Picture of the cast in Once Upon a Time

There's a small town in Maine called Storybrooke, filled with fairytale characters who don't remember who they are. Their happily ever after has been taken away from them, and the only person who can save them is a woman called Emma Swan, who doesn't know what to believe.

How did they get trapped in Storybrooke? Will Emma have the courage to believe and accept her destiny?

Once Upon a Time

Rotten Tomatoes: 78% | IMDb: 7.7/10

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 fictional seaside town in Maine 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 (Jared S. Gilmore). Henry discovers the other people of the town are fairy-tale characters. 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".


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"; "it's that ability to think your life will get better".

Cast: Main Characters

Lana Parrilla
Evil Queen
Ginnifer Goodwin
Snowhite

Joshua Dallas
Prince Charming
Robert Carlyle
Mr. Gold
Jared S. Gilmore
Henry Mills

Photos of the Show

Did you know...?

Josh Dallas (Prince Charming) and Ginnifer Goodwin (Snow White) went on to marry in real life.
Most of the objects in Mr. Golds were brought in by the cast.
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.
Of all of the Prince and Princess couples that could have been the focal point of the series, Snow White and Prince Charming were chosen, because of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) being the first movie Disney produced.
The creators formally offered the part of the Blue Fairy, a.k.a. Mother Superior to singer Lady Gaga. However, according to Edward Kitsis, they never heard back from her management staff. The part then went to Keegan Connor Tracy.

Watch Episodes

You can find all 7 seasons of Once Upon A Time on Disney Plus