Once Upon a Time (2011–2018) User Reviews

First Six Seasons are Awesome!

[pat-08514 · 9/10 · 7 September 2018]

I loved the first six seasons of Once Upon a Time, and actually binged all six seasons twice and eagerly awaited the arrival of season 7. There are few shows I can recommend more highly than the first six seasons of Once but seven was beyond disappointing. I couldn't make it through the first episode. Not even Colin O'Donoghue and Robert Carlisle could save it. I hated all the new and revamped characters. They lacked the class, style, fun and imagination of the original cast and the story itself was absolutely lackluster.

If you want to continue enjoying Once Upon a Time, do yourself a favor and rewatch the first six seasons.

The first few seasons were the best!

[allisonnp · 9/10 · 25 August 2018]

Seasons 1-3 were excellent! I could not stop watching. Then 4-6 came along, and I thought they were pretty decent but definitely worse than the first three. I think that the show could have just ended after season 6 but nope... They had to make a terrible 7th season

Overall though, this show is great

1-6 FAB Series 7 - not so much

[cmorrisroberts · 8/10 · 14 August 2018]

I absolutely loved series 1-6. I couldn't stop watching. I think I must have watched them all in less than a month. It took me to a land far away, and into that little fantasy world that's not reality world. BUT. I'm sad to say that series 7 is such a disappointment. I'm only on episode 6, and instead of watching it I'm writing this review. I wish I was one of these people that can give up and didn't have to watch the entire series of programmes. I'm going to pretend, after watching series 7, that they all lived happily ever after, after series 6.

Season 7, what a tragedy.

[lin_mehmed · 10 January 2018]

It's so sad to say this but I used to really like this show, up until season 6, when things should have ended. Why did they decide to do a season 7 with the same story line as before, my brain will never understand. I despise season 7. I can't stand "Cinderella"s character or the actress. The character just seems so weak, without any motivation or attitude to live life or to act, which isn't how I pictured Cinderella. I thought she would be more rebellious and have more of a spirit. Don't even get me started on the actress - she has no acting skills, I feel like every line is improvised and the directors just went with the first shot they took. At least try to pronounce words correctly.

So please next season - improve acting, improve story line, be a bit more original, and get some good actors, seriously !

Please Let it end!

[Andries-J-Els · 8/10 · 22 October 2017]

I enjoyed the first 6 seasons immensely My Rating 10 but the current one no 7 is SOOO BAD!! My rating 3 :( Dania Ramirez looks old and like she is always in pain here we have a nearly 40 year of woman playing Hendry's Cinderella but looks more like his MOM probably double his age and looks it to :( and her acting is sub-par!! she should go back to Devious Maids where not much acting is required. I was looking forward to this now I'm just fast forwarding hoping this is a nightmare scene and we all go back to Storybrook with a Happy ending not the Disaster!!

Campy and Corny, But Very Underrated

[sammielimehouse-84658 · 8/10 · 13 April 2021]

I know that some people hate this show but I love the sheer absurdity and corniness of it. Honestly, I just don't think this show is as bad as some say, and the only terrible seasons are probably four and seven. Overall, this is a very enjoyable show and it doesn't deserve all the hate it gets.

8.3/10.

The previews sparked my interest and the pilot just hooked me.

[zactac · 10/10 · 20 October 2011]

Once Upon a Time already shows much potential with a great pilot episode. It really got to the point without giving everything away. It basically tells the background information behind the story seen in the shows fictional town of Storybrooke. It does this in just the right way so that the viewer won't get confused or bored from just hearing the talk of fairy-tales from the side of a little boy.

It's simply about Emma Swan and the destiny she's unaware of. Before she was born a prophecy was foretold that an evil curse would befall all of the inhabitants a fairy-tale kingdom sending them to a world where they no longer remember who they are or the happiness they once knew. In the prophecy it is foretold that Emma would be the one to return and save them from the dreaded curse.

Now while there are many other characters in the story it is meant to revolve around Emma and the issues she must face in order to overcome the curse. The story shows much promise already and with no doubt it is sure to progress as the show continues. Morrison (Emma), Goodwin (Snow White), and Parrilla (Evil Queen) have already hit all of the right notes in just the first episode, Parrilla I loved mainly because she makes a very worthy villain in the show.

Even though it has only begun there is great room for success and progress. I think this could be the show of the fall/winter TV season to watch. If any one decides to watch just one show this fall then let it be Once Upon a Time.

AMAZING!

[donnodcassandra-41099 · 10/10 · 23 August 2020]

Amazing I totally loved that series!!!! It helped me get through a rough time in my life! It gave me hope and it made me laugh so much!

Don't watch all the seasons

[unityhimym · 7/10 · 21 November 2018]

A very interesting concept for a show, the first season was rather interesting and had an compelling storyline. The way the fairytale world is mixed with the real world is beautiful. The main characters in the first season, regina and emma, are interesting and the storyline is wrapped up nicely by the end of the season. In the second season, there is a lot of character development and more fairytales are connected with the characters, again done beautifully, fairytales are intertwined, resulting in an exciting storyline. In the third season, new characters are introduced and they travel to new locations. This season is overall less compelling than the first and second season, and slower-paced, but still enjoyable to watch. Although the first half of season 4 still shows some enjoyable content, this is the turning point for the series, after this it seems like show was just going on for the sake of going on. Season 5 isn't gripping at all and it feels like they just ran out of ideas. Season 6 is a weaker version of season 5 and season 7 is just plain boring. Watch no further than the first 3 seasons, and maybe give season 4 a shot.

Creative

[Jedi_Rumor · 10/10 · 24 October 2011]

I really enjoyed the pilot episode. It was refreshing to view a show that was not another reality series or "dare" show. This series brilliant mixture of classic fairy tales that adults have grown so familiar with and blended it with creative story lines. The acting was well done and the special effects were as well. The casting was well done and I couldn't imagine any other actor/actress playing the parts. Without giving too much away it's worth investing the hour to view! I can't wait to see the second episode and recommend this to any one who is/was a fan of Disney movies/Lost. Older children may even enjoy watching the series

Should have stoped at season 6.

[riannedeheij · 6/10 · 11 September 2018]

I realy liked the first 6 seasons, but i simply do not understand why they made a 7th season. Wich does not even have a original start... If you can't think of something new, just don't make a new season then.

Fanstasies come to real life!

[danieldwilkinson · 10/10 · 15 March 2020]

Oh man this show was awesome! Seeing all my childhood disney characters in live action, each season being a main focus on a certain character while still introducing other small new ones, and reoccurring ones. I jumped on board just before season 3 or 4(peter pan one). And was able to binge it before that season aired. So many great characters, and so many great moments. Regina being one of the best characters with what I would say is the best development. The final season was enjoyable and cool how it started out the way the show started, but was odd and confusing at the same time which (while it made the ending a happy one and if I recall was more satisfying then the second to last season finale) made it feel strange to me.

Starts good, gets rather bad.

[rovex32 · 7/10 · 6 January 2018]

I have to say when I started watching I thought it was a bit different and pretty fun, and for 4 seasons it was. Season 5 however was the turning point.

Season 5 was a mess, a drawn out convoluted mess, and it just stopped being fun. It was downhill from there, and season 7 is just a different, inferior show sadly.

Season 7 is completely unnecessary

[StorieLuver · 4/10 · 29 December 2017]

(This review is strictly for the new season; if I were rating the show on the first 6 seasons I'd probably give it an 8). So apparently ABC/Disney doesn't know the phrase "Get out when the getting's good." OUAT came to a perfectly natural, satisfactory conclusion at the end of Season 6 and they should've just let the show end there. But no, they had to insist on a reboot, and it's basically a dumpster fire. Specifically, the casting of the 3 leads is awful. The new Cinderella is a 40 year old trying to play a 20 year old. (There's nothing wrong with older actresses getting parts, but when they do they should act their age. Instead, we get a 40 year old trying to dress and act like a hip millennial and failing miserably; she even has a stepsister young enough to be her daughter). Maybe it's because Cinderella is trying so hard to fit into a role that's too young for her, but there is absolutely ZERO chemistry between her and the new "adult" Henry. Now HE is your stereotypical millennial, and I don't buy him as either Cinderella's love interest or the new kid's father figure. At least in the original series, young Henry was cute and endearing. The new girl is whiny, obnoxious, and far from cute. If I was rating the new season on just these three, I'd be giving it only a single star. However, there are the redeeming features of the Hook/Alice and Drizella/Rapunzel stories, and they are the only parts that caused me to give this 4 stars and keep watching. Without those secondary stories, I would've stopped watching this show back in the fall.

Goodbye Unce upon a time.

[henricito · 14 October 2017]

I must say that the first 4 seasons captivated me, but I know that everyone has felt like the series was losing quality consistently, if the fifth season was bad, zero creativity and banal clichés, the sixth was worse, forced and repetitive without taking advantage of the characters or history, a shame, but this seventh season is a mockery, a story mediocre, absurd and absurd, the casting is incomprehensible, and what but what they have done with the old characters have destroyed their performance. Sad way to end a series that started well. Not worth wasting time watching this mediocrity. Goodbye Unce upon a time.

It Only Gets Better

[JayJay_13 · 10/10 · 17 March 2014]

Once Upon A Time had me at hello. The very first promo that graced my TV, together paired with the song 'Rescue Me' had grabbed me.

Season one started off with a bang. Already displaying well-developed characters and plot- lines set in place so there was no where for a viewer to get lost. There was the initial fear that this show would be cliché, but on the contrary, they aimed to do the exact opposite an I was pleasantly surprised with how they portrayed the fairy tales we watched or read as children. Dark twists are in every corner and there is always an unexpected element

Season two, admittedly. took a rather slow start with the first 5 episodes. I think the problem was that they we're trying to cram too many story-lines and way too much information into them. New characters were introduced and this seasons consistency for good vs. average episodes was a bit of a give and take game. Nevertheless, it ends with a bang and a promising look towards season 3.

Season three, so far, is climbing it's way back into viewers hearts. The writers chose to do something a little different with the show, now that they had essentially resolved the towns Evil Queen/Curse problem. Season 3 has sort of divided it's self Cleverly into two story-lines. 3A, we're introduced to the story of Peter Pan & Neverland, and unlike previously, like with Cinderella or Pinocchio, the story is explored for more than one or two episodes, making the show much more intriguing. 3B will focus on The Wizard Of Oz and so far is proving to be my favorite storyline yet.

Overall, Once should be watched not only for the incredibly imaginative writing (Shout-out to Adam & Eddy!), but also for the incredible cast. Jennifer Morrison, who portrays Emma Swan, has reduced me to tears more times than I can count. The entirety of the cast, including young Jared Gilmore, who plays Henry, have an incredible knack for making their characters believable in order to draw emotions out of their viewers. Which I imagine must be very hard to do in a show based on fairy tales. You might not take the idea of the show seriously, but once you start watching, you'll wonder why you put it off. None of the characters, you should know, are completely evil or completely good. Which is just very reason the why this show isn't the cheese-fest it could have had a danger of being.

I can't understand why so many are saying this show has gotten worse with time. If anything, it's just beginning! The first few seasons are always questionable in any TV show (Lord knows Breaking Bad was hard to get into at first), but I promise Once Upon A Time does not disappoint (Apart from the CGI. Though not many TV shows have a big enough budget for it anyway, so I give them leeway on that one small flaw)

Promising

[sodhym · 10/10 · 30 October 2011]

Great cast and a very promising pilot. It captures the essence of a classic fairy tale and incorporates it with a modern setting where the real and the imaginary merges.

To be sure, it does not have a dark atmosphere and if you're looking for one, this is not the show. But I think there are a lot of dark and gory shows out there, so this one looks fresh and deserves a try by anyone who likes fairy tales and fantasy.

The cast is great. It is clear that there is much effort in that section. I believe I watched Ginnifer Goodwin for the first time and I knew that Jennifer Morrison was in the show, so when I see Goodwin I though she was Morrison. This might be due to my ignorance about the actress, but given the story, the resemblance makes some sense. I don't know whether this is intentional though.

Overall, pilot is a 10, and I hope it will continue this way.

once upon a time...an amazing show began.

[audrey-sondheimer · 9/10 · 30 October 2011]

to be honest i hate all that fantasy crap, like harry potter, twilight, true blood, and i also hate all the shows that nbc and abc brings to the table. But the other night I was bored and a re run of this was on and I thought what the hell, I'll give it a try. This show is mind blowing. I am officially addicted. There are some questions I have, as the whole present time vs story time doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But the end of the first episode got me so insanely hooked. This show is definitely better than grimm. I don't know how there going to make seasons out of this show, but I am very excited to see. I gave it a 9 only because I am a bit confused on who some of the present time characters are. But besides that, amazing.

Refreshing and out of the box

[brtomlinson · 10/10 · 1 November 2011]

How refreshing to see a new show that isn't about courts, forensic science, lawyers or cops. I am keeping my fingers crossed this won't get the axe because it really is a cool twist on fairy tales. Your immediately drawn into this feeling of sympathy for the wicked queen who is scorned somehow (will find out more as the show goes on) by snow white and revenge is her only path. Then you go to a town where the cursed live and time has stopped. You slowly understand with flashbacks in time and why the queen did what she thought was her only path consequently a curse that has unknown origins at this time.

Then another twist is a bounty hunter who is contacted by her birth son that she gave up is the key to the whole mystery and the viewer is drawn into so many different worlds but still able to keep up is the key to unravel this well told mystery.

So sit back and just enjoy a well told story book tale without all the mind-numbing plot lines of so many television shows that all seem to have the same subject matter.

Was great once upon a time, but has lost its magic

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 10 November 2017]

What a shame! When 'Once Upon a Time' first started it was highly addictive and made the most of a truly great and creative premise. Really loved the idea of turning familiar fairy tales on their heads and putting own interpretations on them and the show early on clearly had clearly had a ball. Watched it without fail every time it came on and it was often a highlight of the week.

So what was it that made the earlier seasons of 'Once Upon a Time' so good? First and foremost, it is a very handsomely mounted show, with settings and costumes that are both colourful and atmospheric, not too dark or garish and never cookie-cutter. It is photographed beautifully and there were some make-up that suited the characters perfectly and pretty good effects work, at their best fantastical. The music is haunting, ethereal and cleverly used with a memorable main theme.

The writing was humorous, poignant, suspenseful and altogether clever, while the story-lines were ceaselessly compelling and fun and layered to watch. Also doing a great job with the development of the characters, which in the earlier seasons felt like real characters with relatable conflicts, far more than archetypes. It was also a sheer delight spotting and recognising them, a huge part of the fun.

'Once Upon a Time's' actors have always made the most of what they're given, regardless of the material, and a lot of it is very good. Outstanding in the cases of Robert Carlyle, Lana Parilla, Jared Gilmore and Ginnifer Goodwin as four of the show's more interesting characters. Jennifer Morrison grew into her role.

Unfortunately something happened later on, 'Once Upon a Time' lost its magic and there was a real sense that it had run out of ideas. Have never had a problem with the actors, the music or most of the production values. The problem is the writing, which at its worst was so poor that giving up on the show was seriously considered but stuck with it for fairness and curiosity's sake.

It was sad that such layered and clever writing before became cheesy and shallow later on, and that the stories became repetitive and convoluted. Not to mention downright strange in some of the subplots, some didn't feel resolved enough and others didn't make sense or add much to the show. The characters lost their nuances and what made them so easy to relate to and fun, character decisions also became odd and even illogical.

Have said that most of the production values have remained good. Still think that but over-time the visual effects have become less than special and at their worst pretty ropy.

Overall, a very uneven show. Started off truly great but now, especially the most recent season, feels like a completely different show altogether. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Need new sustainable story lines

[Mike-DD · 8/10 · 16 March 2014]

I watched this from the beginning - it was one of the more interesting shows mixing real-life with fantasy.

The first season was really fun, seeing how familiar fairy tale characters were reworked and given new, updated and expanded personalities and back stories.

With the "expansion" into magical worlds other than the Enchanted Forest came new characters from more modern tales of fantasy, like Frankenstein, Alice (of Wonderland fame) and even Hua Mulan, though it was a bit jarring seeing a Chinese village in the middle of a Bavarian forest. I suppose it works for inclusivity's sake.

Season Two was a mix of good and bad episodes. Sometimes, in the midst of developing a storyline, the show veers into entire episodes dealing with fringe characters that add little or nothing to the show in general.

Season Three started well. The first half dealt with yet another familiar but reworked character - Peter Pan. I've never seen the kid who plays him, but he's great. Even Rumpelstiltskin or the Evil Queen at their most evil cannot hold a candle to him when it comes to exuding evil and menace. The former two shows redeeming qualities - Peter Pan has absolutely none, and it's really engaging seeing evil peep out from that innocent face. Sorta reminds me of McCauley Culkin in The Good Son.

The most interesting character for me though, has always been Henry. He is the glue that ties all the characters together, directly or indirectly. With Season Three, it seems as though the entire series is working towards unveiling him as the pivot around which all the other characters and stories rotate. We finally have a chance to see him as the central character during the first half of Season Three.

After that climax, hopefully the series can continue to surprise and entertain with the second half of Season Three, though, from the initial start to the second half, I'm not holding out much hope.

First 3 seasons are awesome... after that, I would suggest not to watch...

[jitin-rajpoot · 7/10 · 13 January 2019]

First 3 seasons are awesome... after that, I would suggest not to watch... 🙂

If the premise appeals to you, stick with it!

[dtuttle · 10/10 · 21 October 2011]

I love the premise of this. But there are some really poor scenes in the first half of the premier. The acting seemed bad, the script was uncomfortable, large parts of that section were very hard to swallow. The other half of the story where most of the action takes place is plausible, well acted, packed with emotional resonance and charming. It's also got a great dark side to it and the story doesn't hit you over the head by trying to explain every detail of what is going on. There are characters who I think I have figured out but I'm not certain, so I look forward to finding out. However I stuck with it and was rewarded with a marvelous overall premier and I'm looking forward to watching 1.2 right now!

strong start, long decline

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 28 April 2018]

In the town of Storybrooke, Maine, the residents are former fairy tale characters. The Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla) had cast a spell at the wedding of Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) leaving everyone with no memories of their origins. Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) is an exceptional bounty hunter in the city. A boy named Henry knocks on her door claiming to be her son and she's the only one who could save his town. Other characters include Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle), Belle (Emilie de Ravin), and Captain Hook (Colin O'Donoghue).

The first season is great television. Almost every episode introduces new characters. They have their fairy tale identities revealed with intriguing interconnections between the characters. I would give the first season a solid eight but once the curse is lifted, the show gets more and more muddled. The character reveals slow down. Often, it's a chore to find new villains and new adventures. Essentially, there is stagnation built into the show which it keeps trying to alleviate by adding new characters. It's a long slow decline until the seventh and final season. That's when the show loses most of its main cast and a new cast joins the few remaining leads. The show becomes almost unwatchable by then with no rooting interest.

Season 7 is terrible. Everyone is gone.

[diananikolovasweden · 1/10 · 6 March 2018]

The only good thing in season seven is Lana Parilla. Hook and Rumpelstiltzkin look incomplete without their female counterparts. The new Henry is just not suitable... where is the old Henry? Where are all the lovely characters from the previous seasons? Snow and Charming shouldn't have disappeared. I hate the new Story Brook! The show is totally spoiled.