ABC Boss Paul Lee on Why "Wonderland" Didn't Work - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

JamesG · 07-15-2014, 05:55 PM

ABC: Here's Why "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland" Didn't Work Out
by James Hibberd
July 15, 2014

ABC Entertainment Group president Paul Lee has a theory about why "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland" didn’t work out. The network executive suggests the "Once Upon a Time" spin-off was undermined by its time slot.

Originally, ABC planned to run the Alice in Wonderland-inspired fantasy series during "Once‘s" winter hiatus. It ultimately opted to air "Wonderland" Thursdays at 8 p.m. leading into "Grey’s Anatomy" instead — which has been a tough hour for the network in recent years, with several shows struggling to gain traction in the slot (particularly up against CBS’ top-rated "The Big Bang Theory").

This fall, ABC will execute its original plan by running fairy tale musical comedy "Galavant" in the OUAT “gap.”

“I would have given Wonderland a better chance had I done what we’re doing with Galavant and put it in the gap,” Lee told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s press tour in Beverly Hills on Tuesday.

“We wanted to build a night of empowered women, and we were excited about the show, disappointed we didn’t bring an audience to it … I think we should have tried that one in the gap. I think we would have had a better chance with that.”

And "Wonderland" fizzling out doesn’t hurt the odds of "Once" getting another spin-off, the executive added.

“Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis are endlessly inventive,” Lee said. “They have a glimpse in their eyes of stories they’re going to spin for many years to come on Once, and maybe beyond it. It certainly doesn’t rule out their ability or our ability to build on Once.

In many ways, Once itself changes every season by bringing on new characters — think of the world of Hook, of Wicked, and now to have teased Frozen. It’s a very exciting way for us to use ABC to really take advantage of some of that—not just for the centuries of fairy tales, but specifically stories that come out of the Walt Disney company.”

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/07/15/ab...in-wonderland/

07-15-2014, 05:55 PM	#1
JamesG Freakshow Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 01, 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 57,120	ABC Boss Paul Lee on Why "Wonderland" Didn't Work *ABC: Here's Why "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland" Didn't Work Out* by James Hibberd July 15, 2014 ABC Entertainment Group president Paul Lee has a theory about why "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland" didn’t work out. The network executive suggests the "Once Upon a Time" spin-off was undermined by its time slot. Originally, ABC planned to run the Alice in Wonderland-inspired fantasy series during "Once‘s" winter hiatus. It ultimately opted to air "Wonderland" Thursdays at 8 p.m. leading into "Grey’s Anatomy" instead — which has been a tough hour for the network in recent years, with several shows struggling to gain traction in the slot (particularly up against CBS’ top-rated "The Big Bang Theory"). This fall, ABC will execute its original plan by running fairy tale musical comedy "Galavant" in the OUAT “gap.” “I would have given Wonderland a better chance had I done what we’re doing with Galavant and put it in the gap,” Lee told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s press tour in Beverly Hills on Tuesday. “We wanted to build a night of empowered women, and we were excited about the show, disappointed we didn’t bring an audience to it … I think we should have tried that one in the gap. I think we would have had a better chance with that.” And "Wonderland" fizzling out doesn’t hurt the odds of "Once" getting another spin-off, the executive added. “Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis are endlessly inventive,” Lee said. “They have a glimpse in their eyes of stories they’re going to spin for many years to come on Once, and maybe beyond it. It certainly doesn’t rule out their ability or our ability to build on Once. In many ways, Once itself changes every season by bringing on new characters — think of the world of Hook, of Wicked, and now to have teased Frozen. It’s a very exciting way for us to use ABC to really take advantage of some of that—not just for the centuries of fairy tales, but specifically stories that come out of the Walt Disney company.” http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/07/15/ab...in-wonderland/