Teen Scribe
T.V. Wars
By Naiesha Thobe  
January  5, 2012 

I wanted to start off by wishing a very Happy New Year to all of the readers of CNO. It’s been awhile since I’ve been heard from, so I’m a little behind on the cheerful tidings, but better late than never. 

Now, my real reason for writing (and the conspicuous title) and one of America’s favorite pasttimes: television! Who doesn’t like a good T.V. show? 

Honestly, I don’t watch much T.V. I either don’t have the time or I’m just not into whatever happens to be the latest craze. However, when I fall for a show, I fall rather hard, leading me to this article. 

A few weeks back (do I say last year now? or is that just confusing?) a new series aired, given the title Grimm. Immediate thought: Grimm Brothers! Right, right. You’re not far off the mark. 

The story revolves around the slowly-becoming-overused plot of crime scene investigation. However, this isn’t your average cop story. The sleepy little town of Portland, Oregon turns out not to be quite so sleepy when the protagonist of the series, Detective Nick Burkhardt, starts to see people turning into creatures. Only for a split second, someone may take the qualities of a wolf: grow fur, red eyes, big teeth, or maybe it’s a bee: big eyes, antennae, “stinger” syringe. Whatever the case, it’s not your average crime show, that’s for sure. 

Anyway, Nick can see these forms when a person loses control of him or herself. He’s the only one who can. He’s the only one who can solve murders of joggers (who happened to be wearing red) that were ripped limb to limb, the only one who can solve murders of a blutbad (it’s a wolf-like creature) that appears to have been blown up by a Bauerschwein (it’s a pig-like creature), and the only one who can save a golden haired maiden who broke into a house, tried out the beds, and then watched her boyfriend get attacked before her very eyes. 

It’s easy to see the plot. NBC has taken the old stories created by the Grimm Brothers and twisted them to a more modern day audience. It’s captivating, each episode following an old fairy tale or at least, following a character from a tale. 

Now, I love Grimm. I think it might be the best show to ever happen. Yes, I can be overdramatic, but it’s wonderful. I love fantasy and fairy tales, and the crime scene element mixed with that? It’s fresh. 

Fantasy seems to be a hot topic for television this go-round, though. Once Upon a Time also aired as a new series. All I know about this one is that all of the storybook characters were suddenly transported into real life time, enter the creation of Storybrooke, Maine, through the means of an evil spell, and have no recollection of who they were. I don’t watch this series, so I can’t even begin to throw down a plot like I can for Grimm. Quite frankly, I refuse to watch it, too. It’s competition for Grimm - sadly, my favorite is on the losing end for good ratings, but that won’t discourage me. 

So, it’s a clash of the fairy tales. T.V. wars, you see? I’ve come to a solid assumption that people who like Grimm tend to not like Once Upon a Time. People who like Once Upon a Time tend to not like Grimm. It’s a case of conflicting sides - one show leans towards murder and darker action, while the other is more a common-day, cheerful, fairy tale. 

My point here, I do have one, after all, is if you’re looking for a new show to watch during the beginning of 2012, catch one of these two shows if they sound enticing. Grimm airs every Friday at 9 p.m. on NBC, while Once Upon a Time takes ABC every Sunday at 8 p.m. Like previously mentioned, Grimm is darker and Once Upon a Time is lighter, but once you watch the first episode, you’ll know which you like. 

Hey, you may even defy my nearly flawless (haha) deductions and like them both. 

Enjoy your New Year, and maybe, your T.V. time, too!