Once Upon a Time in A.C.

Once Upon a Time in A.C., also known as Once Upon a Time in Annesia, is a Magisterian television sitcom created by television host Marlon Mark, which aired in CBS from September 27, 2011, to May 11, 2021, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jerry Devin, Vic Ivers, Isidora Josephs, and Anjelica Christopher, the revolves around four siblings who live in the Magisterian capital of Annesia City. The series was produced by 2M Television Productions, with the producers being Marlon Mark for the first four seasons and for the tenth season and Macaulay Parsons for the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth seasons.

The show was Marlon Mark's first ever project and began developing it as early as 2009 under the working title of 2 Sons & 2 Daughters between January and March 2009. After several script rewrites and changes, including title changes to The Sons & Daughters of Mother Tash and An Unbreakable Bond, the series was finally named Once Upon a Time in A.C.

The show ranked within the top ten of the final television season ratings; it ultimately reached the number-one spot in its seventh season. The series finale aired on 11 May 2021, and was watched by around 61.13 million Magisterian viewers, so far making it the most-watched television episode of the 2020s.

Once Upon a Time in A.C. received acclaim throughout its run, becoming one of the most popular television shows of all time. The show was inspired by American television sitcoms Friends, Seinfeld, Roseanne, George Lopez, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Everybody Loves Raymond.

Series synopsis
The comedy revolves around the Tash siblings; Jean-Paul (Jerry Devin), Anton (Vic Ivers), Cynthia (Isidora Josephs), and Marian (Anjelica Christopher). Jean-Paul is the oldest and is the family man, raising daughter Annette (Chantal Christopher) and son Louis (Louis Hawthorne) with his wife Karolyn (Blandine Rakes). Anton is the second son of the Tash couple, and is a successful lawyer with personal issues like not having a family. Cynthia is the eldest daughter who works as a chef in a fine dining restaurant in downtown Annesia, and is known for her promiscuous behaviour. Marian is the youngest and is described as 'strong and independent' but often seen as the invisible child of the family.

Multiple storylines in the series are established through the unveiling of a secret guarded by Jean-Paul throughout Anton's adult life, most notably the discovery that Anton actually had a family after Anton's estranged family secretly informed Jean-Paul. Throughout much of the fifth season, Anton tries to locate his family; when Anton's ex-fling, Lydia (Demelza Bradford) is finally introduced, she turns out to be an abusive mother who is married to a man named Alexander (Emmet Kingsley) who is equally abusive as her. By the sixth season, the main storyline was Anton getting the custody of his daughter Marie-Claude (Andrea Dupuy) from Lydia and Alexander which he successfully gets custody and also managed to get Lydia and Alexander into prison for child abuse.

Main cast

 * Jerry Devin as Jean-Paul "Jean" Deacon Tash:
 * The first and oldest child of the Tash couple and the family man of the bunch. Jean is portrayed throughout the series as a selfless, caring father and was always there for his children, wife, or siblings. Being the patriarch of the Gladwin-Tash household, he is seen to be very caring towards his children. However, while he is caring, he is undeniably very strict with his children, holding his children up to very high standards, and is seen to be disappointed with them when they do not live up to these expectations. Jean also often loses his temper fairly quickly, openly lashing out when he is angered. This much is attested by his wife Karolyn (Blandine Rakes) whom is usually seen to be the only person that can make Jean relaxed when he loses his cool. While he is a very strict man, he is undeniably a great father and husband.
 * Vic Ivers as Antonio "Anton" Valentine Tash:
 * The second child of the Tash couple and undeniably the most successful out of the bunch. Anton is generally a good-natured, charming and well-meaning person. He is also seen as an extremely supportive father to her daughter Marie-Claude (Andrea Dupuy). Out of the bunch, Anton is the most financially secure thanks to his well-paying job as a lawyer.
 * Isidora Josephs as Cynthia Maria Élisabeth Tash-Obando:
 * The third child and the eldest daughter of the Tash couple. Cynthia is regarded as the "mother hen" of the bunch. She works as a chef in a fine dining restaurant in downtown Annesia. Albeit it pays well, Cynthia absolutely loathes her job. According to the show's creator Marlon Mark, Monica Geller and Joey Tribbiani of the sitcom Friends were the character's biggest inspiration, which explains Cynthia's similar obsessive cleanliness and bossiness and Cynthia's promiscuous behaviour. She has sex with a variety of men, and quite often will sleep with a guy and never call him again. Later in the series, Cynthia would marry long-time friend and neighbor Pepito Obando.
 * Anjelica Christopher as Marian Simone Augustine Tash:
 * The fourth and the youngest child of the Tash couple. Marian is unquestionably the black sheep of the bunch. Regarded as 'strong and independent', she works as a freelance model, as well a waitress for a diner. Marian is often very dim-witted, sometimes smart and is in some regards still a child at heart. Throughout the series, she gets along really well with her older brother Anton.

Supporting cast

 * Blandine Rakes as Karolyn Gladwin-Tash:
 * The matriarch of the Gladwin-Tash household. Karolyn is a no-nonsense, vocally talented, forthright, aspiring, understanding, nurturing, trusting, vivacious, independent, valiant, industrious, astute, nice and career-minded woman who plays a part in the show equal to her husband Jean. She has three sisters, and is the mother of Annette (Chantal Christopher) and Louis (Louis Hawthorne)
 * Edgardo Roche as Pepito Obando:
 * A long-time friend and neighbor of the Tash family, Pepito is an incompetent, big-eared, clumsy, dim-witted, but loyal and lovable character. He is often very shy around women and cannot seem to ever get a date due to his awkwardness and overall inability to connect with women, let alone talk to them. He has a huge crush on Cynthia, and can often be seen hitting on her - they eventually marry in the ninth season. He claims to be jealous of Anton's life.
 * Andrea Dupuy as Marie-Claude Tash:
 * The daughter of Anton, the niece of Jean-Paul, Cynthia, and Marian, and the older cousin of Annette and Louis. She is very melodramatic, always displays superior intelligence and a love of writing laughably dramatic, dark, or melancholy poetry. Marie-Claude had a troubled childhood thanks to her abusive mother and stepfather, and is very thankful for Anton. Just like her biological father, Marie-Claude often shows a left-wing bent to political issues and has an affinity for social justice causes.
 * Chantal Christopher as Annette Tash
 * The daughter of Jean-Paul, the niece of Anton, Cynthia, and Marian, the younger cousin of Marie-Claude, and the older sister of Louis. She is best described as impulsive, shallow, attractive, most of the time very dim-witted and extremely self-centered, who can come off as a very arrogant airhead; she looks down on Marie-Claude's upbringing and is obsessed with shopping and money. However, despite her apparent shallow personality, deep down she has a strong sense of integrity, and shows obvious affection for her family members. She is often portrayed as having no common sense.
 * Louis Hawthorne as Louis Tash:
 * The son of Jean-Paul, the nephew of Anton, Cynthia, and Marian, the youngest cousin of Marie-Claude, and the younger brother of Louis. Louis enjoys the time he spends with his mother, but is arguably the closest with his cousin, Marie-Claude. Another part of Louis' personality is his sense of masculinity. Louis has demonstrated on many occasions to be concerned about being perceived as proud, confident, and manly. He is quite tough, and always tries to act like the bigger man when opposed - directly or indirectly.

Development and casting
Comedian Marlon Mark, who at the time the host of his eponymous primetime variety show Double M: The Primetime Show, stated that he always wanted to produce his own sitcom. According to Mark, the then-undeveloped pilot was the subject of a bidding war, with CBS landing the deal on 14 January 2011, and ordering it to series on 27 September 2011.

Devin was the first to be cast in the role of Jean-Paul on 11 February 2011. A week later on 18 February 2011, Ivers won an audition to land the role of Anton. According to Mark, he considered the option of writing a new "fifth sibling" with him playing it. The concept was then scrapped by Mark thanks to his duties as a television presenter. Josephs and Christopher were the last two to be cast on 28 February 2011.

Filming
The first season was shot on Studio 18 at the CBSInternational headquarters in D'Aramitz Memorial Square, Dayton. Filming for the series began during the summer of 2011 in front of a live audience, who were given a summary of the series to familiarize themselves with the four main characters.

Although Marlon Mark and Macaulay Parsons always wanted to find the right stories to take advantage of being on location, Once Upon a Time in A.C. was never shot in Annesia City.

Series finale
Marlon Mark, with the help of his writer team, completed the first draft of the two-hour long finale in November 2020, five months before its original airing. Mark watched the finales of other sitcoms to prepare the episode's outline, paying attention to what worked and what did not.

CBS heavily promoted the series finale, which was preceded by weeks of media hype. Local CBS affiliates organized viewing parties around Magisteria including an event at the historic Martin Jean Square featuring a special broadcast of the finale on an outdoor Astrovision screen.

In Magisteria, 61.13 million television viewers watched the finale on 11 May 2021. The show's finale surpassed Friends' 52.5 million viewers for its series finale on 6 May 2004.

Critical reception
Early reviews of the series were mixed; the first season holds a Metacritic score of 68 out of 100, based on 24 sampled reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews." As the series progressed, reviews became more positive, and Once Upon a Time in A.C. became one of the most popular sitcoms of the 2010s. It is now often ranked among the all-time best TV shows. Critics commended the series for having consistently sharp writing and for the chemistry between the main actors.

Ratings
During its ten-year run, Once Upon a Time in A.C. consistently ranked within the top ten of the final television season ratings since the fourth season, and was a major contender in the rating wars. So far, Once Upon a Time in A.C. has been the last Magisterian sitcom to reach the #1 spot on television, although there are new Magisterian sitcoms that could become the next-in-line to reach the #1 spot, like Ms. President.

Confirmed spin-off
After the series finale in 2021, Marlon Mark has stated his interest on producing a possible spin-off series for the hit sitcom. In late-2021, Mark confirmed the development of the spin-off series. By mid-2022, Mark stated that the American sitcoms Young Sheldon and Friends spin-off Joey are huge inspirations for the unnamed spin-off series.