‘Once Upon a Time’ season 3 spoilers: More on episode count, Peter Pan mystery

As we wait for more new episodes of “Once Upon a Time” to come up in the fall, executive producer Adam Horowitz has taken it upon himself to solve a pair of pressing mysteries. So without further ado…

The first thing we want to address is that despite initial reports coming out from the ABC upfront presentation (where it was probably confused with other shows), the order for season 3 is 22 episodes, just as it was for the first two seasons. We were initially skeptical at the prospect of there being 24, given how much time, effort, and budget this would require, so this makes a good bit more sense. There’s no word yet on whether or not some of the other rumored 24-episode orders were wrong, and right now the only one that we would count on as a possibility is “Grey’s Anatomy” given that they have done so for years, and they don’t have to spend a hefty amount of time in post working on special effects. (We do still believe that the new “Once Upon a Time” season will be divided in half, with a limited series running in the middle.)

Meanwhile, Horowitz confirmed that another recent rumor concerning the show and Peter Pan is false, as the character, as it turns out, is not secretly the leader of the Lost Boys. It was marginally confusing as to if this character was talking about Pan, or actually was the famed character, during the closing seconds of the finale. So there you go. We have yet to see Pan turn up on the show, and it is unclear if an actor has already been cast.

While you wait for the return of “Once Upon a Time,” why not dive into the trailer for the “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” spin-off? It’s pretty trippy, and it reminds you of the different flavors that the show can bring to you thanks to all of the worlds that it has.

Photo: ABC