Once Upon a Time (2011 — 2018)

Once Upon a Time (2011–2018) is an American fantasy adventure drama that aired on ABC for seven seasons, from October 23, 2011 to May 18, 2018. The show follows two main settings: a fantastical world where fairy tales come to life, and a fictional town in Maine known as Storybrooke. In the first season, the Evil Queen disrupts the wedding of Snow White and Prince Charming to reveal her plan to cast a curse on everyone, leaving her as the only one with a happy ending. As a result, most of the characters are transported to Storybrooke, where they have no recollection of their lives as fairy tale characters. On her 28th birthday, Emma Swan, daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, is brought to Storybrooke by her biological son Henry Mills in hopes of breaking the curse placed by Regina Mills – also known as the Evil Queen.

In the second season, despite Emma’s success in breaking the curse, the characters find themselves still trapped in Storybrooke and struggling with their dual identities. Rumplestiltskin introduces magic into this world, leading to a merging of the two worlds and the emergence of new threats such as Captain Hook, Regina’s mother Cora, and devious operatives Greg Mendell and Tamara from the real world who have a destructive agenda against magic. The third season sees our main characters traveling to Neverland in an attempt to rescue Henry from Peter Pan, who has taken him as part of a plan to get his hands on the ‘Heart of the Truest Believer’. Their battle with Pan continues when they return to Storybrooke, ultimately resulting in a complete reversal of the original curse and everyone being returned to their rightful places. However, Emma and Henry escape to New York City where they are mysteriously brought back to a recreated Storybrooke with no memory of their past year. To complicate matters further, Zelena – the envious Wicked Witch of the West from Oz – appears with a plan to change the past, forcing Emma and Henry to return once again.

In season four, Emma and Hook’s time travel adventure results in the unexpected appearance of Elsa from the past Enchanted Forest. As she enlists the help of Storybrooke’s residents to find her sister Anna, they come across the Snow Queen. Meanwhile, Regina is determined to find the author of Henry’s book and achieve her own happy ending. However, a banished Rumplestiltskin returns with his own agenda, aided by Cruella de Vil, Maleficent, and Ursula. As they try to rewrite the fate of all heroes and villains, Henry and Emma race against time to restore reality before it becomes permanently twisted. In season five, our characters embark on a quest to Camelot in search of the powerful Sorcerer Merlin. But their mission becomes complicated when King Arthur sets out to use Excalibur and a vengeful Zelena to tip the balance between light and darkness. A devastating loss forces Emma to lead a rescue mission to the Underworld where they encounter souls with unfinished business and must confront Hades’ manipulations. As they dangerously tamper with magic, Regina is separated from her Evil Queen persona and Dr. Jekyll.

In season six, the people of Storybrooke unite to defend their town from Mr. Hyde and an unleashed Evil Queen, while also contending with newcomers from the Land of Untold Stories. Emma feels the weight of her role as Savior, and her desperation to change her fate uncovers secrets about a mysterious newcomer, Aladdin. The ongoing battle between light and darkness brings the Black Fairy into their midst, culminating in the foretold final showdown that was foretold when the original curse was cast. In season seven, many years later, Lucy arrives in Seattle’s Hyperion Heights with her Once Upon a Time book in search of her now-grown father Henry. He is needed by his family as they are once again under a curse and embroiled in a feud involving Cinderella, Lady Tremaine, and Mother Gothel. As they work to break this new curse, they enlist the help of Regina, Wish Realm Hook, Rumplestiltskin and Zelena – all under its spell. However, their success is threatened by the arrival of Wish Realm Rumplestiltskin with a diabolical plan that could destroy everyone’s happily ever after.