Once Upon a Time (TV series)

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Once Upon a Time
File:Once Upon a Time title card.jpg
Genre
Created by
Starring
ComposerMark Isham
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons7
No. of episodes155 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Production locations
Cinematography
  • Steven Fierberg
  • Stephen Jackson
  • Tony Mirza
Editors
  • Geofrey Hildrew
  • Mark Goldman
  • Scot J. Kelly
  • Joe Talbot Hall
Running time43 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original networkABC
Picture formatHDTV 720p
Audio formatDolby Digital 5.1
Original releaseOctober 23, 2011 (2011-10-23) –
May 18, 2018 (2018-05-18)
Related
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland

Once Upon a Time is an American fantasy adventure drama television series that aired for seven seasons on ABC from October 23, 2011 to May 18, 2018. The action alternates between two main settings: a fantastical world where fairy tales happen; and a seaside town in Maine in a town invented for the show, called Storybrooke. The "real-world" part of the story unfolds with the characters of Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) and her 10-year-old son, Henry Mills. Henry discovers the other people of the town are fairy-tale characters; and the audience is shown the backstory of the town's people as fairy-tale characters, in conjunction with their unfolding stories in the "real-world". In the seventh and final season the "real-world" portion of the story takes place in Seattle, Washington (in the fictitious neighborhood of "Hyperion Heights"), with a new main narrative led by adult Henry, and his wife and daughter.

Most of the show's characters are extracted from famous fairy-tales of the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and popular Western literature, folklore, Arthurian legend, and Greek mythology, as well as original Disney characters from The Walt Disney Company. The fantastical part of the story begins in the world of Snow White and Prince Charming, and later encompasses the worlds of Wonderland, Neverland, Oz, and Frozen's Arendelle.

Once Upon a Time was created by Lost and Tron: Legacy writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. The core themes of the show are hope and optimism. Horowitz told The Hollywood Reporter that they had a conscious purpose to "do a show that had optimism at its heart", as they "felt like there was so much darkness in the world". Kitsis said: "We are guys who like to see the world as half-full, not half-empty", and it's about "seeing that among all the trials and tribulations of life, you can persevere and find light among the darkness"[2]; "it's that ability to think your life will get better".[3] Star Jennifer Morrison told the Calgary Herald that it's a show about hope and positivity and connectivity, which "encourages people to believe in themselves and believe in the best versions of themselves and to have hope to have the life that they have."[4]

  1. "Once Upon a Time". Tourism Richmond. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  2. Bentley, Jean (May 11, 2018). "'Once Upon a Time' Will Retain its Hopeful Theme Through (and Ever After) the Series Finale | Hollywood Reporter". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  3. Wilken, Selina (August 12, 2011). "Creators of 'Once Upon a Time' discuss fairytale mashups and Cinderella". Hypable. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  4. Volmers, Eric (April 29, 2018). "Jennifer Morrison talks hope, Baby Hope and her exit from Once Upon a Time at Calgary Expo". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on September 22, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2020.