Once Upon a Time Season 3

Once Upon a Time Season 3 has built a real following on and among viewers who want their sci-fi to think as hard as it looks. The 1-season run is exactly the right length for what it is doing. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Jennifer Morrison sets the tone, and the world-building does the rest. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Once Upon a Time Season 3 earns its spot. Once Upon a Time Season 3 treats its concept seriously enough to follow it all the way through. The third season revolves around the main characters travelling from Storybrooke to Neverland to retrieve Henry Mills, featuring crossover episodes connecting with the spin-off Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. Jennifer Morrison and Lana Parrilla lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was aired in 2013. Once Upon a Time Season 3 resists the temptation to explain everything, trusting the audience to sit with ambiguity. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Viewers burned by ambitious sci-fi that could not sustain its premise should give Once Upon a Time Season 3 a chance. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single week. Jennifer Morrison grounds the bigger ideas in something human. Once you are in, you will want to talk about it.