ABC is courting new viewers for its hit series, Once Upon a Time. This Sunday the network is running Once Upon a Time: Wicked Is Coming (7/6C). Essentially, the special brings viewers up to date on the events of the series, so far; looks at the role family plays on the show, and takes a glimpse at what lies ahead (that would be The Wicked Witch of the West).
Narrated Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), Once Upon a Time: Wicked Is Coming will also feature interviews with the show’s cast and executive producer. Once Upon a Time’s spring premiere, New York Serenade, follows. For more details, follow the jump.
OUR HEROES’ JOURNEY FROM BREAKING THE CURSE, DEALING WITH THE RAMIFICATIONS OF MAGIC IN OUR WORLD, TRAVELLING INTO NEVERLAND TO SAVE HENRY, AND THEIR UPCOMING BATTLE WITH THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST WILL BE EXPLORED, IN ANTICIPATION OF “ONCE UPON A TIME’S” EXCITING MIDSEASON RETURN, ON “ONCE UPON A TIME: WICKED IS COMING,” SUNDAY, MARCH 9 ON ABC
The Special Features Cast and Executive Producer Interviews Discussing What Has Transpired and What is Upcoming
Dan Stevens (“Downton Abbey”) Narrates the Special
ABC invites new and devoted “Once Upon a Time” viewers to take another look at this popular fantasy series in the new special, “Once Upon a Time: Wicked is Coming,” which will explore the show in a way that will bring new viewers up to date — but which current viewers will also find illuminating – in anticipation of the exciting midseason return. The special will take a look at the role that family plays in the show, our heroes’ journey from breaking the curse to the ramifications of magic in our world, travelling to Neverland to save Henry from an evil Peter Pan, and their upcoming battle with The Wicked Witch of the West. Narrated by Dan Stevens (“Downton Abbey”), the special features interviews with the cast, and executive producers Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz help tell the story of “Once Upon a Time: Wicked is Coming,” airing SUNDAY, MARCH 9 (7:00-8:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
Welcome to Storybrooke, Maine, a small town that probably won’t show up on your GPS, but it’s a magical place to visit. Reality and myth merged after Emma broke Regina’s curse, which had deprived the fairytale characters of their memories and trapped them in our modern world. When they finally regained their identities, our heroes were dismayed to discover that they weren’t transported back to Fairy Tale Land. To make matters worse, Rumplestiltskin – aka Mr. Gold – decided to escalate his power struggle with Regina by introducing magic into the town. But this is our world, and magic always has a tendency to yield unfathomable consequences.
The first order of business this season was to save Henry, who had been kidnapped and transported through a portal to Neverland. But Neverland was a much darker place than one remembers, and our heroes had to face a foe more powerful than the Dark One himself – Peter Pan. After being tricked and led astray for days – and learning that he was also Rumplestiltskin’s father – Pan was defeated and trapped inside Pandora’s Box. Our heroes returned to Storybrooke, only to discover that Pan had switched bodies with Henry and was about to enact a curse that would have killed every living soul in town. But after discovering the switch and restoring Henry back into his body, Rumplestiltskin paid the ultimate price by sacrificing his life and killing Pan. In turn, Regina obliterated her original curse, which erased Storybrooke from existence and whisked its residents back to Fairy Tale Land; leaving Emma and Henry together back in our world with pleasant memories – but with no memories of Storybrooke or its residents, and with Storybrooke itself seemingly gone for good.
And they all lived happily ever after… Hardly!
All is not well back in the Enchanted Forest when Hook comes calling on Emma in New York City in an attempt to jog her memory so that she can once again help her fairy tale family and friends out of a desperate situation. Everyone she holds dear is in danger as a new foe emerges – the Wicked Witch of the West (Rebecca Mader, “Lost”). Hook now must enlist Emma in an epic struggle that spans worlds: with the highest stakes possible – the fate of her family. No one remembers how they were transported back or the past year they had spent back in Fairy Tale Land. But someone in town is responsible for this curse, and all clues point to the Wicked Witch of the West, whose agenda in our world is a mystery. In an attempt to break the curse, new fairytale characters will be revealed and old acquaintances will be revisited. But not everyone can be trusted.
“Once Upon a Time” stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O’Donoghue as Hook, Michael Raymond-James as Baelfire/Neal Cassidy, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.
“Once Upon a Time” is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format with a 5.1 channel surround sound. A TV parental guideline will be assigned closer to the airdate.
Photo by Bob D’Amico/Courtesy of ABC