Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25355646-20140901164014/@comment-24674051-20140902152900

I think a spinoff series could be a good idea. Short story arcs, or a few standalone eps. The spin-offs could be used as filler to cover the gap in the mid-season (and maybe even Summer) hiatuses. And they wouldn't even need to focus on things like Wonderland, Agrabah, Oz, etc, though those would be options.

Instead, maybe focus on backstories and present stories for other characters. Use the other fairy tales (with appropriate twists, of course) to provide the back story, and develop a present day story for the characters. You could do something like "Once Upon a Time: Pinnochio", or "Once upon a time: Cinderella". The main show is a composite of all of the fairy tales (though it tends to be very much Once Upon a Time: Snow White).

This type of approach might be more cost effective for the studio, as they would not necessarily have to build extra sets (they could use the current SB sets for present day, and reuse many of the EF sets for the flashbacks)

The "spin-off" could also allow the supporting characters to add some depth and color (Let's face it, Granny and Jiminy are wonderful characters, but there is very little depth or complexity to them).

The core cast would not need to be involved (or they could just have "cameo" appearances), which would allow them to focus on the main show stories.

As for the writers focusing, maybe use these spin-off eps as an opportunity for some of the assistant writers to stretch their wings a bit. It would allow the main writing staff to stay focused, but it might help train up others, which could have a positive benefit for the entire show.