Once Upon a Time (2011– )

A woman with a troubled past is drawn to a New England town where fairy tales are to be believed.

Creators:

Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis

Stars:

Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 5 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Ginnifer Goodwin	...	Mary Margaret Blanchard (44 episodes, 2011-2013)
Jennifer Morrison	...	Emma Swan (44 episodes, 2011-2013)
Lana Parrilla	...	Regina Mills (44 episodes, 2011-2013)
Josh Dallas	...	David Nolan (44 episodes, 2011-2013)
Jared Gilmore	...	Henry Mills (44 episodes, 2011-2013)
Robert Carlyle	...	Mr. Gold (44 episodes, 2011-2013)
Meghan Ory	...	Ruby (39 episodes, 2011-2013)
Raphael Sbarge	...	Archie Hopper (28 episodes, 2011-2013)
Emilie de Ravin	...	Belle (25 episodes, 2012-2013)
Beverley Elliott	...	Granny (19 episodes, 2011-2013)
Lee Arenberg	...	Grumpy (19 episodes, 2011-2013)
Colin O'Donoghue	...	Hook (19 episodes, 2012-2013)

Storyline

For Emma Swan, life is anything but a happy ending. But when she is reunited with Henry - the son she gave up for adoption ten years ago - on the night of her 28th birthday, everything changes. The now 10-year-old Henry is in desperate need of Emma's help because he believes from reading a book of fairytales that she's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming - who sent her away from the Enchanted Forest to be protected from a curse that was enacted by the Evil Queen. Emma initially refuses to believe a word of Henry's story but soon finds that his hometown of Storybrooke, Maine is more than it seems. Because it's in Storybrooke that all of the classic characters we know are frozen in time with no memories of their former selves - except for the Evil Queen, who is Storybrooke's mayor and Henry's adoptive mother Regina Mills. Now, as the epic "Final Battle" for the future of both worlds approaches, Emma will have to accept her destiny and uncover the mystery behind a place where ...

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Plot Keywords:

maine | fairy tale | curse | long lost daughter | supernatural power | 

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Taglines:

Magic is coming

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Also Known As:

OUaT

Filming Locations:

Fort Langley Community Hall, Fort Langley, Langley Township, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kitsis/Horowitz, ABC Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

Names for many characters in Storybrooke are often coordinated with their fairy-tale counterpart. For example:

• Mary Margaret Blanchard (Snow White): Blanchard derives from the French word "blanc" or "blanche" for white. The name "Mary Margaret" is from a real-life woman believed to be the inspiration of the Snow White character named "Maria Sophia Margaretha Catharina Freifräulein Von Erthal" (born on June 15, 1729 in Germany.)
• Regina Mills (Evil Queen): Regina is a Late Latin and Modern Italian feminine noun and name meaning "Queen". Mills refers to the Greek word "Milo" meaning "apple" in modern Greek, which is in reference to the Queen poisoning Snow White with an apple. Also in the series, Regina's favorite fruit are red apples; she also owns an apple orchard and is seen frequently holding apples. Also, Regina's grandfather was a Miller so that is another connection to her last name.
• Mr. Gold (Rumpelstiltskin): Rumpelstiltskin spun straw into gold in his story.
• Ruby (Red Riding Hood): A ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone.
• Ashley Boyd (Cinderella): Cinders precede ashes in the burning process. Boyd derives from the Gaelic word "buidhe" meaning yellow-haired.
• Sidney Glass (Mirror): Because another word for mirror is glass or looking glass. Also, his newspaper is called The Mirror. Sidney's character as the Queen's minion trapped in a mirror parallels a genie trapped in a lamp as a master's servant; the name Sidney refers to Sidney Sheldon, the creator of I Dream of Jeannie
• Archie Hopper (Jiminy Cricket): Crickets often hop to get around. Also, crickets are sometimes called hoppers.
• Jefferson (The Mad Hatter): The group Jefferson Airplane has a song called "White Rabbit" which uses imagery from the "Alice in Wonderland" tales
• Paige (Grace) In the real world the Hatter's daughter is named Paige but in the other her name is Grace. Grace Slick was a member of Jefferson Airplane and writer of "White Rabbit".
• Dr. Whale (Dr. Frankenstein): In his fairy tale world he is Dr. Victor Frankenstein. In the real world James Whale was the director of the original Universal Frankenstein and its sequel Bride of Frankenstein.

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Goofs

Several times during the series, Mr. Gold is seen wearing a wedding ring. This is because Robert Carlyle has forgotten to remove his own ring; he has even tweeted about it.

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Connections

Spoofed in Mad: Taking Nemo/Once Upon a Toon (2012)

User Reviews

i'm in love

Such an AWESOME pilot!

I really hope the story lines stay as interesting every week. While I do agree with some of the reviewers here about the fairy tale parts being a bit unbelievable, everything else was perfect. Even the fairy tale parts were acted well. Great cast with believable chemistry.

I've been waiting for a show like this. As kids, we all grow up with these stories, it feels great to see it come to life mingled with reality.

Definitely on my list every week from now. CANT wait for the rest of the season! WOOP!

:)