I have always enjoyed a well-written, well-acted fairy tale or fable. The large Tasha Tudor Book of Fairy Tales from my childhood stands out as a fond memory, and Aesop’s Fables is still a personal favorite. I never grow tired of seeing or reading these classics, and updated versions with a modern twist always tempt me.

So imagine my pleasure at viewing a pilot on TV last night entitled Once Upon a Time! The twist is a modern community in Maine called “Storybrooke”, and an adopted boy who sets off to find his birth mother. She is destined to save the town, which has been put under a spell by none other than an evil witch, who also happens to be the boy’s adopted mother and the town mayor.

The acting is engaging and the idea is intriguing. The viewer is taken back and forth between the present, as the main character returns the boy she gave up ten years earlier to his adopted mother, and the past, as events unfold that lead to the curse on the town of fairy tale characters. We are treated to two parallel tales of past and present, as the lives and trials of each character unfold.

Jennifer Morrison, lately of House, M. D., portrays Emma Swan, daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Given up by her parents to save her from the curse, with the promise that she will one day rescue the town, she is drawn against her will to the community and decides to stay for a week. This tempting new family drama may convince you to stay as well!