There was once was a series that aired on ABC for seven seasons from 2011 to 2018. The series focused on a small town in Storybrook, Maine, which was inhabited by classic fairy tale characters who had no memory of who they were until a young boy named Henry Mills came to find his biological mother, Emma Swan. Swan is the long-lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming who was sent to the real world from the Enchanted Forest before a dark curse was cast. The series was a hit when it premiered and inspired a loyal legion of fans.
Airing on ABC meant that the series could use not only fairytale characters, but also specific versions of classic Disney films, as Disney owns the channel. There was once created a complex mythology that united franchises like Snowwhite and the Seven Dwarfs, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, and much more in a unique world all its own where the writers were able to re-imagine these characters. Like all long-running series, it went through its ups and downs, and here’s a look at every season of it There was once arranged.
7 Season 6
Season six of There was once is an interesting one. Breaking from the franchise’s tradition of emphasizing a classic Disney story as the main storyline, the season opens with the town of Storybrook under attack by the Citizens of Lost Stories. This includes characters like Mr. Hyde, before the ultimate villain is revealed to be the Black Fairy, a character alluded to in season three and now revealed to be Rumpelstiltskin’s mother.
The marketing for season six saw Aladdin added to the series, but the season feels less interested in him and his supporting cast as more than cameos. Combine that with the fact that this was used to wrap up the main storyline for many of the main characters before the revamped seventh season, and the whole thing felt very rushed and like running out of fuel.
6 Season 7
Most of the main cast left There was once at the end of season six, with only Rumpelstiltskin, Regina, and Captain Hook returning. The season kicks off with a clever twist, with an older Harry Mills taking a fresh look at the plot for season one. Mills’ boy comes to him to break a magical curse, now that everyone is trapped in a neighborhood of Hyperion Heights, which was a nice contrast to the small town of Storybrook.
The season uses the idea that different cultures have different conceptions of different fairy tales so the show can do a soft reboot of some of the characters the series has already adapted, most notably Cinderella and her evil stepsister. It is also heavily recorded Confused And Alice in Wonderland characters. While it was a strong effort to relaunch the series, it was a little too different from what audiences had come to love There was onceand it marked the end for the franchise.
5 Season 5
Season five of There was once is one of the most ambitious, making it a little uneven in some parts. The series shows Emma Swan transforming into the Dark One and her journey from savior to would-be villain, making for an interesting dynamic. The first half of the season builds on Arthurian legends, particularly Disney’s The sword in the stone like Brave And The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and that stuff is all great.
It’s the second half of the season that drops the ball, as the characters head into the underworld. The series finally introduced Hades, the main villain of Hercules, something fans were eager to see. Still, much of that film’s main cast, including Hercules himself and Meg, is wasted on a one-off episode. While it’s not a bad season overall, the second half isn’t quite as engaging as the first half.
4 Season 2
Season one of There was once had developed a strong formula, looking back between the characters’ lives in the Enchanted Forest and the current reality in which they had no memory. Season two had the difficult task of figuring out how to adapt the series, especially since the characters all have their memories in the real world and lose much of the contrast between the two timelines.
The season first tries to get around this by separating Emma and Snow White from the rest of the cast, sending them to the Enchanted Forest and finding their way home. The second half is about exploring the new reality of the characters regaining their memories and hidden secrets being revealed, especially in how Henry’s father is in fact Rumpelstiltskin’s long-lost son Baelfire.
The season brings in many classic Disney characters such as The Queen of Hearts, Mulan, and Sleeping Beauty, but the biggest one is Captain Hook, who becomes a main character for the rest of the series. There was once season two sometimes struggles to work on its new status quo, but still makes plenty of compelling episodes to make it a worthwhile season.
3 Season 4
Season four of There was once, like many of its predecessors, is split into two halves. The first half is heavily focused Frozen and the second half sees Rumpelstiltskin uniting with Ursula The little MermaidCruella de Vil’s 101 dalmatiersand Maleficent van Sleeping Beauty. Sprinkled all over was a subplot connected to The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and the idea that these stories were written by someone shapes these stories.
While recording Frozen could be seen as a cashing in on the movie’s popularity as it premiered just a year after the movie, but the series organically weaves the story into the main feature There was once world and also acts as a fun alternative sequel years earlier Frozen 2 was released.
Meanwhile, uniting three of Disney’s most popular villains in a team titled “The Queens of Darkness” not only made for some fun villain combos, but each got an episode about them highlighting their backgrounds. It showed a contrast that while Ursula could be redeemed, others like Cruella were worse and more horrible characters than anyone could imagine. This season did what some of the best There was once stories did, reimagining these Disney icons in bold new ways.
2 Season 3
After season two, There was once decided to settle for a creative decision that would split the season into two major storylines, using the winter hiatus as a way to separate the two storylines, and season three is arguably the strongest show of the pack. First up, the main cast heads to Neverland to save Henry in the series’ evil reinvention of Peter Pan, one of the best live-action shots of the character. The second half is one Wizard of Oz-centered story with the Wicked Witch of the West acting as the main villain before becoming a recurring character for the rest of the series.
There was once would certainly continue to exaggerate the villains revealed to be a relative of the main cast. However, the reveal of Peter Pan as Rumpelstiltskin’s father or the Wicked Witch of the West as Regina’s half-sister felt like game-changing moments for the series that drastically changed the landscape of what audiences thought they knew.
1 Season 1
While it can be nostalgic at times to argue that season one is the best since it’s clearly the series launch season, there’s no denying that There was once first season was the show at its most engaging and original. Heavy pulling Lost to use two different timelines to tell his story, There was once managed to tell a compelling story with complex heroes and villains. Emma Swan, Snow White, Prince Charming, Harry Mills, Regina and Rumpelstiltskin are all great characters and this first season showed what would make them the mainstays of the series.
It is also worth noting that when There was once premiered, it seemed to tap into a growing cultural zeitgeist. It arrived a year after Disney remade Alice in Wonderland and just two months before two non-Disney studios would release Snow White movies: Mirror mirror And Snow White and the Hunter. The market would be flooded with Disney fairytales. But with their huge budgets, they failed to capture the level of character and clever writing There was once did on an ABC budget.
The series also premiered seven months before Disney was due to release The AvengersAnd There was once tapped into that shared in-universe excitement that Marvel had built up over the years, bringing together not just fairytale characters, but specifically the iconic Disney versions known around the world. The first season of There was once was lightning in a bottle and one of the best first seasons of any show.