Once Upon a Time

Once Upon a Time turns familiar fairy-tale figures into ordinary townspeople living under a powerful curse in a small Maine community. Stripped of their memories, they carry modern lives while secret pasts simmer beneath the surface. Emma Swan, a 28-year-old bail bonds collector who grew up on her own, is tracked down by Henry, the son she abandoned years earlier. Henry insists Emma is Snow White's missing daughter and the key to breaking the curse, and he pulls her into a world where magic and the mundane collide. The series follows Emma's reluctant choices as she balances skepticism and parenthood while a hidden history slowly unravels. Familiar faces surface under new names, like Mr. Gold or the town mayor, and old rivalries complicate alliances without revealing future outcomes.

Premiering in 2011, the series was created by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. It blends serialized family drama with fantasy, drawing on public-domain fairy tales and Disney-adjacent characters to build an extended television mythology.

Across its run the show received multiple nominations from genre and audience-driven award organizations, and performers earned praise for standout roles. Lead performances, especially by Lana Parrilla and Robert Carlyle, were frequently singled out by critics and fans, highlighting the series' strong ensemble.

Once Upon a Time tapped into a hunger for reworked fairy tales, giving characters like Regina, Rumplestiltskin and Captain Hook renewed popularity. Its mix of soap-style twists and mythic motifs generated a devoted fanbase, visible in cosplay, online discussion and persistent references in later fantasy TV shows, and memorable villains.

The show holds a 7.384/10 average from 2411 votes, reflecting steady viewer approval. Critics and audiences responded unevenly across seasons, but many praised its focus on family, identity, power and redemption, along with moral gray areas and memory. Character-driven arcs, serialized mystery and inventive production design kept viewers invested.