'Once Upon a Time' Fulfills ABC's Ratings Fantasies; Watch the Premiere Here
by Richard Sharp
In the insanely competitive Sunday night slot, ABC's brand-new high-production value original fantasy drama "Once Upon a Time" put a spell on the competition, enchanting hearts of viewers across the country - 12.8 million viewers to be exact.
The show also reportedly scored an impressive 3.9 demo rating, according to TVLine.
ABC has been agressively promoting the show, releasing nine minutes of the show for online viewing early, and eventually even streaming the entire premiere episode on IMDB the week before it debuted.
According to TVLine, "that translates into Sunday night’s most-watched and highest-rated non-sports programming, opposite NBC football and Fox’s World Series Game 4 coverage."
Also, consider that Sunday nights are also the season's biggest night on premium AND basic cable with Showtime's "Dexter," HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" and AMC's "Walking Dead" all competing for eyeballs.
Not bad for a far-fetched concept about a young female bail bonds collector who is secretly the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, trapped in a modern-day city with a vast cadre of legendary fantasy book characters.
"Once Upon a Time" stars "Big Love" alum Ginnifer Goodwin, "True Blood" star Kristin Bauer, and "House" actress Jennifer Morrison.
In case you missed it, watch the entire season premiere of "Once Upon a Time" below, or at any of the viewing options in our "Watch Now" widget.