ABC’s hit fairytale series ONCE UPON A TIME is getting a spin-off series set entirely in the realm of Wonderland. Up until now, I didn’t write up anything about it but the addition of Pee Wee to the cast is too great to ignore. Whether you love or hate the show, there is not much else like it on network television. Sure, it can be a bit cheesy and the special effects aren’t top notch, but since we don’t have the FABLES series that we should have, it will have to do.
Deadline reports that Paul Reubens will join the cast of ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND as the White Rabbit. He joins the already cast Sophia Lowe, Michael Socha, Peter Gadiot, and Emma Rigby. The world of Wonderland has been visited before on the original series which featured Barbara Hershey as The Red Queen and CAPTAIN AMERICA’s Sebastian Stan as the Mad Hatter. Both of those actors could potentially appear on the new spin-off.
Here’s the plot:
The story is told through the point of view of Alice (Sophie Lowe) who has a generous heart but carries the scars of a long hard life. She is joined by Cyrus (Peter Gadiot), Alice’s love interest, and the Knave of Hearts (Michael Socha), a sardonic adventurer. The White Rabbit will be a CG character voiced by Reubens.
The spin-off would likely air in the off season months, which would mean the potential for year round episodes of ONCE UPON A TIME. Part of the appeal of the series is seeing these fairytale characters are forced to exist in our world and how they deal with the lack of magic. Setting the entire series in a fairytale world may remove that element and just make for a boring show. But, you never know. Having Paul Reubens as a regular on a series, CGI or not, buys my viewership.
Here is some footage regarding Wonderland on the original series.