You don’t need to be a fan or even to have seen Once Upon a Time to be able to watch and enjoy Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, which premieres tonight on ABC, but if you are a fan of the original, the spinoff will strike enough familiar chords to be of particular delight to you.
Though you’ll see young Alice briefly, this heroine of this limited series is Alice as a young woman. She has confidence and drive and is great fun to watch and root for, and the villains are all easy to “boo”. The storyline and dialogue are a bit wooden but the acting, particularly of Sophie Lowe as Alice and Emma Rigby as the Red Queen, bring this premiere up several notches. It’s charming and fun, and definitely worth a watch.
TV Spot: Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
From the creative minds that introduced audiences to ABC‘s “Once Upon a Time,” Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz (“Lost,” “Tron: Legacy”), and Zack Estrin (“The River”) comes a fantastical, epic adventure that offers an exciting new twist on the classic “Alice in Wonderland” story. “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” will take you through the looking glass in a modern take on a beloved fable that’s brimming with wonder, magic and unspeakable danger.
In Victorian England, young and beautiful Alice (Sophie Lowe) tells an impossible tale of a strange new land that exists on the other side of a rabbit hole. An invisible cat, a hookah-smoking caterpillar and playing cards that can talk are just some of the fantastic things she’s seen during her adventure. Surely this troubled girl must be insane. Her doctors intend to cure her with a treatment that will make her forget — everything. Alice seems ready to put it all behind her, especially the painful memory of the genie she fell in love with and lost forever, the handsome and mysterious Cyrus (Peter Gadiot). But in her heart Alice knows this world is real, and just in the nick of time the sardonic Knave of Hearts (Michael Socha) and the irrepressible White Rabbit (John Lithgow) arrive to save her from her fate. Together the trio will take a tumble down the rabbit hole to a Wonderland where nothing is impossible.
“Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” stars Sophie Lowe (“Beautiful Kate”) as Alice, Michael Socha (“This Is England”) as The Knave of Hearts, Peter Gadiot (“The Forbidden Girl”) as Cyrus, Emma Rigby (“Prisoners Wives”) as The Red Queen, with Naveen Andrews (“Lost”) as Jafar and John Lithgow (“3rd Rock from the Sun”) as the voice of The White Rabbit.
“Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” is executive-produced by Edward Kitsis (“Once Upon a Time”), Adam Horowitz (“Once Upon a Time”), Steve Pearlman (“Once Upon a Time”) and Zack Estrin (“The River”). The pilot was directed by Ralph Hemecker. “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” is produced by ABC Studios and is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound.
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, starring Sophie Lowe, Michael Socha, Peter Gadiot, Emma Rigby, Naveen Andrews and John Lithgow, premieres tonight at 8/7c on ABC.
