Television series

Once Upon a Time

Name: Once Upon a Time
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Released: 2011
Cast: Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Jared S. Gilmore, Robert Carlyle, Ginnifer Goodwin

Other titles called Once Upon a Time: the 2017 film.

Fairy tale

A spell-trapped New England town where fairy-tale characters live as ordinary people with no memory of their true identities. Once Upon a Time is pure wish-fulfilment: high-camp fantasy drama that treats Storybook lore with genuine stakes and emotion. It's for anyone who loves that particular ache of recognizing something from childhood and watching it grow up.

TVMaze rating

3.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love fairy tales turned inside out, where every familiar princess and villain gets a messier, more human backstory and a plot that keeps folding back on itself like a good puzzle box.

Skip it if you want a self-contained story per episode; the arcs stretch across seven seasons and the sprawling cast and time-hopping flashbacks can feel like homework if you drift away.

What it asks of you: Around 156 hour-long episodes is a real commitment, and it rewards patience with slow-building mysteries, soap-style romance and plenty of lore you have to keep track of.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Grimm2011

A darker, procedural take on fairy tales where monsters hide in modern Portland. Each episode solves a crime; the mythology deepens steadily. Shares that core thrill of the magical hiding in plain sight.

But Less soap-opera, more crime-of-the-week. If you're watching Once for the romantic tangles and character arcs, this leans harder into case-solving and will feel fragmented.

The Magicians2015

Prestige fantasy that fuses Narnia with a graduate seminar: gorgeous, dark, and genuinely weird. The same enchantment-meets-ordinary-life energy, but aimed at adults who want their wonder tinged with dread.

But Bleaker and less optimistic. Where Once embraces nostalgia, this one taxes it. Also requires real attention; you cannot half-watch.

Arrow2012

A superhero show that actually understands character and consequence. Dense plotting, genuine stakes, a protagonist learning to be human. The same satisfaction of watching mythology build season by season.

But Relentlessly serious, heavy on the angst. Zero camp, zero magic, zero fun. If you love Once's lighter moments, this will feel like a different kind of show altogether.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Once Upon a Time

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Russian Doll2019

Both explore being stuck outside time: Once's Storybrooke is a curse that stops narrative; Russian Doll's loop is the same cage wearing different clothes. Both ask what happens when you can't move forward.

Natasha Lyonne gets stuck in a time loop in New York. A dark comedy about being trapped, about mothers and daughters, about the stories we tell ourselves to survive. Ingenious, moving, and frequently hilarious.

But Adult, crude, and psychologically tangled. No magic, no fantasy frame—just a woman in a loop that's also a metaphor. If you need a map, you'll be frustrated.

Penny Dreadful2014

Classic fictional characters—Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll—collide in gaslit London. Lavish, literary, genuinely spooky. The same idea: your childhood stories are real, darker, and intertwined.

But Violently adult. Gothic and genuinely unsettling rather than warm. The tone is oppressive; there's no refuge in charm or humour.

The 10th Kingdom2000

A 2000 miniseries that does the reverse: real people tumble into a fantasy world. Wonderfully cast, genuinely funny, and treats its fairy-tale logic with respect. Pure comfort television that feels handmade.

But The production values are older; early-2000s CGI shows its age. Also slower, more languid. Modern viewers can find it draggy.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer1997

The DNA ancestor of Once. High-school girl carries impossible responsibility while juggling love, family, and identity. Witty, emotionally real, surprisingly profound. Everything Once learned from is here.

But Starts as teen drama; if you're looking for fantasy spectacle, the early seasons are low-budget and small-scale. Also a massive time commitment.

Supernatural2005

Two brothers hunt monsters across America and stumble onto cosmology. Runs fifteen seasons so the mythology sprawls beautifully. Shares Once's gift for treating the fantastic as intimate and personal.

But Absurdly long and inconsistent. Quality varies wildly by season. Also leans into violence and body horror; far grittier than Once's tone.

The Librarians2014

A ragtag team guards magical artifacts in a secret library. Intentionally lighter and more playful than its source material. Quick, clever, and full of the same joy at seeing myths made real.

But Shorter-lived and feels like filler—fun but disposable. The writing can be uneven; not every episode lands.

Sleepy Hollow2013

Ichabod Crane wakes in 2013 to fight apocalyptic demons. Audacious, weird, unapologetically fun. A show that commits fully to its own strangeness and rewards patience with genuine invention.

But Peaks in season one and declines sharply. Cancelled after four seasons, so the ending feels abrupt. The ambition outpaces the execution.

A Series of Unfortunate Events2017

Both use fairy-tale logic and stylized storytelling to talk about real grief—loss, displacement, the search for home. Both know that children's stories can hold adult weight.

The Netflix series (not the film). Three orphans hunted by a villain across thirteen gorgeously detailed episodes. Actively theatrical, playful with genre, and sneakily moving. Neil Patrick Harris is magnificent.

But Treats darkness as entertainment. The tone is deliberately artificial; if you prefer naturalism, the theatrical artifice will feel like distance rather than style.