LOS ANGELES -- Getting a little tired of all the police procedurals already on television? Well, there are a few more coming to network TV this fall, including NBC’s “Grimm,” which debuts Oct. 21 at 9 p.m.
But this one is a little different.
“It’s a police procedural with a hint of fairy tale,” said executive producer Todd Milliner.
Well, maybe more than just a hint.
The new series follows homicide Det. Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli of “Real World” fame), the descendant of elite criminal profilers called Grimms, has the ability to see the fairy tale monsters lurking behind the human face. Burkhardt uses this ability to keep the balance between the mythological creatures in Grimms’ Fairy Tales and humans. No, there isn’t an alternate universe or planet. Things happen on Earth.
“You may not recognize the stories immediately. It may take a little bit,” said executive producer Jim Kouf of the tales the show will cover. “We’re not retelling the stories.”
That’s because the series will take a new story each week and turn it on its head, explained executive producer and writer David Greenwalt.
For example, in the pilot, the Big Bad Wolf abducts a little girl wearing a red hoodie (sound familiar?) and offers her chicken pot pie. While others may see him as a child molester, “he just needs something to eat,” explained Greenwalt. “He’s doing something terrible from our point of view, but he’s just hunting. I think it’s easier for people to accept these emotions.”
A bit spooky, right? (The show’s also filmed in Portland, Ore., to add to the dark ambience.) But one thing “Grimm” won’t be is too gory, as some of the fairy tales tend to be. “There’s some really dark things in (the fairy tales) … we won’t go there,” said Greenwalt. Instead, expect a little humor to lighten things up. (This is network TV, after all.) Example: Donkeys playing accordions, said Greenwalt.
“There needs to be some comedy relief to breathe between the darker points,” said executive producer Sean Hayes. (Recognize his name? He played Jack McFarland on “Will & Grace.”)
So what other twisted tales are coming? According to Greenwalt, viewers can expect Finderella (that’s no typo), Goldilocks and the three bears, the three little wolves (again, not a typo) and a tale called “A Wolf Who Cried Boy” (still not a typo).
“Everyone enjoys a good bedtime story,” he said.
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Want more news about the fall’s new TV shows? Follow @Anna_TODAY as she reports from the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour.