Could ABC be heading for its biggest twist yet in Once Upon a Time Season 5? If you like a good dash of mystery with your entertainment news, then Blind Items are right up your alley. On the other hand, if you prefer your news to come with actual, concrete information, then perhaps steer clear of this intriguing, potentially explosive scoop. TVLine 's Michael Ausiello has revealed that, "according to multiple sources, execs at a major network (of the broadcast or cable variety) are toying with the idea of staging a crossover event."
Par for the course so far, right? Crossovers aren't exactly unheard of — just think of the Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice events or the collision of Chicago Fire/Law & Order: S.V.U. But Ausiello reveals that "the shows in question share wildly different DNA," which means that viewers should prepare to have their minds blown. Since the crossover is still in development, he's not allowed to spoil which shows are involved... or even which network. The only clues we have are that the two shows air on either broadcast or cable (so no HBO, Netflix, etc.), that they're both dramas (so no Family Guy/Brooklyn Nine-Nine mashup), and that it's happening in the fall (so no midseason shows like Person Of Interest, sorry).
This is admittedly very little to go on. Of all the hundreds of potential permutations, it's easier to rule out what won't be happening than to deduce what will be happening. Since the two shows share "wildly different DNA," we probably aren't looking at a pair of Shonda Rhimes shows. We can probably rule out procedural-on-procedural or superhero-on-superhero mash-ups as well — the combination is bound to be more out-of-the-box than that. What about an Empire/Gotham crossover on FOX? (Can you picture Jamal and Penguin laying down some tracks together?)
The possibilities are endless... and yet my favorite theory has a ring of plausibility to it. I feel like ABC is about to mash-up Once Upon A Time with Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. While this may seem absurd at first — a swords-and-magic fantasy epic combined with a technology-and-superpowers action show — the two seemingly disparate shows actually have a lot in common: both Once and S.H.I.E.L.D. are ensemble dramas about groups of people grappling with supernatural powers, troubled team dynamics, and estranged familial relations. They both exist within larger mythologies (decades of Disney movies; the Marvel Cinematic Universe). ...And they're both owned by Disney. (The Walt Disney Co. acquired Marvel Entertainment in 2009 for $4 billion.)
The corporate synergy involved in bringing these two franchises together seems like something right up the House of Mouse's alley. For five seasons already, Once has featured storylines where its characters travel from Storybrooke to a series of far-flung realms like the Enchanted Forest, Neverland, and Oz. Who's to say the next portal they find won't lead them right to a strange land where scientists turn green and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents cause earthquakes with their minds?
For S.H.I.E.L.D.'s part, a cadre of storybook characters coming to life would hardly be the strangest thing — after all, Coulson & Co. live in a world where Norse gods like Odin, Thor, and Loki are living, breathing beings and magical crystals transform people into quill-faced monsters with the power to predict the future.
Once is an aging series entering its fifth year on the air; S.H.I.E.L.D. has never quite met the sky-high expectations set for it by its big screen brethren. It's easy to see how a highly-publicized crossover event could be an attractive prospect for ABC: it would certainly boost their ratings and delight fans of both series.
And who wouldn't want to see Emma Swan face off against Daisy Johnson?
Images: Jack Rowand, Mitchell Haaseth/ABC; Giphy.com (2); themse09/tumblr
