Once Upon a Time: Sneak Peek Episode 10: 7:15 AM

Above is a sneak peek of tonight's new episode of Once Upon a Time on ABC. This one is titled "7:15 AM" which is rather intriguing.

Episode description:

ONCE UPON A TIME - "7:15 A.M." - Mary Margaret and David continue to grapple with their unrequited love, and Emma and Regina grow suspicious over a mysterious new stranger in town. Meanwhile, in the fairytale land that was, Snow White yearns to ease her breaking heart as Prince Charming's wedding to King Midas's daughter approaches, on "Once Upon a Time," SUNDAY, JANUARY 22 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/JACK ROWAND) GINNIFER GOODWIN, ALAN DALE

Another peek:

ABC's Once Upon a Time: Episode 9 Tonight: True North

Tonight we get a new episode of ABC's "Once Upon a Time." It's the long anticipated Hansel and Gretel episode titled, "True North."

Looks like fun to me!

Once Upon a Time Ratings

From Fairytale return: ABC's 'Once Upon a Time' soars:

On a night that was dominated by the end of the Denver Broncos-Pittsburgh Steelers NFL playoff game, ABC’s new fairytale drama “Once Upon a Time” delivered its best rating in weeks.

“Time” bucked up to a 3.7 adults 18-49 rating in the 8 p.m. timeslot, according to Nielsen overnights, the show’s top outing since averaging a 3.8 on Nov. 13 and 28 percent better than the show’s last original episode on Dec. 11.

It’s possible “Time” picked up some new viewers from last Sunday’s four-episode marathon, or people who usually DVR the show may have tuned in live for its first new episode of the new year.

“Time” was the top scripted series of the night on broadcast, though not the top show overall. That honor went to what will apparently be a hugely rated Broncos-Steelers matchup.

ABC's Once Upon a Time Returns Tonight

It's January 8th and the midseason hiatus for ABC's Upon a Time ends tonight. Above is a clip of the first 8 minutes of the new episode which has been blitzing in the media coverage along with many, many spoilers. Spoilers that ultimately say we are going to learn more about the characters in upcoming episodes. (I am really tempted to type "Duh" here, but would that be aging myself as well as too snarky? Excuse me, I've been sick for two weeks with three ailments and I am snarky right now!)

I debated sharing some of the articles, but I decided not to. They are everywhere on the web and some of them may even be true. For now, I intend to keep watching the show, enjoying the ride along the way. Overall, I am enjoying when the writers use the non-Disney versions of characters which seems to give them all more depth.

However, I obviously couldn't resist the tantalizing images that have also been creeping up everywhere for some future episodes. See what I mean though about the characters? Aren't Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel much more compelling than the Halloweenish Cinderella we were treated to a few months ago? That costume was horrible...

And I can't praise ABC highly enough for really backing this show. The publicity is fierce. The marathon of episodes last weekend was a rarity on the big networks and even the support materials are growing, yes, in the name of marketing and commerce, but that is what it's all about anyway. If we get to be entertained along the way, it's a solid product.

(Forgive the snarkiness. Don't doubt I will be watching OUAT tonight or tomorrow at the latest. I admit Downton Abbey 2 may take precedence since I have a date to watch that with family tonight.)

At BlogCritics: Reinventing Fairy Tales: An Interview with Once Upon a Time's Jane Espenson

Here's a short bit of Reinventing Fairy Tales: An Interview with Once Upon a Time's Jane Espenson, which by the way, is a very long, newsy article and is a must for fans of the show. This is only a small excerpt from the five page article (rather short pages, but there are 5!).

I read a poll the other day on some fansite, and interestingly Rumpelstiltskin was far in the lead as favorite character. He's certainly my favorite character, but I'm not sure why that is. I don't usually find myself drawn to "villains," but is Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold a real villain? After all, he did bring Henry to Storybrooke (and helped Snow White and the Prince save their baby).

We are fortunate to have two amazing villains in The Evil Queen/Regina and Rumple. And I really love how both of them can justify their own actions. Regina has a yet-to-be-revealed beef against Snow, and you're going to learn a lot more about the source of Rumple's dark energy soon. And, yes, you're onto something. Rumple's agenda is very complex. Look not just to episode 8, but to episode 12 and beyond to learn more about it. You'll have to decide for yourself if it's evil or not.

You probably won't tell me, but I have to ask: how much does Mr. Gold actually know about the curse?

Regina retains all her memories. Mr. Gold certainly seems to know something, but we won't be telling you more than that for a while.

Spinoff Online: Once Upon a Time Creators Talk Willingham, Lindelof and Icons

From Once Upon a Time Creators Talk Willingham, Lindelof and Icons, another article you should read in its entirety if you are a fan.

But what has it been like to have that very specific base for characters and world to build on. People really know the ins and outs of these versions of things. Does that make storytelling any easier for you, or do you want to go in and reestablish a bunch of the ground rule?

Kitsis: I think it’s a mixture of both. What Adam and I really tried to set out and do was not just tell the stories you already knew but tell the ones you didn’t know. That’s why we started the pilot with the end of Snow White and then saw what took place after. It’s the perfect example in how we open on the glass coffin since it’s the most iconic image ever, but then we take you into the relationship between her and Prince Charming. There are certain stories like Cinderella or Hansel & Gretel that have such iconic elements to them, but then the challenge becomes revealing a piece you never knew before or putting a fun twist on it.

Bill Willingham on "Fables" vs "Once Upon A Time"

   

This article has been referenced a lot this week, but I don't want to neglect it here, so here's a short excerpt from Bill Willingham on "Fables" vs "Once Upon A Time":

Is "Once" influenced and at least in part inspired by "Fables?"

My best guess, based upon the same scanty evidence is, yes, it probably is, but perhaps not on more than a "this is the type of thing that's in the air these days" level.

Why do you say that? The characters from "Fables" live in modern times, in a secret community called Fabletown, more or less hiding in plain sight, and the characters from "Once" live in modern times, in a secret community called Storybrooke, more or less hiding in plane sight. That seems pretty close to me.

That's hardly damning. Our fantastic literature is rife with "they've been hiding amongst us all along" scenarios. There were plenty of such tales long before "Fables" came along. There will be scads of them long after "Once" has aired its final episode and "Fables" shipped its final issue. If you start with the notion of fairy tale characters still alive in the modern world, the next step of placing them in a secret community seems almost axiomatic.

What about the network? Long before "Once" was aired from ABC, didn't that same network have a deal to produce "Fables" as a TV series?

Yes, but that by itself doesn't prove anything. First of all, I am and always was on the outside of any deals between DC/Warner and any studio regarding a "Fables" adaptation. DC didn't want me as part of the deal making and paid handsomely not to have me directly involved. So it was their baby all along. As such, I was never privy to the details of that supposed deal with ABC. I heard the same rumors you did, that the writers of that project weren't supposed to have made the big announcement when they did. In any case, the ABC "Fables" project went no further than creating an unproduced pilot script. I eventually got to read that pilot, and it was a far cry from anything to do with "Fables."

Willingham is, as always, wonderful. And, yes, the article is Bill interviewing himself. There's lots more and he is quite positive about OUAT, so don't fret if you are a fan. Just go to the full article and read. Yes, the fairy tale playground is big enough for us all to play in!

And while we are here, if you are curious about Fables, the compendium hardcovers are the best place to start. Try the images at the top of this post to explore them.

Full Series of Once Upon a Time Streaming on ABC for Limited Time

I received this alert a few days ago and just remembered to post it. Sorry, crazy holiday week and all... Unfortunately, this only applies to U.S. readers, but the show should be coming to other countries based on its success!

MEDIA ALERT

ABC.COM CELEBRATES THE HOLIDAYS WITH FULL SERIES STREAMS OF PRIMETIME DRAMAS “REVENGE” AND “ONCE UPON A TIME”

ABC Entertainment is making all full episodes of two of its most popular new dramas, “Revenge” and “Once Upon A Time,” available to fans throughout the holidays on ABC.com and on the ABC Player for iPad. ABC.com regularly premieres ABC shows the day after they air, with up to 5 of the most current available at one time. This will make additional episodes available so that fans can view the entire season to date.

“For fans who missed an episode or for those who are late to discover the shows, this is the perfect way to catch up,” said Karin Gilford, senior vice president, Digital Media for the ABC Television Network. “It is part of our ongoing goal to super serve fans meaningful experiences, while also making two really amazing shows available to new audiences.”

All full episodes of “Once Upon A Time” will be live at www.ABC.com/Once and on the ABC Player for iPad after the last new episode of this year on Dec. 11 and will be available until the primetime return on January 8, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

“Once Upon a Time” stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold, Lana Parrilla as Evil Queen/Regina, Jared Gilmore as Henry Mills, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David and Raphael Sbarge as Jiminy Cricket/Archie Hopper.

Tonight's OUAT: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

That's the official promo for tonight's episode of "Once Upon a Time," titled, "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter." Obviously several meanings to that one when one watches the previews and reads the official description:

One of the town's residents begins to remember their fairytale past, and Storybrooke mourns the loss of one of their own. Meanwhile, in the fairytale world that was, the Evil Queen attempts to find a heartless assassin to murder Snow White, on "Once Upon a Time," on SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11.

And two more sneak peeks--the second one is my favorite:

Fairy Tales Showdown

I just opened up my laptop and found this tab open and realized I hadn't shared this yet. So in the theory better late than never, here is a link and excerpt from TV.com Throwdown the Results Show: Once Upon a Time vs. Grimm by Tim Surette:

Last week we asked you to tell us which new fairy tale drama does a better job of bringing the classic stories to life—Grimm and its real-world fairy tales, or Once Upon a Time and its dual universes that keep fairy tales intact and separate from our world—and boy, did you respond! Pat yourselves on the backs, guys, because the story received more than 200 comments and many of you showed real passion for the topic.

The results are obviously in favor of Once Upon a Time. The article shares some comments from viewers, too, in favor of each. Quite interesting.

So which one is your favorite so far? Is TV.com's small sample accurate to SurLaLune readers too?

Once Upon a Time: Sneak Peek Episode 5

That's a sneak peek of tonight's "Once Upon a Time" episode on ABC. I admit I am not a fan of the Jiminy Cricket character and he gets more screen time tonight. It's not the actor or even the character as much as the borrowing of a Disney rendition of a character. I would have much preferred a different character inspiration, but I know that is petty since I really like Rumpelstiltskin. The Evil Queen is confusing with her concern over Harry when supposedly she doesn't care about him. But I am interested enough to stick around and see where are taken...

Once Upon a Time: Four Episodes In

Above is the preview for the next episode.

This next Sunday will be a byweek for Once Upon a Time, but we now have four episodes aired in the US. I myself finally got caught up with the series over the weekend after only seeing the pilot before my vacation trip. I think last night was my favorite so far probably because I liked the more episodic content as well as the Cinderella/Rumpelstiltskin mash-up element to it.

Or perhaps, after four episodes, I am simply more comfortable with it and more forgiving of the flaws and more interested in the storytelling. Like Cinderella being called "Ashley" in one storyline last night. Less obvious than I expected of the show, so I was happy with it. Does that make any sense?

Besides, I prefer Robert Carlyle as a villain than the wicked queen whose motivations and understanding are still not working as well for me. Are we really to believe that a small town life is a "curse" she loves just because it gives her control? Cursing herself to curse the others? And how is that really a curse? Their lives don't seem so horrible to me...sure, no true love, but it doesn't seem to be working so well for them in their fairy tale existences either.

Besides, Carlyle had some of the best lines last night and delivered them well for having to play a supernatural villain.

So what are your feelings about "Once Upon a Time"?

The good news if you are a fan so far is that ABC has picked up a full season of the series.

From AOLTV:

The fall has been kind to ABC; after recent full season orders for 'Revenge' and 'Suburgatory,' the Alphabet network is doubling down with pickups for two more of their freshman series, fantasy drama 'Once Upon a Time' and Tim Allen's 'Last Man Standing.'

Though 'Once' has only aired two episodes so far, it's already the highest-rated new drama of the season, managing an average 12.3 million viewers and a robust 4.0 rating in the coveted adults 18-49 demo.

My goal this week is to finally see Grimm, because, no, I haven't yet. TV has not been a priority for weeks and weeks and weeks in my little world. I admit I am also squeamish about it since I don't care for the violence that I've seen so far and my husband said the pilot is violent. I am a Downton Abbey/Pride and Prejudice sort of girl overall despite my fascination with Bluebeard, who sounds like a perfect fit for Grimm actually, in all his incarnations.

Once Upon a Time: What'd You Think?

So Once Upon a Time's Pilot [HD] premiered last night. I didn't see it live--rarely will due to Sunday night family time--but once we got home, John and I sat down to watch it. I will tune in again for the next episode and am interested although filled with trepidation since it will need quite a few viewers to pay for its high production costs. (I'm still bitter over the demise of Pushing Daisies.) Plus, my personal bugaboo is a series that cannot be watched as episodic vignettes. I hate thinking it may take five years to reach a conclusion of something, especially when no show has ever maintained its quality over five years. I'm also the one who will rarely read trilogies until they are finished either. I avoid cliffhangers. Book series are different since they tend to have internal conclusions.

But it was fun with just an edge of campy and the actors pulled off their roles well. I was afraid of scenery chewing and there was little of that, most of it in the first few scenes. Then there is picking out the visual hints and lines. The apple imagery and allusions were funny---Apple cider, anyone? And Red Riding Hood and Granny could be fun, too. There were references to Alice in Wonderland and Oz and, of course, Pinnochio so those are all being included in this fairy tale realm, too.

The episode also appears to be available for viewing for a short time on IMDB, probably only for US viewers. Amazon also has it for purchase which will keep it in your permanent library forever with them.

Next up will be Grimm this Friday...

Set Your DVRs This Week: Once Upon a Time and Grimm Coming Soon

The time is fast approaching after a year of regular posts here on the blog!

If you have DVRs, by today you should be able to set them for both Once Upon a Time (ABC, Sundays) and Grimm (NBC, Fridays) which premiere next week. Here's a short video about both of them:

New Featurette for ABC's "Once Upon a Time"

ABC has released a behind-the-scenes featurette for the upcoming "Once Upon a Time" series. We're just a little bit over a month away from the premiere.

And here it is:

E! Online: Fall Shows We Love: Once Upon a Time Is Magic. Period

E! Online is the latest--and one of the bigger names now--to chime in with praise for ABC's upcoming "Once Upon a Time."

From Fall Shows We Love: Once Upon a Time Is Magic. Period. by Christina Dowling and Kristin Dos Santos:

Snow White, Prince Charming, the Evil Queen, blah blah blah. It all sounds like your typical Disney story, and a wholly unoriginal concept, but surprise! ABC's new fairy-tales-with-a-twist series Once Upon a Time is hands down the most mind-blowingly unique new show coming out this fall, perhaps because it's penned by two of the dudes responsible for Lost. (Unless you were one of the people who hated Lost's ending. Then forget we ever said it.)

But is Once Upon a Time really worth your precious time?

Find out as our 2011 Fall TV Preview launches today with the new drama we're (spoiler alert!) most excited about...

Once Upon a Time (ABC)

Premieres: Sunday, Oct. 23, 8 p.m.
Time-Slot Competition: The Amazing Race (CBS), The Simpsons (Fox), Sunday Night Football (NBC)
Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Robert Carlyle, Lana Parrilla, Jamie Dornan, Jared Gilmore, Josh Dallas, Raphael Sbarge
Status: We've seen the pilot episode.

While many of ABC's new comedies are are, um, lackluster at best (stand by for the cringe-worthy deets on that when we release all our 2011 Fall TV reviews), the Alphabet net has certainly taken a chance with Once Upon a Time. With cross dimensions that could only be pulled off by former Lost writers, this enchanting show shifts between Fairy Tale Land and the dreary (plus magically cursed) town of Storybrooke and tackles what happens beyond the "happily ever after" of the stories we love. Viewers will discover what happens when the happy ending goes to hell in a hand basket.

There's much more on the article page but overall an exuberantly positive review of the pilot. The site also has this short video that was embeddable, so here it is:

Fairy Tales Are About Hope, Once Upon a Time Producer

Another article about ABC's Once Upon a Time, but it also contains the producers' philosophy about fairy tales so I thought I would share. We are still two months away from the premiere, alas.

From Fairytales: Twisted:

TVA Plus: Once Upon A Time takes a very different look at fairytales and fantasy TV. How long has this idea been in gestating?

Adam: It’s been a long time. Eddie and I actually had this idea together about eight years ago. We were fairly new at the time so was probably not readily accessible for a couple of young writers. We love fairy stories and we always thought it would be fun to do a show that attacked them from a different angle and kind of used that as a jumping off point for something else.

Edward: When we were on Lost, it started to kind of click how we wanted to tell these fairy stories. We weren’t interested in retelling Snow White. Let’s start at the end of Snow White for instance. We will tell you what you’ve never seen before. We don’t want to retell Pinocchio; we want to tell you how Jiminy Cricket became homeless and sneaked into Gepetto’s workshop.

Also something else we picked up on, if you look around the world, no matter what country you’re in, no matter where you are, everyone is kind of grasping for hope right now. The reason I personally love fairytales, is the same reason why you buy a lottery ticket. It’s the belief that one thing can change your life.

The way that Lost is about redemption, this show is about hope. Storybrook kind of represents every town, represents everybody. We say it’s a town full of cursed people looking for hope, looking for their happy endings but that could be anywhere. If it’s Singapore, Hong Kong or Minneapolis, everybody feels like maybe I’m not where I want to be. And I feel like that’s kind of what our show is about.

****

Adam: When you look at fairytales, a lot of them are terrifyingly dark stories. But when you look at them in terms of the context of which many of them were for, which were to teach children how to deal with the world and how to deal with their fears, those kinds of scary moments are the undercurrents of hopefulness and also paired with humour also.

Have I mentioned I am really, really curious about this series? And I hate ongoing storyline plots that may take seasons to resolve so this is saying a lot! I don't mind seasonal arcs, but leaving plot resolution to the vagaries of networks, actor changes, writers, etc. irks me no end. I don't trust it and won't get caught up in it willingly but this might convince me otherwise.

Anyway, I am happy with their philosophies on fairy tales, so I will be setting my DVR!

Description of ABC's Once Upon a Time

Not much new here, but I liked this brief description of what to expect from ABC's Once Upon a Time.

From Comic Con 2011: Steven Spielberg, 'Once Upon A Time', Sarah Michelle Gellar Television shows promoted heavily by Susan James:

Starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, and Robert Carlyle, the show mixes the real world with a fairy-tale alternate universe. “We’re not interested in retelling fairy tales,” explained Edward Kitsis during one of the press conferences, “but in telling the parts you don’t know.”

In a town where time stands still, familiar characters from fairy tales—Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin, and Little Red Riding Hood among others—live like ordinary folk and have no memory of their fantastical origins. The Wicked Queen is town mayor and Snow White teaches school. Drawn from the outside world into this alternate dimension by a small boy seeking help, comes the confused, unhappy Emma Swann (Jennifer Morrison) on a mission that she doesn’t understand, with a destiny she can’t remember.

“We’ll go back and forth between the worlds,” said Kitsis, “and we hope you love it.”

ABC's Once Upon a Time at Comic-Con

I love how both series producers of Grimm and Once Upon a Time are loving the public domain aspect of fairy tales...

From 'Once Upon A Time' gets 'Lost' in a fairy tale by Liane Bonin Starr:

While reaction to the screening of "Once Upon A Time" was warm, there were certainly a few fanboys who whipped out their cell phones to amuse themselves rather than dive into the pilot, which introduces the idea of what happens when fairy tale characters are, through the curse of an evil witch, stuck living out mundane lives in small town Maine. The pilot was solid but, if fairy tales make you groan or are just too Disney-ingrained for your taste, it's likely a hard sell. The "real life" fates of characters like Snow White and the evil witch are certainly clever (and performances are strong across the board, especially from Lana Parrilla ("24"), Jennifer Morrison ("House") and Robert Carlyle ("The Full Monty"), even the clever little touches (a bowl of apples on the modern-day evil witch's table, for example) are perhaps already too familiar. For the fanboy-heavy audience, though, fairy tales (even by the "Lost" guys) may have been just a little too girly. Blame Disney princesses.

After the screening, the creators discussed how the project came after they were briefly unemployed following "Felicity"'s cancelation. "Our agent said, 'you need a new sample.' And we started to think about fairy tales. We liked them, and they're like a lottery ticket. You buy them and you think your life will change," said Kitsis.

The pair didn't bristle (too much) when several fans mentioned similar TV and comic book projects that cover the same terrain, including the 2000 miniseries "The 10th Kingdom. "As we said, we had this idea from 2002 and to be fair, I never saw the 2000 miniseries, but now I want to to see what I can steal from it," Kitsis joked.

But don't expect any huge "Lost"-like jumps out of the fairty tale arena. Prince Charming (and his modern version) are here to stay. "One of the great things is everyone knows these stories, and that's why they keep getting told," Horowitz explained.

Kitsis added the more practical reality: "That, and they're public domain."

From ABC's 'Once Upon a Time' juggles real, fairy-tale worlds by Bill Keveney:

Comic-Con fans responded enthusiastically to a pilot screening of ABC's Once Upon a Time, a story of characters who live in two worlds, a fairy-tale one one and the real one.

"We really have every week a back-and-forth between both worlds," executive producer Edward Kitsis said. "It's not a retelling of fairy tales. We're telling you the parts you didn't know."

Fairy tale characters include Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin), Prince Charming (Josh Dallas),the evil queen (Lana Parrilla), Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle) and Jiminy Cricket (Raphael Sbarge). Each actor portrays a character in the real-world town of Storybrooke, too. Jennifer Morrison also stars as Emma, a real-world character who may be the missing daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and the key to unlocking a fairy-tale world frozen in time.

The show will share some characteristics with Lost, including a deep mythology and many clues for the faithful. The pilot featured a couple of numbers that referenced Lost's famous digits. "We'll give a shoutout here and there," Kitsis said.

The producers don't want to make it too demanding, however, for more casual viewers. "We hope there's a little bit of balance, but it's hard not to inject mystery," Horowitz said.

"Viewers can put their slippers on" and relax, Kitsis said. "Or take out a magnifying glass."

ABC's Once Upon a Time Movie Posters

Just in time for the preview of the pilot and a cast panel at Comic-Con this Saturday, ABC has released five posters to promote the upcoming Once Upon a Time series.

From San Diego Comic-Con 2011: First Look At Five Once Upon A Time Posters by Masked Slasher:

Those of you at Comic-Con looking for the "Once Upon a Time" events, we've got 'em right here: Saturday, July 23rd from 3:15 to 4:15 pm PT, check out the pilot episode in Room 6DE (airing October 23). Stick around afterward for a panel discussion featuring series co-creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and cast members Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Carlyle, Lana Parrilla and Josh Dallas. The festivities are to be moderated by Damon Lindelof, which will be followed by an autograph session in Room 28C.

The buzz for this one is excellent and ABC is giving it a much bigger seal of approval with a Sunday night air date unlike NBC which has put Grimm on Friday nights. Alas, the show doesn't premiere for the rest of us until October 23rd, but it looks like it may be worth the wait. I will post more feedback from the Comic-Con viewers.