5 reasons you should definitely be watching Once Upon A Time

Are you watching Once Upon A Time?

If not, you definitely should be - especially if you're a fan of fairy tales. The enchanting series tells the story of Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) as she arrives in the fictional town of Storybooke, Maine, where all the residents are actually characters from various fairy tales transferred into the real world. Only they don't know it. Each of the characters have had their memories wiped following a powerful curse, and have lived that way for 28 years. Emma is left to try and break the curse that will free them all, alongside her son, Henry, who holds the Once Upon A Time book of fairy tales. The show borrows both elements and characters from some of the most popular literature and fairy tales , like Snow White, Peter Pan, Frozen, Cinderella, The Wizard of Oz and Aladdin.  Even better, it's super easy to catch up with. The series recently wrapped its seventh and final season - so all episodes are available to stream on Netflix now. So here's five reasons you should be watching Once Upon A Time...

All of the Disney stories you love - with a twist

Once Upon A Time takes some of the most beloved fairy tales and puts a more modern twist on them. None of the characters introduced on the show are actually as they appear: Snow White ends up being a bandit, while Peter Pan is a villain and Beauty and the Beast isn’t quite what you’d expect. But that’s what ends up making it so enchanting.

The romances are (literally) a fairy tale

The story of Snow White and Prince Charming leads the first few series' of the show and it's a lot more swoon-worthy (albeit nerve-wracking) than the animated tale. The couple get separated from each other - for good - almost every other episode, making their will-they-or-won't-they love story even more captivating. And that's not the only romance that will bring a tear to your eye - but we won't spoil any of them.

Rumplestiltskin is the villain you want to root for

Robert Carlyle stars as the mischievous character from the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale and absolutely steals the show. Despite being the Dark One (at least in flashbacks), the Trainspotting star manages to make fans want to root for him in the long run - even if he is the central villain of the show.  

The strong female lead characters are serious role models

Fairy tales have always been a bit damsel-in-distress-y - but that couldn’t be further from the case on Once.  The magical series stars a number of compelling female characters who can all definitely hold their own, from Snow White to the Evil Queen and everyone in between.

It’s a whole new book

We’re totally aware that seven seasons is a long time to spend with a show. But at the end of the sixth series, Once Upon A Time went through a major overhaul - introducing a (mostly) new set of characters and, with it, a magical new storyline. Gifs via GIPHY/Image via ABC