I hear that ABC brass are mulling spinning the character from fairytale drama Once Upon A Time into his own series. But I hear Sebastian Stan, who has played the character, is not available for the potential multi-year commitment, so the network has quietly put out feelers to recast the role.
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Excuse me, no. Sebastian is the character! I don't want anyone else playing him.
ReplyDeleteA spin-off (with Sebastian) would be interesting, though.
No no no no no no no no no no!!!
ReplyDeleteI'd rather have Sebastian pop in on OUaT whenever he's available than have the character recast (which I don't approve of on principle of recasting ALONE! NO! Just... NO!!!!) and have him spun off.
If it's not Sebastian though I don't even care about the spin off. And I'm rejecting the recasting GENERALLY! I can understand it in case such as what happened with Andy and Spartacus, but on principle in primetime I find recasting unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteYup, I hate recastings! They suck.
ReplyDeletePersonally I think the Mad Hatter character is worst character on the show. I know he has contributed a lot to the show but I hate the actor and the character. I wouldn't even consider watching a spin-off regardless of who was cast as the mad-hatter. Most spin-offs are horrible ideas and none of them either turn into great shows
ReplyDeleteA spin-off with the character would be brilliant. Recasting him would be a shame, but unfortunately, Stan does have a lot of other commitments. Given the producers' excellent track record for casting thus far, I feel certain that they'll manage to come up with a suitable replacement.
ReplyDeleteIt's not about finding a suitable replacement though. IMO recasting in primetime shows is tacky.
ReplyDeleteFraiser. Fact.
ReplyDeleteAll I'm saying is that it hasn't been tacky on the parent show thus far, so I'm still hopeful.
ReplyDeleteAnd NCIS, Family Matters, The Jeffersons, Angel, Private Practice, and A Different World (Along with Frasier, these are my favorites).
ReplyDeleteMad hatter is take it or leave it. Sebastian Stan is awesome. Recasting is confusing and cheap. I'm firmly behind Sebastian Stan having a wacky half mad character on his own show. A spin-off of the ridiculously messy mythology of OUaT without him is just a dumb idea.
ReplyDeleteCasting is different from re-casting. And finding suitable younger versions of certain characters isn't the same thing.
ReplyDeleteThe mere NOTION of recasting a character is tacky and unsuitable for a primetime show, if it wants to be taken seriously.
Really? I think his casting was one of the best, but most of the guys on the show are lacking.
ReplyDeleteenough with this networks obsession with Alice in Wonderland! First the CW with A Wunderland- detective thing, then NBC with Wonderland (and from failed Buffy reboot writer wannabe Wit Anderson of all people!) . Leave it alone already! It doesn't.work.
ReplyDeleteI would rather have a spin off focused on Belle. I love her character and think a show set on her would be very interesting!
ReplyDeleteand if he is not available?
ReplyDeleteThe ratio between successful spin off and unsuccessful does favour the unsuccessful, this is a fact. Having said that when a spin off works it does end up being a REALLY good show. Still it's a risk that usually doesn't pan out and more often than not isn't worth it.
ReplyDeleteUhm. I like OUAT, but honestly? In many cases, what elevates the show and some of their lines and dialogue are actually ( some of) the actors speaking them. I like Jefferson but I think he became such a popular recurring character because of Sebastian Stan. Within the show? I feel he stood out as one of the best smaller players. Outside the show though, without Sebastian? I don't think it's gonna work.
ReplyDeleteNot everything that is popular will work with other players. Think of the Criminal Minds spin off and how that failed. Similar concept, different actors. Now take a character played by someone audiences grew to like and put them in a spin off.
Nope.
But good luck ABC, let me laugh as I watch this unfold.
Scrap the idea. Or at least don't try to weave it with OUaT. Develop a separate show about the character of the Mad Hatter unrelated to Once.
ReplyDeleteBelle is a fine character but I don't know if she'd be able to anchor her own show....
ReplyDeleteSo no crossovers then...lol
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I don't mind that ABC is feeling this out. Besides S.H.E.I.L.D, none of their other drama pilots are getting buzz. Lord knows they need something other than the above pilot. People think ABC are in a pretty vulnerable situation already, on par or below FOX.
If they need crossovers to make the show then they don't have a show to begin with....
ReplyDeleteLook, I won't deny that ABC ain't looking so good for next season, but ruining one of the more interesting and specific characters in one of their current more popular shows will do them no favours.
Not a huge Mad Hatter fan but I do like him. But ABC what are you thinkng? This would cheapen the show considerably IMO
ReplyDeleteWorks for Shonda Rhymes! The CW is trying to do that with it's flagship show in The Vampire Diaries.
ReplyDeleteMessing with one of the characters probably won't endear the fanbase but like the article said, they're just throwing out feelers out there. Not sure they will find anymore "big name" actors around, since it seems that CBS has booked them all for their own pilots!
I'm more worried for when and if Grey's Anatomy will end next season. How does ABC replace a show with 10 seasons that at worst may get late 2's in the demo? Will the S.H.E.I.L.D show be at the very least be as successful as NBC's Revolution, ratings wise?
Maybe OUaT should be the 8pm lead-in show for S.H.E.I.L.D (if it's still around) on thursdays when it's 2014 :)
Why are you insisting pilots you've never seen or read don't work?
ReplyDeleteA Mad Hatter spin-off sounds mildly intriguing, but without Sebastian Stan I don't think I would bother giving it the time of day.
ReplyDeleteDamn it ABC, if you want to have another fantasy show, just renew "Legend of the Seeker"! After all the fan campaigns for a 3rd season, after all the letters, tweetathons, free promotion, can't you just admit you made a mistake? Even though the production costs were relatively low for the genre, the quality was better than big screen Hollywood productions! It's a great show, the original cast will probably all be available, the fanbase has even grown since the series end... So why not simply pick things up where you left off and give it a decent time slot this time?
Doesn't work for Shonda Rhymes. PP wasn't a great show. And the better episodes of that show were the crossovers which goes back to my point that if they need crossovers they don't have much of a show to begin with. And Addison leaving Grey's hurt the flagship and the character (as proven by how well she fit and was needed and how amazing she was during the crossovers and not in her own show). And also I found the recasting annoying.
ReplyDeleteAnd I know that's what TVD is trying to do now too. Which I'm not holding my breath will work. (TVD fantasizes about being the new Buffy - which it isn't - so it's only natural they hope to get the new Angel out of that - which I doubt they will).
Grey's ending is eminent. I don't think they can squeeze many more seasons from that one. It's aging and not very gracefully might I add. So As I said I agree ABC isn't in great form. But messing with one of their better shows out of desperation isn't the solution either. Taking a breather and trying to regroup from scratch would be better. They still have full season of development. And they also have few good things currently on. Revenge, Scandal, Castle, Modern Family.. Once. They have some wiggle room to strategize. And you never really know what might grab audiences. They could have a sleeper hit in their fall lineup. I know it doesn't sound like it at the moment, but the truth is, you can never really know until the thing is filmed the show airs and the numbers come in... they need not panic and mess with a good thing because they are panicking .
If it allows more Once stories without cramming them all into Once Upon A Time to the detriment of the regular cast (I'm looking at Regina, Belle, Dr Whale and Ruby as I say this), then by all means! I hate for them to lose Sebastian Stan, but I love the idea a lot.
ReplyDeleteBut the CW is trying to find a home for the best actor on the show. Without Joseph Morgan the Originals wouldn't be considered. Sebastian Stan is the same way. If they were trying to capitalize on what made the character great, then go for it, but they are mistakenly thinking the character and not the portrayal was what fans responded to. OUaT can't handle the mythology and number of worlds they already have, expanding that to entire other universe is absurd.
ReplyDeleteI'm tired of the weird Alice Wonderland obsession as well. Does every genre show need to have a down the rabbit hole, through the looking glass episode?
ReplyDeleteI'm with Folie-lex don't do it.
ReplyDeleteAs long as they don't end up being NBC!
ReplyDeleteRevenge isn't having a great second season ratings and (from what I've heard) creatively wise. Castle is probably ending next season and has been said to still be lead-in dependent and it's ratings haven't been great (bar it's more recent episode). Modern Family from what I've heard isn't as creatively as good as a couple of seasons ago (doesn't hurt The Big Bang Theory though), but ratings are very decent, While Scandal is one bright spot for ABC, it may do a Revenge and be very rocky next season.
Once seems to be stable for ABC. However I think for networks sakes, it's going to have to be extended for the next 3 seasons at least (a long with Modern Family).
There's been a lot of things said for Grey's but I could see it becoming like NBC's Frasier or Friends in terms of finding the next show in terms of longevity, being a flagship show, and well like everything, consistent ratings.
I'm not saying they should. I'm just saying "feelers" doesn't mean = done deal.
ReplyDeleteLike I said before, CBS is booking all the "recognizable" actors. The rest of the other networks seem to getting leftovers.
Whatever the issues of those shows might be I maintain that despite some decline, they are doing well enough to sustain the network, for ABC to NOT mess with something that shouldn't be messed with.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same.
ReplyDeleteI think they should just stick to the show and when Sebastian can appear, involve Jefferson in Once if they are able to.
Again, I'm not saying they should.
ReplyDeleteKnowing networks, they can and will get desperate.
And I'm just trying to point out that them acting desperate can only make things worse.
ReplyDeleteIt may or may not.
ReplyDeleteThough I can understand why they would be desperate so they don't end up being like NBC (or god forbid, The CW).
If they act desperate and in their desperation fiddle with something that needs to be left alone because it's WORKING then statistically things getting worse is more probable. And the risk is higher than the gamble. They will end up with a show that won't work and they will have tarnished a show and a character that did.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of story would they tell? Pre-curse or afterwards?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I wouldn't be very interested either way. Especially without Sebastian Stan as I hate recasting and he did a great job with the charcter.
I don't see what kind of story could be told, especially if it would be in Storybrooke. And I don't like spin-offs that take place in the past. The only thing I might be interested in is if it takes place pre-Wonderland, having Jefferson doing his job and Grace around. Actor would have to be Stan though.
I know there is a lot of characters on the show, but I don't really want any of them getting spin-offs. I think all their stories can be told on the show. I don't mind a more stand alone-ish type of episode and a break from Charming family, Rumple, and Regina story lines once in a while to get to know other characters and that. I sometimes miss that. Usually I'm not into stand alone type episodes, but on this show I love most of them. The side stories are great because it involves all fairytales. I love many of the characters.
I hope they revisit Abigail and Fredrick, Ashley and Sean, Geppetto and August. The writers can if they want to when actors are available. I also want them to revisit Jefferson and Grace but not off the show.
It's not like Angel. Angel had story to go off on to continue in the present of its time, mostly independent from Buffy's story. It was independent enough from the show and it wasn't about the past. (The fact that the Originals spin-off takes place in the past bugs me and I do not plan on watching that one).
I think if they want to do something extra, they should do online webisodes.
Don't make a spin-off just for money. From the comments here, it won't work.
Like I said, they may get desperate. If they do mess with it, I'm sure the ratings and (hatemail) will let them know that they did f**ked up royally.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of The X-Files when they spun off with The Lone Gunmen. I mean, I liked that show, but it wasn't The X-Files and did not need to happen, especially in a time when TXF was declining. I love OUAT (obvs) and they've created a great universe, but a spin-off is really unnecessary. If they want to show more of the world they've created, they don't need the Mad Hatter. And if they want a story with him, he's not going to be doing Captain America forever. Just wait. He probably won't take the option to be a series regular, but most actors won't turn down work.
ReplyDeleteI think you're one of the few people I've seen that's into the idea and I can see them come up with some fairytale land world-hopper type of show. Valid point in them cramming their stories. There's so much going on right now that I don't think they'll ever close out the Aurora/Mulan/Phillip storyline, at least not this season.
ReplyDeleteDoing it without Sebastian is a horrible idea. As much as I want to see more of Jefferson's backstory, I don't want it without Sebastian as Jefferson. It's the way he plays Jefferson that makes the character my favorite on the show.
ReplyDeleteIt depends on the premise and the recasted actor, but I'm not writing this of just yet.
ReplyDeleteI agree with that but I think that a spin off for her would giver her more room to grow as a character.
ReplyDeleteAnd like I said why bother messing with a good thing? Hatemail won't change the fact that they
ReplyDeleteA) shot themselves in the foot
and
B) ruined the show for everyone.
I'm not saying they won't go ahead with it if they're desperate. This is a more general bitching on my part that sometimes execs and producers should know when to NOT DO things like this... this is one of those cases.
It's not enough for a character to have room to grow. It has a lot to do wether or not the character has enough presence to sustain and headline storylines. I like Belle but I think she lacks that. She's a fine interesting supporting character, but I can't see her as a protagonist.
ReplyDeleteThere aren't too many people who are... I mean I can understand why people aren't, but from a story-telling perspective I can see the need for ABC to do it, and why they'd want to. Yeah I think if they weren't wanting to tell so many big stories all at once in the one season we'd have had a proper side-by-side arc of Storybrooke and what was going on in present-time FTL with Aurora/Mulan/Phillip. Shame it seems to have been dropped in favor of the Cora and Hook stuff, but I guess TPTB have their reasons for it (maybe they just want to deal with other plots before delving into one of the biggest ones of the season?).
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, another show sharing the load of FTL stories? I'm all in with that, especially if the Mad Hatter is the central character. My only hope is they'd be able to include Narnia in there for silly, childhood memory reasons lol
This is an excellent argument. A HUGE reason why the Hatter in Once works is because of Sebastian's portrayal.
ReplyDeleteno sorry ut just no sebastian plays mad hatter really well in OUAT with sebastian i won't even consider watching the spinoff
ReplyDeleteHorrible idea without Sebastian......
ReplyDeleteI was not expecting this. But the show does have potential I think, it is as much of a paralell universe as one could find on OUAT. But the recasting bothers me a lot as I love the character pretty much because of the actor. This would put off way too many people I thik. And what they do with this schedule wise, would this air at 9pm? I don't know what to think to be honest
ReplyDeleteThe Wacky Worlds of the Mad Hatter? Sounds promising!
ReplyDeleteTime constraint is the biggest factor for an spin off!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea but not without Sebastian Stan (well, except the would cast Johnny Depp :D), he plays the Mad Hatter so good.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea, but I don't want a recast
ReplyDeleteSebastian is amazing as the mad hatter and I can't imagine someone else playing him
They can't produce quality writing with one show, no way I wan't them to do two shows.
ReplyDeleteSo ABC should hoard a "recognizable" actor for a concept that has little to no chance of succeeding so CBS doesn't get them? That's kinda crappy for the "recognizable" actor's career when they are obviously looking for a job, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI honestly think this is a horrible idea, and the show would probably flop. The character isn't big enough to hold a show on their own, especially without Sebastian. I would rather have him pop up in OUAT every once in awhile.
ReplyDeleteI can't applaud this post enough!!!
ReplyDeleteI will say this, unlike you I'm not opposed to "origin" and prequel spin offs.
So if it is actually about how Jefferson became a jumper, and chronicles his life in Fairytale Land pre-curse, pre-Grace and pre-Wonderland then I might be into that. I'd still need Sebastian to be a part of it though... unless they cast significantly younger... like a 14-16 year old version of the character...
Not delighted about this. First I don't necessarily need a Jefferson spinn-off, especially if it means recasting Sebastian Stan! -He is such a fun and interesting Hatter. I've liked the way he has interacted with the cast so far. Just renew ONCE for a third and potentially fourth season ABC, before going all crazy on us!
ReplyDeleteWon't watch. I am only in love with Regina.
ReplyDeleteK...
ReplyDeleteI agree. I even don't think any of the character could hold a show on their own. They work together perfectly in a same show, as a team.
ReplyDeleteNO.Sebastian Stan was the perfect casting for this role but even if he could appear in the spinoff,I still wouldn't think this was a good idea.Based on the premise of OUAT,his story had to be told in that show just like any other character's.And I don't think it's smart they're recasting for the character just because there's a POSSIBILITY of a spinoff.
ReplyDeleteNo, I really do think they have a great cast. They've only made a couple of missteps with minor characters.
ReplyDelete