In TELL ME A STORY, Kevin Williamson takes classic fairy tales and puts them into a modern-day New York City setting. The first season of the show focuses on three stories — Little Red Riding Hood, 3 Little Pigs and Hansel & Gretel — and all three tales will intertwine as the season progresses. Stars Kim Catrell and Danielle Campbell live within the Little Red Riding Hood story. Campbell’s character loses her parents and moves in with her grandmother (Catrell). But she loses her way when she meets a “big bad wolf” in a night club. The city of New York is like a character in the show and it’s “the woods where everyone strays from the path,” according to Williamson.
Meanwhile, stars Paul Wesley and James Wolk live within the 3 Little Pigs storyline. Wesley plays Eddie, a character who is very different from Stefan Salvatore, Wesley’s previous long-lasting character on TV. Eddie is “this guy who is down on his luck sort of guy who has been dealt a bad hand”, Wesley says. He has substance abuse issues and then something tragic occurs — this is where he will intersect with Wolk’s character. He’s not stupid, but sometimes he “does stupid things”. Wolk plays Jordan, a man who, when you first meet him, is just loving his life. But very quickly he is “beset with some terrible tragedy that completely changes who is he,” Wolk says. This turns him into “The Big Bad Wolf” of the story.
In the Hansel & Gretel story, we’ll see an estranged brother and sister (played by Davi Santos and Dania Ramirez) who have been abandoned by their parents. They find some “candy” and a “witch” and they deal with their abandonment issues.
Don’t expect this show to have the same endings as the original fairytales. For example, Williamson said the moral of the 3 Little Pigs is how hard work pays off, but it won’t necessarily have that ending in the show. And if the series gets renewed the writers plan to tackle three all next fairy tale stories for season 2.
TELL ME A STORY debuts on Wednesday, October 31 on CBS All Access. New episodes will be released weekly on Thursdays.