West Zelena (Rebecca Mader) from Oz appears with a plan to change the past, prompting Emma and Henry to return.
In the fourth season, Emma and Hook's time travel adventures lead to the accidental arrival of Elsa (Georgina Haig) from the Enchanted Forest of the past to present-day Storybrooke. As she searches for her younger sister Anna (Elizabeth Lail) with the aid of the town's residents, they encounter the Snow Queen (Elizabeth Mitchell). Meanwhile, Regina seeks the author of Henry's Once Upon a Time book so that she can have her happy ending. However, later on, a banished Rumplestiltskin returns, with the help of Cruella de Vil (Victoria Smurfit), Maleficent (Kristin Bauer van Straten), and Ursula (Merrin Dungey), with his own plans to rewrite the rules governing the fates of all heroes and villains. Henry and Emma race to restore reality and the truth before the twisted inversion becomes permanent.
In the fifth season, the characters embark on a quest to Camelot to find the Sorcerer Merlin (Elliot Knight) in order to free Emma from the powers of an ancient darkness. To complicate matters, King Arthur (Liam Garrigan) sets out to alter the balance between light and darkness using Excalibur and the help of a vengeful Zelena. A tragic loss forces Emma to lead a rescue party to the Underworld, where the gang encounters souls of those with unfinished business and must face the conniving Hades (Greg Germann). The characters' dangerous manipulations of magic lead to the separation of Regina and her Evil Queen persona, as well as the arrival of Dr. Jekyll (Hank Harris) and Mr. Hyde (Sam Witwer).
In the sixth season, the residents of Storybrooke sets out to protect the town from the combined threat of Mr. Hyde and an unleashed Evil Queen, as well as dealing with new arrivals from the Land of Untold Stories. Emma's destiny as the Savior weighs heavy on her, and her desperation to alter her fate leads to revelations about a mysterious new arrival: Aladdin (Deniz Akdeniz). The war between light and darkness leads to the arrival of the Black Fairy (Jaime Murray) as well as the final battle that was prophesied before the casting of the original curse.
In the seventh and final season, years after the final battle, Lucy (Alison Fernandez) arrives in the fictional neighborhood of Hyperion Heights in Seattle, Washington with her Once Upon a Time book to find her now-adult father Henry (Andrew J. West), who is needed by his family. Henry, along with characters from the New Enchanted Forest, have been brought to the neighborhood under a new curse and are caught in a rising conflict involving Cinderella (Dania Ramirez) and Lady Tremaine (Gabrielle Anwar), whose dangerous history with Mother Gothel (Emma Booth) is revealed, as well as the agendas of Dr. Facilier (Daniel Francis). Lucy must try to break this new curse and free her parents with the help of the now-cursed Regina, Wish Realm Hook, Rumplestiltskin and Zelena. As they succeed in breaking the curse, the arrival of Wish Realm Rumplestiltskin with a plot to condemn every hero into eternal unhappiness leads to an ultimate sacrifice to save their happily ever after.
Development and production[edit]
Conception[edit]
Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis conceived Once Upon a Time in 2004 before joining the writing staff of Lost but wanted to wait until that series was over to focus on this project.[27]
Setting[edit]
Main settings[edit]
During the first six seasons, the Enchanted Forest and Storybrooke, Maine are the main settings of the series.[82] The Enchanted Forest is a realm within Fairy Tale Land, but the actual spread and scope of the realm are not known. However, they are later united during the Ogre Wars, which played a part in the formation of the War Council that is formed by Prince Charming and served as the catalysts in the backstories involving Rumplestiltskin and the Evil Queen. Several independent kingdoms are implied by an array of different rulers. Most of the stories detailed their earlier lives before ascension to power and being influenced by their mentors through their upbringings. Meanwhile, Storybrooke serves as an isolated town separated from the rest of the Land Without Magic, where the cursed inhabitants are trapped by various forces.
During the seventh season, the New Enchanted Forest and Hyperion Heights, Seattle are the main settings.[83] As a realm in New Fairy Tale Land, the New Enchanted Forest is divided into several independent kingdoms with different rulers. The inhabitants are in conflict with each other, most notably between Lady Tremaine, Cinderella, Drizella, a resistance led by Tiana, and the Coven of the Eight led by Mother Gothel. Most flashbacks involved events that happened before the original curse and before the latest curse that brought everyone to Hyperion Heights, where unlike Storybrooke, its cursed inhabitants are living among ordinary people.
Expanded settings[edit]
The series, including its Wonderland spin-off, have explored beyond the main settings to numerous realms, each based on fairy tales, literature, and folklore. Known realms are Fairy Tale Land,[82] the Land Without Magic,[82] Wonderland,[82] the Dreamscape,[84] the Land Without Color,[82] the Netherworld,[85] Neverland,[82] Victorian England,[86] the Land of Oz,[82] Kansas,[87] Asgard,[88] 1920s England,[89] the Heroes & Villains alternate reality,[90] the Underworld,[91] the Worst Place,[92] Mount Olympus,[93] the Land of Untold Stories,[82] 19th Century France,[94] the World Behind the Mirror,[95] the Dark Realm,[96] the Wish Realm,[96] New Fairy Tale Land,[83] the Edge of Realms,[97] New Wonderland,[98] and the Prison Realm.[99] In the series finale, all the realms are merged via a variation of the Dark Curse, being known as the United Realms.[100]
Cultural references[edit]
As a nod to the ties between the production teams of Once Upon a Time and Lost, the former show contains allusions to Lost.[35] For example, many items found in Lost, such as Apollo candy bars, Oceanic Airlines, Ajira Airways, the TV series Exposé, and the MacCutcheon whiskey, can be seen in Once Upon a Time.[101]
Broadcast[edit]
The series has been licensed to over 190 countries.[106] In Australia, Once Upon a Time first aired on Seven Network, starting on May 15, 2012. In Canada it airs on CTV from October 23, 2011. It premiered on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2012.[107] On December 17, 2013, it was confirmed that Channel 5 would not be picking the series up for the third season airing in the UK.[107] On March 14, 2015, Netflix picked up the show in the United Kingdom and Ireland, subsequently showing all seasons and premiering each new episode on Wednesdays after their initial showing on Sundays on ABC. All seven seasons of the series were released on Disney+ in September 2020,[108] and on Hulu in September 2023.[109]
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
Critical response to the first season was generally positive. On Metacritic, it was given a score of 66 out of 100 with "generally favorable reviews".[110]
Common Sense Media rated the show 4 out of 5 stars, stating, "Parents need to know that although Once Upon a Time is inspired by classic fairy tales such as Snow White, Pinocchio, and revivals of popular stories such as Mulan, Brave, and Frozen, it's not always age-appropriate for younger kids. The content is often violent -- including murder, sword fights, and death threats -- and much of the story is clouded in a sense of peril and shifting loyalties. There's some implied sexual content (including shirtless men, women buttoning up their blouses, and lovers escaping out of windows), some innuendo, and some iffy language ("hell", "ass", "suck"). The upside? It has multi-generational appeal, but parents may want to preview before sharing with tweens".[111]
E!'s Kristin dos Santos cited the show as one of the five new shows of the 2011–2012 season to watch.[112] Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe gave the show a "C+" grade commenting:
Tie-in material[edit]
Novels[edit]
In 2013, Disney-owned Hyperion Books published Reawakened by Odette Beane, a novelization of storylines from the first season, expanded to include new perspectives. The narrative is from the points-of-view of Emma Swan in Storybrooke and Snow White in the Enchanted Forest. The novel was published on April 28, 2013, as an ebook and May 7, 2013, in paperback form.[161]
In 2015, production company Kingswell Teen published Red's Untold Tale, by Wendy Toliver, a novel telling a story of Red's past that was not seen in the show. The novel was published on September 22, 2015, and consisted of 416 pages.[162]
In 2017, Kingswell Teen published a second novel, Regina Rising, also written by Wendy Toliver, which depicts the life of a sixteen-year-old Regina. The novel was published on April 25, 2017.[163]
In 2018, Kingswell Teen published a third novel, Henry and Violet, written by Michelle Zink, which follows Henry and Violet on an adventure to New York City. The novel was published on May 8, 2018.[164]
Comic books[edit]
A comic book, titled Once Upon a Time: Shadow of the Queen, was released on September 4, 2013, in both digital and hardcover forms. The story was written by Dan Thomsen and Corinna Bechko, with art by Nimit Malavia, Vasilis Lolos, Mike del Mundo, Stephanie Hans and Mike Henderson. Shadow of the Queen details what happens after the Evil Queen takes the Huntsman's heart. She forces the Huntsman to commit evil and try to capture Snow White yet again. The Huntsman faces his past, and also meets Red Riding Hood, who is trying to cope with her beastly alter ego. Together, they team up and try to save Snow White before all is too late.[165]
On April 14, 2014, a sequel to the first comic book called Once Upon a Time: Out of the Past was released, which details previously unseen flashback stories of Captain Hook, the Evil Queen, Rumplestiltskin, Belle and the Mad Hatter from before the first Dark Curse.[166]