Fall TV Preview

SYNOPSIS

From the inventive minds of Lost executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis comes a bold new imagining of the world, where fairy tales and the modern-day are about to collide.

And they all lived happily ever after – or so everyone was led to believe. Emma Swan knows how to take care of herself. She's a 28-year-old bail bonds collector who's been on her own ever since she was abandoned as a baby. But when the son she gave up years ago finds her, everything starts to change. Henry is now 10 years old and in desperate need of Emma's help. He believes that Emma actually comes from an alternate world and is Snow White and Prince Charming's missing daughter. According to his book of fairytales, they sent her away to protect her from the Evil Queen's curse, which trapped the fairytale world forever, frozen in time, and brought them into our modern world. Of course Emma doesn't believe a word, but when she brings Henry back to Storybrooke, she finds herself drawn to this unusual boy and his strange New England town. Concerned for Henry, she decides to stay for a while, but she soon suspects that Storybrooke is more than it seems. It's a place where magic has been forgotten, but is still powerfully close… where fairytale characters are alive, even though they don't remember who they once were. The epic battle for the future of all worlds is beginning, but for good to win, Emma will have to accept her destiny and fight like hell.

starring:
Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Sister Mary Margaret
Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold
Lana Parrilla as Evil Queen/Regina
Jamie Dornan as Sheriff Graham
Jared Gilmore as Henry
Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/John Doe
Raphael Sbarge as Jiminy Cricket/Archie

credits:
Executive Producer / Writer: Edward Kitsis
Executive Producer / Writer: Adam Horowitz
Executive Producer: Steve Pearlman
Executive Producer / Director: Mark Mylod
Production Company: ABC Studios

REVIEWS

Please note that these reviews may contain spoilers.

Gordon McDougall's Take
I only have a vague knowledge of children's stories (I was never read them as a child and was never much of a Disney fan), but I enjoy the combination of those ubiquitous characters (Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin, Jiminy Cricket) blending into our world (more or less). The pilot crams a lot of back-story into the first hour, explaining how the fabled characters from childhood are connected to the characters of present-day Storybrooke, Maine. It's all done through the eyes of young Henry, who covets his book of fairytales the same way nerds like me used to clutch our generic red-plaid lunchbox. As the story unfolds, we will see how all of these characters—real and mythical—will connect. If viewers stick around through all of the exposition, they will be treated to a season of familiar characters battling the age-old forces of good and evil, but in a more realistic world, where good and evil are not so clearly defined. That's what I think could be fascinating about Once Upon A Time as it develops. The problem is that I'm not convinced today's TV viewers have the patience for a show like this. Once Upon A Time precedes Desperate Housewives, and I think those two shows could compliment each other well. The women of Wisteria Lane are often presented in an almost fairytale-like atmosphere (through the narration of long-dead neighbour Mary Alice). It also doesn't have a whole lot of competition from the other networks (unless you're hooked on The Amazing Race). It could be the type of show families will enjoy sitting down to watch after Sunday dinner (although it's a bit too intense for younger children). This show is a personal favourite, but I'm not certain a large enough audience will agree.
Rating: One of my personal favorites!
About Gordon McDougall TVGord is a radio host at 580 CFRA in Ottawa. He does a weekly segment about TV every friday which you can hear in MP3 in the '580 CFRA Interviews' section of their website, www.cfra.com