When news first broke that the folks over at ABC were going to roll out a spin-off series (of sorts) to their popular fairytale drama ‘Once Upon a Time’, the initial “plan” was for the show to a limited series, receiving a 13 episode order (which is actually standard for all shows); but according to a recent report at Entertainment Weekly, ABC is going to add some additional episodes to that original 13 order, but the spin-off – which is being dubbed Once Upon a Time in Wonderland – won’t be getting the standard 22 episode order but it won’t just get 13 either.
Confused yet? Let’s break this down a little better, shall we?
‘Wonderland’ did receive a 13-episode order when it was picked up by ABC, and like all other new shows the hope is that the ratings will be strong enough during the fall that the powers that be at the network will give the spin-off the additional “back 9″ episodes. But the creators of the show – Adam Horowit and Edward Kitsis – “have a different vision: a self-contained epic romance that’s planned in advance from start to finish”.
What does that mean basically, you may ask? Well, there will be no fillers, “no additional episodes will be ordered beyond the first order”, allowing Horowit and Kitsis to “break down the entire story before the first episode even airs”. This also means that the showrunners (Horowit and Kitsis) [along with their writers] “have figured out how many hours they need”.
Here is what Horowit and Kitsis had to share about this arrangement, “We really want to tell the story without having to worry about how to stretch it for five years. This is not meant to be a 22-episode season. Whatever it ends up being, we’ll have told a complete story, with a beginning, (a) middle and (an) end”.
That doesn’t mean that ‘Wonderland’ will only be around for one season, though, especially if performs well enough. The debut season of the drama will be self-contained, but the story can continue in more seasons should the network brass be happy with its ratings (et al). In other words, “ABC will renew the show for another close-ended adventure if the show is a success”.
‘Once Upon a Time in Wonderland’ will center on the “romance and adventure of two characters, Alice (newcomer Sophie Lowe) and a genie named Cyrus (newcomer Peter Gadiot)” with the story bounces between both Wonderland itself and the outside world where Alice resides.
ABC has yet to announce an official airdate for the debut of ‘Once Upon a Time in Wonderland’, but it is expected to air this fall on Thursday nights at 8/7c.
‘Once Upon a Time in Wonderland’ Not Just a Limited Series
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