Once upon a time… Everybody knows the classic fairy tales, with heroic knights and damsels in distress. Today, shows and movies about heroes and magic are very popular too. But ABC’s Galavant, ending its first season in January, is fresh, even though we all know the tales.  All of the episodes are online to view at ABC.

This show stars the washed-up hero Galavant on his journey to regain his love Madalena. He’s assisted by Princess Isabella whose kingdom was captured by the same evil King Richard who took Galavant’s love. Meanwhile, King Richard tries to please the greedy Queen Madalena and make her his, without any luck.

In Galavant, there is plenty of comedy and dynamic characters who make the story differ from other fairy tale shows. By the end of the season, the audience loves the bad guys just as much as the good guys.

The show doesn’t follow fairy tale guidelines. “Madalena’s actions were off page from the beginning,” said Amy Ratcliffe, blogging for IGN, in her review of the show.

Madelena was  the love interest until she unexpectedly turned down Galavant’s affections for fame and fortune with King Richard.

“Madalena likes stuff, she likes boy toys, she likes wealth and she’s not apologetic about any of it,” Amy Ratcliffe writes.

This is completely different from most love interest characters. Sleeping Beauty, for instance, is the damsel in distress waiting for her prince to come. Madalena, on the other hand, likes being where she is and eventually turns the tables on King Richard, making herself more wealthy and powerful.

Galavant is a hero, but he’s not exactly heroic. His faults include his selfish and vain nature and his unnecessary pride. He sees himself as the noble hero, when he is actually drunk, and out of practice after his years of “retirement.”  He also cannot see, despite how obvious it is, that Madalena does not want him.

Also, characters like King Richard differ from the fairy tale guideline. For an evil king, King Richard is a pitiable and even pathetic character. He gets more and more controlled by his wife as the show goes on, and his character gets more and more comedic and feeble. Sometimes King Richard, despite his executions and horrible treatment of his servants, even has noble and kind moments.

The other unique thing about Galavant and King Richard is that their characters have developed side by side. They may not have met until the end of the season, but their character development is startlingly similar. Both of them strive for Madalena’s affections, but build character and learn about themselves. Neither one of them is completely good or evil.

Another cool thing about Galavant is the music. “What really separated it was the music,” says freshman Amirah Kirwan.

Galavant’s music is always catchy and fun. From “Galavant” to “Lords of the Sea” the music never fails to make you laugh.

“My favourite song is ‘Hero’s Journey,’ because there are so many clever remarks in it,” said Kirwan.

There are lots of damsels in distress, lost slippers, spells, and Prince Charmings, but Galavant has a charm of its own.