Fairy tales are apparently somewhat the rage on television this season. On three networks the world of the scary and creepy are getting a facelift. A kissing cousin to the darker fairy tales, American Horror Story launched on FX October 5th, Once Upon a Time just debuted October 23rd on ABC, and this Friday Angel co-creator and producer David Greenwalt partners with Angel writer Jim Kouf to bring us Grimm.
The collection of tales known as Children’s and Household Tales was first published in 1812. Penned by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, the tales were Germanic folk tales collected to preserve them for future generations. The first volume of otherworldly tales contained 86 stories. Other volumes followed, and soon there were over 200 creepy tales. While first marketed for children, the initial volume came under criticism, for the stories were hardly appropriate for kids. Now the entire collection is bound together and known as the Grimm Fairy Tales. Today those tales become the backdrop for a series called Grimm.
Since it always helps to have a rainy, gloomy environment when telling dark and creepy tales, Grimm is set in present day Portland, Oregon. While the series deals with the fairytale world, it is essentially a crime drama dressed up otherworldly garments. Homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) discovers he is descended from a line of supernatural hunters known as “Grimms.” These legendary hunters are charged with fighting to keep humanity safe from supernatural creatures. When he learns of his heritage and that he is the last of his kind, Nick is shocked. As he struggles to merge his destiny and his life, he must protect the world from the sinister creatures he once only dreamed about, the fairytale creatures of myth and mystery.
Grimm star David Giuntoli has been seen around the small screen, mainly in guest spots on such series as Ghost Whisperer, Veronica Mars, Eli Stone, Hot in Cleveland and Private Practice. His first regular role was on the short-lived CW series Privileged. Grimm also features a more familiar television face, Russell Hornsby. Hornsby was a regular in Gideon’s Crossing and was also seen as Matt Fox’s partner in Haunted. He has guested on other series such as Grey’s Anatomy, Playmakers, In Treatment, and Lincoln Heights. In Grimm he stars as Lieutenant Hank Griffin, Nick’s homicide partner. As both work to solve the mytery of the week, we’ll have to wait and see whether Nick let’s his partner in on his destiny and his “Grimm” status.
David Greenwalt is well known in Whedon circles as the co-creator of the Buffy spin-off Angel, and for other terrific series like the short-lived but intriguing Miracles starring Skeet Ulrich, Jake 2.0 with Christopher Gorham, Eureka, and Kidnapped. He also served as a short-term executive producer for the vampire detective series, Moonlight. Maybe that series would have lived longer had Greenwalt stayed on. But then, maybe Moonlight was a victim of been-there, done-that as well as the writer’s strike that took a toll on so many series that season.
Jeff Kouf wrote for Angel during its second season, penning “The Thin Dead Line,” “The Shroud of Rahman,” and “Five by Five.” Since leaving Angel, he’s been very busy, writing, producing and directing other television fare as well as writing the screenplay for the major motion picture, National Treasure.
Grimm debuts on Friday October 29th at 9PM on NBC.
