The Return of Fairy Tales

3 TV seasons ago, vampires were all the rage.  We had the Twilight movies, Vampire Diaries (which I LOVE and watch religiously), True Blood, The Gates, and a bunch of other vampire-related shows and movies emerging at the same time. Even regular TV shows had episodes that had vampires and werewolves as a theme. I'm guessing the huge success of the Twilight books was what sparked the trend, but I can't be sure.  Something has sparked a new trend.  Well, maybe it can't be called a trend if it's just 2 shows, but it seems weird that they both premiered the same week.  Is there some sort of TV studio espionage going on here?  What is this trend?  Fairy tales in modern times, of course.  And, naturally, I have starting watching both of these shows, because I need something to record so I can watch it while I sit on the couch all day with the baby!  Here's my take on each show:

Once Upon a Time:   A young boy shows up at a woman's apartment, claiming to be the son she gave up for adoption as a teenager.  He insists that the town he lives in is under an evil curse, and that all the residents of the town of Storybrook are fairy tale characters who don't know who they are, and that his adoptive mother is the evil queen (who cast the curse on the people). His school teacher has provided him with a book of fairy tales that he feels is the history of the town and its curse.  And the only person that can break the curse is his biological mother, who also happens to be the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, who sent her into our world to save her from the curse.  It goes back and forth between our day and our world and fairy tale land, so you get to see the characters in both places and find out what really happened.

I haven't talked Tim into watching it with me yet, so I don't know for sure, but it seems to be aimed at girls.  There's a lot of romance and feelings.  There are also trolls and sword fights, so maybe guys would like it.  I am enjoying it.  I don't think about it all week, or count down to the next episode, but I am glad when it's sitting on my DVR, waiting for me to watch it.  It's fluffy and fun.

Grimm:  A detective in a big city (I can't remember which one right now, but I think it's Portland or Seattle, maybe) suddenly begins to see horrific creatures peeking through the faces of what seem like normal people.  At the same time, his aunt comes into town, towing a trailer packed with mysterious weapons and books.  She informs him that he is a "Grimm" whose job it is to hunt down the evil creatures from the fairy tales and kill them.  It turns out that the Grimm's fairy tales are really accounts of real stories and creatures.  For example, the Big Bad Wolf is really a race of men that turn into wolves, stalk girls wearing red coats and jackets, fatten them up, and eat them.  (Kind of like werewolves, but not just at the full moon.)  The detective finds himself working a kidnapping case that involves one of these Big Bad Wolves.  As he works cases he finds that these evil fairy tale creatures are often involved, and he is the only one that can see their true form.

This one is a lot more...gritty?  Is that the word I want to use? Aimed at guys?  Gory?  Violent?  In some ways, though, it's more silly. It's tricky to make a show that includes horrific creatures that are convincingly scary.  The three bears, for example, made me giggle a little, instead of instilling fear into me.  I think it would be scarier to have the evil creatures stay in human form but act like the creatures they are. (This is why serial killers and sociopaths scare me more than anything else.)  The idea is fantastic, but I'm not sure about those creatures.  There is potential for some great episodes, and I'm hoping that, like most shows that are getting their start, this one improves with time.  I think it will.  And Tim watches it with me, which I think is a plus.

So there you have it. Two shows based on fairy tales that are completely different from each other.  Let me know what you think about them.