Once Upon a Time in Wonderland

**Once Upon a Time in Wonderland** is an American fantasy-drama series that aired on ABC from October 10, 2013 to April 3, 2014. It was created by Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, Zack Estrin, and Jane Espenson for ABC Studios. The program is a spin-off of the prior ABC series Once Upon a Time and aired on ABC at 8:00 pm Eastern/7:00 pm Central on Thursday nights in the 2013–14 television season beginning October 10, 2013.

The series is based around the Lewis Carroll novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass but with a different twist from the other adaptations and takes place in the same universe as Once Upon a Time in present-day Wonderland, with flashbacks to pre-Dark Curse Wonderland. As such, it follows the same setting as the parent series, including the use of Disney- and Lost-related allusions. In addition, the series features occasional crossover events with Once Upon a Time that involves connections with the characters that are trapped in Storybrooke, Maine.

On March 27, 2014, it was revealed that the series would be ending after one season, with the series finale airing on April 3, 2014. On April 1, 2014, it was reported that Michael Socha was in talks to reprise his role as Will Scarlet/Knave of Hearts as a series regular in the fourth season of Once Upon a Time. On April 20, 2014, it was confirmed that Michael Socha would become a regular for the fourth season of the parent series.

## Plot

In Victorian England, the young and beautiful Alice tells a 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 talk are just some of the fantastic things she's seen during this impossible adventure. Believing Alice to be insane, her doctors aim 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 Cyrus, with whom she fell in love before losing him forever. But deep down, she knows this world is real. Just in the nick of time, the sardonic Knave of Hearts and the irrepressible White Rabbit save her from a doomed fate.

Now Alice is determined to find Cyrus while evading the plots of Jafar and the Red Queen, all while dealing with the whimsical dangers of Wonderland, including the infamous Jabberwocky and in a crazy and dangerous way finds her true love.

## Cast and characters

### **Main**

* Sophie Lowe as Alice
* Michael Socha as Will Scarlet / Knave of Hearts / White King
* Peter Gadiot as Cyrus
* Emma Rigby as Anastasia / Red Queen]] / White Queen
* Naveen Andrews as Jafar
* John Lithgow as Percy the White Rabbit (voice)

### **Recurring**

* Jonny Coyne as Dr Lydgate
* Ben Cotton as Tweedledum
* Heather Doerksen as Sarah
* Keith David as the Cheshire Cat (voice)
* Matty Finochio as Tweedledee
* Brian George as the Sultan / Old Prisoner
* Whoopi Goldberg as Mrs Rabbit (voice)
* Lauren McKnight as Elizabeth "Lizard"
* Iggy Pop as the Caterpillar (voice)
* Zuleikha Robinson as Amara
* Peta Sergeant as the Jabberwocky
* Garwin Sanford as Red King
* Shaun Smyth as Edwin

### **Guests**

* Lee Arenberg as Leroy / Grumpy
* Jessy Schram as Cinderella / Ashley Boyd
* Barbara Hershey as Cora / Queen of Hearts
* Sean Maguire as Robin Hood
* Kristin Bauer van Straten as Maleficent (voice)
* Sarah-Jane Redmond as Anastasia's mother
* Millie Bobby Brown as young Alice
* Jason Burkart as Little John
* Michael P. Northey as Friar Tuck

## Production and casting

In February 2013, Kitsis and Horowitz, along with producers Zack Estrin and Jane Espenson, developed a spin-off focusing on Lewis Carroll's Wonderland. It was initially reported that the show would recast Sebastian Stan's Mad Hatter due to his commitment to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Edward Kitsis later revealed the next month that due to fan backlash and respect for Stan's performance, the character would not be recast and the series would proceed without the character.

The show will include new characters, such as "Amahl, described as exotic, soulful and optimistic; and The Knave, a sardonic adventurer, a man of action, a loner and a heart-breaker." On March 28, 2013, it was announced that Sophie Lowe would portray the lead role of Alice. It was also announced that Peter Gadiot would play her love interest, Cyrus, who has "a background". Michael Socha will portray the Knave of Hearts. Barbara Hershey, who has appeared as Cora, the Queen of Hearts, in the main series, may also appear in this spin-off reprising the same role in back stories. Also, during the month of April, Paul Reubens was cast as the voice of the White Rabbit and Emma Rigby was cast as the Red Queen.

On May 10, 2013, ABC announced that it had greenlit the spin-off, as well as also announcing that John Lithgow would replace Reubens as the voice of the White Rabbit. On May 14, 2013, ABC announced that the spin-off will air in the Thursday night timeslot instead of making it a fill-in for the parent series. "We really want to tell the story without having to worry about how to stretch it for five years," said Edward Kitsis. "This is not meant to be a 22-episode season. Whatever it ends up being, we'll have told a complete story ..." It was revealed in August at the TCA Summer Press Tour that, contrary to previous reports that more than 13 episodes were ordered straight out the gate, only the usual amount of 13 episodes had been ordered. Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz commented "However many we wind up doing this season, what we're planning to do is tell a kind of complete tale with a beginning, middle and end" and added "If it does well [and] people like it, hopefully we'll come back and tell another adventure with this cast."

At Comic-Con 2013, it was announced that former Lost star, Naveen Andrews, would be joining the cast as the villain Jafar. It was announced in September that Keith David and Iggy Pop would also be included on the cast, as the Cheshire Cat and Caterpillar respectively. Iggy Pop will be a replacement for Roger Daltrey, who voiced the character originally as a guest star on Once Upon a Time. Barbara Hershey reprised her role as the Queen of Hearts in one episode.

## Reception

Rotten Tomatoes gave the series an approval rating of 59% based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 6.03/10. The site's critical consensus reads "*Once Upon a Time in Wonderland* is attractive to the eye and pleasantly narrated, but it loses some luster due to a jumbled story and Wonderland's unlikable inhabitants."

The series has a score of 59/100 on Metacritic based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Mary McNamara of the *Los Angeles Times* gave the show a positive review writing: "There is plenty of that—the good, the beautiful and the etc. Some of it is conjured by CG magic (the Red Queen's palace is splendid, and the White Rabbit's ears a masterwork), and some by just good storytelling and performer chemistry, which Lowe and Socha have in abundance. Add to that a smattering of witty dialogue, clever character twists and, of course, the Victo-goth steampunk look, and ABC has another shot at redefining the family hour." David Wiegand of the *San Francisco Chronicle* wrote that while the plot was "a little overstuffed", "the special effects, crisp direction and high-octane performances keep us interested enough to follow Alice down the rabbit hole." Brian Lowry of *Variety* gave the show a mixed review: "Wonderland is equally handsome [as *Once Upon a Time*], but behind those virtual sets lurk many potential flaws. An appealing Alice certainly helps matters, but past performance reduces the likelihood of a fairy-tale ending."

### **Accolades**

 The Joey Awards
 People's Choice Awards
 2015

## Broadcast

In Canada, the City network simulcasted the ABC broadcast as it debuted in October.

## Home media

Episodes were released for purchase through iTunes, Vudu, and Amazon Prime. On November 27, 2020 it became available to stream on Disney+