This week on Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday, we are having a fairy tale showdown! In the past, Tiffany and I gave our reviews of Grimm and Once Upon a Time. This week, we are following up on our thoughts by putting the two shows head to head. After all, they both have fairy tale roots, so why not have a proper battle?

In this corner…

Once Upon a Time. From the creators of Lost, Once Upon a Time is the over-analytical TV watcher’s dream. With scenes from modern-day Storybrooke, a small town in Maine where these fairy tale characters have been whisked away to without memory of their fairy tale lives, and flashes to their fairy tale lives and what led up to the curse stranding them in Maine, the show definitely has a Lost-ish feel.

His name is Neil Cassidy, people. NEIL CASSIDY.

Not only that, but there are constantly tiny clues throughout the show, leaving those who love cooking up complex theories in heaven.

I’m a big fan of that sort of thing. While I didn’t care for the ending of Lost, I did enjoy watching the series for all those small details, and trying to decipher what they meant. (Did the fact that several character names were the same as past philosophers mean anything? How about those numbers? Wait, is that a polar bear?)

Once Upon a Time totally delivers on this kind of fun. Don’t believe me? Ask me to tell you who I think Emma’s past partner in crime really is, and more importantly, WHY. Or how I guessed who Dr. Whale really is. (Seriously. Ask.)

In the other corner…

Grimm, from the outside, seems to be a police procedural with a twist. Our main character, Nick Berkhardt (David Giuntoli), is a detective who finds out that he is a Grimm. He also finds out that they were much more than storytellers. Throughout history, Grimms hunted and killed Wesen.

Wesen concept art

What’s a Wesen? Wesen is the group name for all the different creatures we know from the various tales told by the Grimms. What the non-Grimms among of us don’t know is that Wesen exist all around us, in human form.

Grimm fairy tales tend to be among my favorites, as they are darker and more serious than the Disney-fied versions most of us grow up with, so the show’s decision to keep with the true nature of these tales definitely appealed to me.

So, it would seem there are reasons for me to like them both. Who wins?

Once Upon a Time, while giving me an opportunity to super geek-it-up and have discussions about Kerouac and other literary folks, hasn’t really been doing it for me this season. Their introduction of some new princesses (I am still trying decide if these are awful actresses or the victims of bad writing) has me snoring, and this season is feeling a bit desperate – bad CGI, etc. I no longer find myself rushing to Hulu the next morning to watch, a very telling sign.

Grimm, on the other hand, started slowly for me. I enjoy police procedurals, and figured I would enjoy the show, but not be wrapped up in a long term story  line. Boy, was I wrong. There is a lot more going on than crimes committed by characters from old tales and it definitely has me eager for the next episode.

So, it may surprise everyone who knows me, but the winner for me is: Grimm.

What about you? Are you watching both? Which is your favorite? Do you want to talk OUAT theories with me? (Really. Let’s do this.)

Now, head over to Tiffany’s and see if this battle is a tie, or if Grimm takes home victory.