I think that Emma is not coming back and i am not sure if i want to watch this show without Emma. I don't think they can replace Emma with a male character even if it is a grown up Henry. I think that is a huge mistake. I wouldn't mind if they got rid of all the side characters like Hook, Zelena, and Belle. Rumpel could go because he has been completely disconnected from the plot for awhile, since they killed Neal.

It might not be as drastic as all that though. If it is just Jennifer Morrison, Emma, who leaves and not everyone else, then maybe the show could survive. I, personally, don't think it can. I don't think you can kill your main character and survive it, but these writers are stupid enough to try. Emma is the only new fairytale character, the only regular person. They already made the huge mistake of killing Neal. To then kill or get rid of Emma somehow would be just as big of a mistake. That would leave Henry as the only new fairytale character and he cannot take Emma's place.

Yeah, I agree that the show still needs to revolve around the one, non-fairytale character, and I'm not interested in seeing a grown up Henry (never cared for Henry in the first place, lol). I mainly only watch the show for Emma & Hook and Rumple at this point, so with those elements gone, I probably won't even bother. We'll see, I guess. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised, but after numerous writing disappointments and this late in the game, I'm not holding my breath.

I also agree that this is most likely happening because of Jennifer Morrison. I completely understand her wanting to move on, but her departure is the only thing that would force a divergence from the current formula (since everything revolves around Emma pretty much). I also get the feeling that Robert Carlyle doesn't intend to continue either. They'll probably write off Hook, Belle, Snow, and Charming along with Emma.

I, also, have a hard time seeing how they keep Snow and Charming if they lose Emma. Snow and Charming haven't had a plot in years. Hook has no connection outside of Emma, but i could see them just rewriting him. They have done it before. Especially if Emma dies.

I think Robert thinks the show has gone off the rails, just like Jennifer Morrison does, but Robert has kids and they go to school there and i could see him hanging around just because of all that. Who knows. I think he could go either way. This is an easy job, where they give him time off when he wants and he doesn't have to do a lot.

Jennifer Morrison wants to do other projects though and Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas have kids and might want to be near home. They also might want to have a job where they can work together. It could just be a couple or a lot. We don't have enough information. It, also, could end up being nothing because they are renegotiating contracts and there is value in the show saying they could move on without her and there is value in her saying she has other projects she wants to do, so she could just move on.

Emma is the heart of the show. They should kill off fairy tale characters. They should've killed off Rumple in Season 3, Regina in Season 2, Hook in Season 5, and Neal should've been kept alive and Emma's love interest after helping her deal with Hooks death, or something like that. Robin should've died in Season 6. That would make a death a season of a protagonist of a sorts, if you include Graham from S1.

This show would have more repercussions and intensity then. TBH, IMHO, Season 4 was the worst because nothing changed from the beginning to the end other than Emma becoming the dark one. That should've been the end to Season 3 other than Elsa, and Season 4 cut entirely. This show needs some serious editing, maybe someone could do that after the show finishes to try and erase/fix everything that toppled over its shoulders since mid Season 3 (although, it was my favorite season).

Can't see a new main character.

No it needs a season 7 and if emma and the others have to leave to push the story forward i wouldnt mind i will still like it.I wouldnt stop watching a show if they decide to get rid of the main character.

"Take the show in a new direction" is almost never a good sign.

Pirouette028~Ah, I appreciate links to these articles, very "insider"!!

This show is right up my alley, but it should have been a mini-series. I really don't like long series' that wind down, or drain out after so long. It's lackluster, but I keep watching because of the Hope that something will Spark again. It doesn't. I may watch it to the end, just to make sure I didn't miss a wonderful story. I have watched some very short run series that weren't sure if they would be canceled, and the ending is dreadful. That's why I prefer a nice, long mini-series, like The 10th Kingdom, Tin Man, and even OUaTin Wonderland, or a Feature Movie.

I HATE writers pandering to fans. It looks good on paper, but it diverts from original idea and then panders to one side of fandom but disappoints the other sectors of fandom and isn't cohesive to jump from one rise from fans, to another.

Don't give me what "I" want! Thrill and amaze me with your creative genius instead. If I (a fan) could write anything good enough to show, I'd be writing shows instead of watching❤

I definitely think these writers have made huge mistakes by changing their original intention. It has made the show pretty convoluted. The writers have even said stuff like they changed things because the audience figured it out. The audience should figure stuff out if they are watching closely enough. That isn't a sign of bad writing, but a sign of good foreshadowing.

They also talked about in Season 2 how the ABC execs would ask them to add Hook to scenes that it makes no sense that he would be in. That seems to have lead to some weird things like Emma and Hook dating, Charming and Hook having scenes, Belle who Hook has tried to murder a couple times having scenes, and in the last episode Hook going to ask Archie for advice when Hook kidnapped him and tied him up and threatened him with a gun the only other time they met. It just makes the show weird.

I agree about the mini series, idea. I think this show could have worked as a continuation of the same characters throughout the run, but not with these writers. Season 1 was good and Once in Wonderland was good, but the writers seem to not understand how to run a long term show because they just don't know how to write proper character motivation, with pay off and consequences, so the things the characters do are just really out of character all the time.

Decarus, exactly👍🏼