All "Once Upon a Time" is about, is teaching people that true love triumphs above anything and that we should always fight for what we want; but how would you guys feel if the most iconic couple of the series, Snow White, and Prince Charming, would not have existed at all? Apparently, they were not supposed to.
Why would Prince Charming be killed off?
According to the show runner Adam Horowitz, the happy and wonderful couple, was not supposed to have a happy ending. Prince Charming played by Josh Dallas on "Once Upon a Time", was supposed not to be a part of the story line in all of these seasons.
In the initial draft of the pilot of the show, Prince Charming was supposed to die after being stabbed, instead of going into a comma. Furthermore, the producer was very keen on this updated version of the fairytale, up until the ABC executive producer, Channing Dungey, stepped in. She gave both show runners, Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, a valuable piece of advice. What the writers were trying to achieve about this dark plot twist, was to leave the audience in shock and affect deeply the character development of Snow White and the others.
Why did the show writers change their minds?
However, Channing gave a contrasting opinion about this ending. According to her, it would be a hollow and unnecessary adjustment, and that fairy tale was eternal in its message and did not need any twists that early.
This comment on her behalf was not just about the pilot itself, but to ensure that such a potential-filled show could even make it to 100 episodes and more. "Once Upon a Time" was supposed to be about hope, dreaming, and finding your happy ending, and starting it off with such a dark pilot, would not be the fitting choice. Ultimately, the show runners decided to keep Prince Charming alive, although putting him in a coma for half the first season, does not count exactly as participation (but us fans are just glad that he is ultimately a very important part of the series).
So far, we have been used to the show writers putting an unexpected turn on many classic fairy tales, such as Sleeping Beauty, Mulan, and Cinderella, but it is also important to stick to some basic elements since classics are classics for a good reason. After 6 seasons, we got everything we could expect from this couple, and although we are sad to see them part ways (they will not be part of the series anymore starting from the upcoming season 7), we are truly glad that Snow White and Prince Charming finally got their happy ending!
