On Earth, talented young people are being captured by a mysterious force dubbed the Talent Thief. The Winx, trying to avoid being seen as fairies, have to go undercover as talent scouts for WOW!, a Reality Talent Show hosted by a fellow named Ace in order to find out who is behind the abductions and rescue the captives.
In the second season, the Winx no longer work for WOW! as talent scouts, but as pop stars who form a band and take the world by storm for years. They also receive new missions from the Spirit of the World of Dreams, while simultaneously facing a jealous music critic who is intent on sabotaging their concerts.
As with the original series, there is a recap page here.
This show provides examples of:
- Alternate Continuity: Definitely the case, seeing how in the original series, people on Earth are aware of the fact that the Winx are fairies, unlike in this series.
- Amazon Brigade: The Winx Club, like in the original series.
- Ambiguously Brown: Both Flora and Aisha have noticeably lighter skin tones when compared to the original series, but especially Flora.
- And I'm the Queen of Sheba: Ace's response when Lorelei tries to expose the Winx as fairies.Lorelei:: I have some killer news! The Winx are fairies!Ace: (laughing hysterically) Yeah, okay, and I'm the Wizard of WOW!
- Animation Bump: This series is so fluidly animated, particularly when compared to the more recent seasons of the original show.
- Art Evolution: From classic Winx style to what has been identified as Winx Fairy Couture.
- Back-to-Back Badasses: Bloom and Jim fight this way when surrounded by the zombie pirates in 1x12.
- Badass Longcoat: The Winx tend to wear these over their spy catsuits in season 2.
- Badass Normal: Early on, the Winx are able to hold their own against what looks like a mutated crocodile without using magic. They're generally quite capable without magic, often relying on hand-to-hand combat and impressive feats of acrobatics to fight while maintaining their true identities a secret.
- Beach Episode: Has one where the Winx (sans Bloom) go to Santa Monica, California to find new talents.
- Big Bad: The Queen/Tinkerbell (Season 1)
- Jim/Captain Hook (Season 2)
- Venomya/Baba Yaga was to be this for Season 3.
- Book Ends: The first season begins with Bloom reminding the Winx they have to pass off as normal girls; Season 2 ends with their identities finally revealed to the world.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Bloom does this a few times, including once during an intense battle. A single spotlight shines on her as the scene pauses and she looks into the camera and gives her commentary on what is going on.
- By the Power of Grayskull!: Averted this time.
- Calling Your Attacks: Notably averted compared to the original show.
- Changing Clothes Is a Free Action: Several times, most notably when Stella changes into a journalist outfit in the blink of an eye simply by standing on an elevated platform as the clothes materialize on her.
- Casts No Shadow: Bloom notices this about Sophie. Later, it is revealed that the reason for this is because the real Sophie was kidnapped and replaced with a shapeshifting shadow creature.
- Catchphrase: "Let's Find . . . That . . . TALENT!"
- Cliffhanger: Both seasons end in major cliffhangers. Season 1 ends with the revelation that Jim is actually Captain Hook, and a villain trying to take over the World of Dreams. Season 2 ends with the revelation that the music critic who's been sabotaging the Winx is actually Baba Yaga, who is getting ready to summon her coven of witches to go to war with fairies.
- Continuity Snarl: The Winx didn't have to hide their fairy identities in the original show, and the fourth season even had them show their identities on Earth while trying to get the people to believe in the existence of fairies as well.
- Cool Car: The Winxmobile, a van capable of changing form.
- The Ditz: Lorelei, Bloom's replacement as co-host of WOW, tends to be rather bubbly...which is the best thing you can say about her.
- Eye Awaken: A few of these are seen during the Winx's Dreamix transformations.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: In the Season 2 finale as the Winx are planning to take the stage, there is a brief cut to the audience; Venomya is nowhere to be seen, giving way what's going to happen next.
- Foreshadowing: Throughout Season 2 Venomya acted unnecessary hostile, to the Winx Fairies even though she should be neutral as a journalist. At the end of Season 2 she is revealed to be the witch Baba Jaga, and witches are naturally hostile to fairies.
- Harsh Talent Show Judge: The Talent Show Wow! has two judges, Cliff and Margot. The latter's shtick can be summed up as destructive criticism — she's extremely hard to please, always nitpicking and looking for the smallest of flaws in the contestants' performances.
- Hypnotic Eyes: The mermaids in "Mermaids on Earth" use these to get the people of earth to do their bidding.
- In Medias Res: The Winx had been on Earth for a few months in the first episode.
- Large Ham: Ace, the host of WOW the reality show, tends to be bombastic.
- Left Hanging: Due to the spinoff being cancelled in favor of the eighth season of the main show.
- Living a Double Life:
- The Winx's undercover mission involves posing as talent scouts and trying their best to blend in as normal human girls while hiding their fairy identities from most humans around them.
- Season 2 has a similar subplot, with the Winx struggling to complete their mission while avoiding hordes of adoring fans and the public attention that comes with being famous superstars.
- Making a Splash: Aisha's main method of attacking enemies, in stark contrast with her powers on the main show, which mostly involves Morphix, a moldable pink substance.
- Mood Whiplash: Just like the original show, every time an episode ends rather darkly, followed by the happy ending tune. Unlike the original however, there is no "On the Next" segment which precedes such, playing this completely straight.
- Ms. Fanservice: The Winx Club members tend to wear revealing outfits as always, but this series brought something completely new to the table. The Dreamix transformation is basically a skintight & glittery jumpsuit follow by decent amounts of Male Gaze moments.
- Mythology Gag: While searching through Wendy's room in "A Hero Will Come", Bloom comes across the Willblade from Iginio Straffi's previous series, Huntik.
- No Ending: The series ended on a Cliffhanger due to cancellation.
- Oh, Crap!: The season 2 finale closes with a shot of Bloom's horrified face, upon learning Venomya's true nature.
- Our Mermaids Are Different: Mermaids in this universe can hypnotize humans via eye contact, shapeshift into human form at will and easily travel between worlds through bodies of liquid, but do not have wings or the ability to fly like those on the main show.
- Our Zombies Are Different: The Zombie Pirates can switch from human to zombie and can use their hooked ropes as Combat Tentacles.
- Part-Time Hero: The Winx maintain the cover that they're normal talent scouts while hiding the fact that they're fairies.
- Power Gives You Wings: In true Winx style, near the end of the first episode, the girls gain new powers in the form of a new fairy form, complete with fairy wings and sparkly outfits, later dubbed 'Dreamix' by Stella.
- Onyrix is this for season 2.
- Put on a Bus: The Specialists, Alfea College and... well, everyone except the Winx fairies and Artu.
- Ace, Margot and Cliff by Season 2 are nowhere to be seen. Not to mention Evans and Gomez.
- Roxy disappears in Season 2 for no explanation.
- The Reveal:
- Midway through Season 1, the Talent Thief is revealed to be the Queen of the World of Dreams, who kidnaps young talents to use for her power.
- At the end of season one, the Queen of the World of Dreams is revealed to be Tinkerbell, Jim is revealed to be Captain Hook and Season 2's main foe, and the World of Dreams is revealed to be Neverland.
- Season two ends with the reveal that Venomya, the persistent music critic who's been stalking and sabotaging the Winx all season, is in fact Baba Yaga, a witch with a grudge against fairies.
- Sequel Hook: The second season ends with the Winx's identities revealed to the world by Venomya and Bloom learning she's Baba Yaga, setting her up as the Arc Villain for a potential third season.
- Secret Identity: The Winx have to keep their identities as fairies a secret from everyone on Earth.
- Secret-Keeper:
- In Season 1, Roxy was the only one in on the girls' fairy lives.
- As of the second episode, Annabelle becomes the first of the talents who knows the Winx's identities.
- Seeing Through Another's Eyes: Roxy gains the ability to see through the eyes of Arthur, so she can witness what he's seeing.
- Show Within a Show: "WOW!" hosted by Ace with the Winx as talent scouts counts as one.
- So Last Season: Season 2 replaces Dreamix with Onyrix as the new transformation.
- Spy Catsuit: The Winx sport these when not acting as TV stars.
- Sudden Name Change: Roxy's dog, Artu, is named Arthur here.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: When Lorelei caught the Winx in their fairy forms and tried to tell Ace but he didn't believe her, she didn't take a picture or video of the girls when calling, which is what would've been a way to get proper proof. Also, the drones were sunken and shorted out, leaving them safe and unseen. Venomya, on the other hand, does a more proper job at exposing the Winx, by taking photos of themselves and their clones and sending them to the news, and revealing their identities on live TV.
- Take a Third Option: In "Jim's Revenge", the Winx can either answer the Spirit's urgent message and head for the World of Dreams, or stay in New York and attain to their panicking crowd. Bloom decides to take a last-minute third choice; while she and the Winx head for the World of Dreams, she creates a diversion and makes clones of themselves to keep the crowd happy.
- Trailers Always Spoil: Anyone who saw the initial press releases and trailers knew long before the show aired that The Queen was Tinkerbell and World of Dreams is Neverland.
- Transformation Name Announcement: Averted, being one of the things that sets it apart from the main show.
- Transformation Sequence: For Dreamix.
- Come Season 2, there's one for Onyrix.
- The Unmasking: Near the end of season 2, Venomya exposes the Winx's real identities as fairies to the entire world during one of their band's live broadcasts. Then she does it to herself to Bloom, revealing she is the witch, Baba Yaga.
- We Need a Distraction: Generally the case for the girls to lure the WOW! crew away so they don't see them sneak off to attain to whatever disaster is going on, to avoid getting their fairy identities exposed.
- Who's Laughing Now?: Played for laughs between Aisha and Tecna. Aisha (being the most athletic) curbstomps Tecna in a one-on-one game of basketball while mocking her. Immediately in the next scene, Tecna (being the most tech-savvy) curbstomps Aisha in a basketball videogame while wearing a hilarious troll face as Aisha struggles with the controls.
