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Home > Fables > Did ABC Dump ‘Fables’ For ‘Once Upon A Time?’

Did ABC Dump ‘Fables’ For ‘Once Upon A Time?’

By: Jack Greer on September 6, 2011

In : Fables
- 1 Comment

Over the last 6-7 years, we’ve seen the ‘go-stop’ Hollywood machine in action as it relates to the comic book series ‘Fables.’ Written by Bill Willingham, ‘Fables’ is a brilliant comic book series published by DC/Vertigo.

In 2006, NBC put a ‘Fables’ TV show into development, but the project never got off the ground. Then, in late 2008, ABC picked up a pilot that was supposed to air the following Fall. The episode has never aired. Heck, we don’t even know if they actually shot the thing.

Now it looks like ABC has completely scrapped Fables and put a knock off on the series schedule. This October, the network is airing ‘Once Upon A Time’, a series about classic fairy tale characters set in modern times. Anyone know what ‘Fables’ is about? Oh yeah–A SERIES ABOUT CLASSIC FAIRY TALE CHARACTERS SET IN MODERN TIMES.

So why the screwjob by ABC? Is it because the show was developed by two writers from ‘Lost?’ And that ‘Lost’ creator Damon Lindelof has his hands in the project? Is ABC just showing loyalty to folks that have brought them plenty of success (and money) in the past?

Or does it have to do with licensing fees from ‘Fables’ bumping up the budget? It would be nice to know. Out of all of the proposed TV series we’ve heard about (or seen) the past few years, ‘Fables’ is the one we were most excited about.

Comments

http://www.facebook.com/people/Russell-Burlingame/28406407 Russell Burlingame

The licensing fees angle is an interesting one. while it seems unlikely (I can’t imagine the licensing fees for a comic that sells around 40,000 copies would be that much, relative to what major TV studios routinely spend on putting together a show), it also “feels” true. After all, “Fables” is a bunch of characters that are already in the public domain and the only thing that keeps it copyrightable is the fact that they’ve got a unique setting and a unique story to tell. If the studio thought they could market a knockoff, why not go for it? The characters themselves are more likely than the title to sell a TV audience, and the characters are what’s free.

Still shoddy, of course.