Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Once Upon A Time: Are You Sucked In?

Have you ever watched an episode (yes, one episode) of a TV show and couldn't stop watching it. You think about it for days afterward. Then you start dreaming about it. That has happened to me with a few TV shows. IE: 24 and Stargate SG1. I'm a dork, I know. It's happened to me with many a book, too!

Anyway, my sister suggested me check out the new show Once Upon A Time. I ended up watching one episode and was trapped in the story (no pun intended--you'll understand that if you've seen the show).

Basically, the premise of it is fairytale characters like Snow White, Cinderella, Prince Charming, etc... have been banished into the real world. It all happened because of the Evil Queens rage against Snow White. She casts a wicked spell that sends all of the characters to a city called Storybrook, a place in the New England area. The catch is they don't remember who they were before, only the Evil Queen does.

Awesome, huh?

Possibly Once Upon A Time has me wrapped around its finger because I'm a writer and fancy stories. Or maybe because its a freaking awesome way to weave Grimm Tales into a sitcom. Pretty clever if you ask me.

This shows that stories can come from anywhere. You can very well use something already in existence to form a solid writing idea. Re-imagine it with your own twist. You never know, it may suck someone or many people into the thick of your story.

Have you ever re-imagined a well-known story or Grimm Tale for a book? What TV shows are inspiring to you? Do you have certain shows you watch every week? 

The shows I love are NCIS, NCIS:LA, The Closer, Unforgettable, & Rizzolli and Isles.

Writing. Jewels.

16 comments:

  1. Do sitcoms count? Big Bang Theory.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just wrote about this show on Friday. I love it. I think it's totally imaginative and has great stories.

    ReplyDelete
  3. David - I guess I'll let sitcoms count. haha

    Patti - I'll have to check out your post.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've really wanted to start watching this. It looks awesome! And the only show my hubby and I watch is Bones. :) I do like The Big Bang Theory though... And Criminal Minds. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Chantele - I liked Bones for a while there. I graduated with a Bachelors in Anthropology, so the Forensic Anthropology was fascinating to me. Ok, girl. You've got to watch Once Upon a Time. It glistens.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Okay, so this is a guy show mostly, but really, the second-last episode of Season 2 of The Sopranos had me thinking for days afterward. I guess, thinking of the implications of friends for life being thrown a curve ball as an act of reassessing their relationship stuck with me. It had a profound impact on my psyche to believe friends could turn on one another on a dime. It left me moody for days thereafter.

    The show that I'm now watching, which is having a deep effect on my writing is Breaking Bad from AMC. The show is about a cancer patient who does everything he never wanted to do (or forced to do), all in an effort to save his family from losing the house, the car and all the material possessions. It's an incredibly involved show I can't do without every week. Granted, the show also details the descent and corruption of a sound human being with solid moral values. This is worth the cost of the ticket alone!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, Jack. Quite the comment. You've talked about the Sopranos a lot. Must be your fav, indeed. Thanks for the comment!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yes, I love this one! It is very creative and truly fun to see each week what they'll do with our familiar fairy tales next. And I love too many TV shows to count, but my favorites have been BBC shows (Robin Hood, Merlin and Doctor Who) and Prison Break. It's definitely the stories that get to me, the stories and the awesome actors. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Suey - My sister LOVED Prison Break. My boss loves Doctor Who! I should really get into Doctor Who. Heard great things about it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love this one too! I haven't watched the most recent episode, but episode 7 (The Heart is a Lonely Hunter) made me cry and yell, it was so crazy! I also am a FREAK about Downton Abbey. It is kind of weird for me to be interested in two shows right now, because I don't usually watch TV, but I love both of these!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I tried to get into this show but I couldn't. (Same goes for NBC's Grimm.)

    As for reimagining a story or Grimm fairy tale...well, the current revision WiP weaves in different fairy tales throughout it and the trilogy (it's first of the three).

    ReplyDelete
  12. L.L. - I'm interested in way too many shows. Ugh! And it's OK to be a FREAK about shows. And books, too! hehe

    Stephanie - I'll still keep you even though you don't like Once Upon a Time. hehe Good job weaving a Grimm tale into your trilogy! Fun stuff. I should try my hand at it one day.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yeah... I don't have TV so I'm TOTALLY lost when it comes to shows.

    We're watching all the Doctor Who episodes, and I've heard we need to watch Sherlock, so that'll be next. I can't remember the last time I waited a WHOLE WEEK for the next episode, lol. I don't know how you people do it.

    To answer your other question, I just finished a three-wishes story that was a BLAST.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I LOVE ONCE UPON A TIME!!!!!!!!!

    Er... was that too enthusiastic?

    *clears throat*

    Yeah, I've watched it... it's good. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Morgs - We should watch the season finale together. Eat popcorn, chocolate, and licorice! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I really love Once Upon a Time. And my husband loves it too which surprised me! I also LOVE LOVE LOVE Glee. I kinda sorta like the show Terra Nova. It was a nice start. And, umm.... a little ashamed to admit... American Idol.... there I said it.

    ReplyDelete