“Once upon a time, an evil queen banished every storybook character you've ever known to our world. Who knows the truth and who can break the spell?”

Every great story starts with those four timeless words and ABC’s Once Upon a Time tells a great story. One which its estimated 3.5 million fans cannot seem to get enough of. But what is it about this seemingly ordinary television show that keeps fans coming back week after week, season after season? The answer is that there is no simple answer. Each fan has their own complex reasons for why they love it so much. As an avid fan myself, I have compiled a list of the top four reasons I love the show so much. Possible spoilers ahead so proceed with caution!

1.The Complexity of the Characters

There is just something so enticing about finding a character that you can relate to in some fashion in a book, a movie, or a television show. Something that draws you in and makes you watch again and again or keep turning pages in that book. We all have that one character that we get so invested in that we just cannot help but root for them to succeed. Once Upon a Time has no shortage of these and as an added bonus every character has an alternate reality persona as well. There really is something for everyone. Confused? Let me try and explain. The show begins in the Enchanted Forest on Snow White and Prince Charming’s wedding day which the Evil Queen crashes and threatens everyone with her plans to curse them all. This curse she enacts takes everyone to our land in present day Storybrooke, Maine where each storybook character has been given a new identity and new memories. Flash forward twenty-eight years and along comes Emma Swan, the Savior and daughter of Snow White, sent to this world from the Enchanted Forest as an infant so that she could find them and break the curse. This backstory which intertwines all the characters allows for a continued story line that keeps on dishing out the intrigue year after year.

2. Amazing Character Development

In the literal sense, character development is defined as the change a character goes through during the course of a story. This simple nuance can either make or break the story; it’s either there or it’s not. When it is magic happens. Once Upon a Time is somewhat of a legend for its creative and yes, sometimes infuriating, use of character development to weave a tale. In no character is this more evident than in the form of Regina Mills, aka, the Evil Queen. In season one Regina spends all of her time and energy on preventing Emma from breaking the curse which she enacted to remove all the happy endings and get her revenge on Snow White for spilling her secret when she was a child. Much of her backstory details her rise from innocent young girl to devious, manipulative, and downright evil regal (see what I did there, fellow Oncers? ;) ) and back again. One of my favorite lines in the entire series so far is where Regina is talking to Snow White in season five and says to her “you defeated me in a way no one thought was possible. You made me your friend by never giving up on me”. If that doesn’t scream character development, then I have no idea what I’m doing with my life anymore.

3. Every Story Has a Happy Ending, aka, the Hope Speech

Let’s face it, everyone loves a happy ending. We all want to believe that good will always triumph over evil and that true love is in fact the most powerful and long lasting magic of all. Once Upon a Time gives us a world where this is not only true, but expected. Despite the fact that for every win there is a defeat that follows, hope generally rules the day. If you watch the show, then you know that Snow White is synonymous with, what loyal fans now call, “the hope speech”. Her identity is pretty much consumed with her eternally optimistic view of things. It sounds a little cliché, but who among us doesn’t cling to the idea that every black cloud has a silver lining? After all, “believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing”.

4. The Extremely Approachable and Gracious Cast

This reason really needs no explanation I think, but I will anyway. For starters, Once Upon a Time is filmed on an open set in Steveston, British Columbia and Vancouver, Canada. The cast and crew not only welcome fans who stand on the sidelines and gawk, but they encourage it and actively engage with the fans when not filming scenes. Not to mention, almost every cast member has a presence on social media; some even use multiple platforms. A very popular fan (and my personal) favorite is Lana Parrilla, who portrays the Evil Queen/Regina Mills and actively engages with her fans on Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram. Another reason the fans love these actors so much is for their very real friendship off screen. They seem to genuinely love being around each other and are very supportive of one other. They are also very popular on the convention circuit for their wacky and playful antics. These celebrities seem to really enjoy and appreciate the chance to interact with their fans and that, I think, really does make all the difference.

There are many things that must come together to create just the right mixture of reality and fiction for an audience to feel emotionally connected to a television show. Once Upon a Time is one of those rare jewels that has captivated the attention of audiences around the globe. With any luck, the magic will continue for many years to come. After all, the show can’t possibly end until everyone gets their happy ending, including Regina, right?