‘Once Upon a Time’ season 3 spoilers: What popular character is coming back?

For those of you who have been sitting around and worrying about whether or not Storybrooke was going to completely get the shaft on “Once Upon a Time” season 3, we have some more news for you now: There may not be as great of a reason for you to fear as you may have first believed.

In a post on his Twitter account following the apparent release of some set photos (which we don’t post here out of respect for production), Raphael Sbarge confirmed that he will be coming back once again as Archie, the town psychiatrist and formerly Jiminy Cricket. We’ve been longtime fans of Sbarge’s (especially since he voiced Kaiden in “Mass Effect”), and any return from him here is a case for celebration.

So what brings the Archie character back? We assume that part of it could be a function of Belle having few people left to have a story with. Most of the primary characters are now off in Neverland, and these two are left there with such other faces as Leroy, Red (who will barely be seen this year thanks to Meghan Ory’s new gig), Granny, and Mother Superior. He was seen sporadically during the second season, most notably when he was briefly kidnapped. This led to a little role even for Pongo, the dog made famous in “101 Dalmatians.”

The role of Belle and the town of Storybrooke has remained a closely-guarded secret ever since the start of production, but watch the first episode next week closely. By the time it is over, you’re going to figure out just what the purpose of her remaining in the town is, and there will be some sort of connection between worlds.

What do you think about Sbarge coming back, and are there any other recurring characters that you want to see more of on “Once Upon a Time” season 3? Click here if you want to see more news on a Henry / Regina mystery being resolved, and we’ll be back with more soon.

Photo: ABC