Get ready for a giant shakeup when "Once Upon a Time" returns to ABC.
Not only will the show return on a new night — Fridays — but much of the beloved cast fans know will be gone. After the season six finale, six of the longtime cast members left the show paving the way for plenty of new faces.
How will the new season look without Emma Swan, Snow White, Prince Charming, and more? Keep reading to see what to expect when the fairy-tale show returns to TV October 6.
Many familiar faces will be gone from the show.
In May, Jennifer Morrison told fans on Facebook she would be leaving the show after six seasons of playing Emma Swan. After the season six finale, five more actors followed suit when their contracts ended.
The other characters who will be gone next season are Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin), Prince Charming (Josh Dallas), Henry (Jared S. Gilmore), Belle (Emilie de Raven), and Zelena (Rebecca Mader).
But it won't be the last time we see them all.
Morrison already told fans she'll be back for at least one episode. Emma Swan just found her happy ending at the end of season six, so her complete absence while her husband Hook remains on the show would be a bit weird.
Other than Morrison, Jared Gilmore will return briefly as a young Henry when the season begins. Belle (Emilie de Ravin) will reunite with her love interest Rumple for the season's fourth episode and Regina's sister Zelena (Rebecca Mader) will be a recurring character.
In May, coshowrunner Edward Kitsis said they hope to see every one back at some point.
Overall, season seven will be a giant reset button for the show.
The season six finale gave a glimpse at a very different show with a flash forward in time.
Showrunners Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis are careful to say it's not a reboot.
"I hesitate to use the word 'reboot.' We’re more thinking about it as a hybrid of a lot of things," Kitsis told The Hollywood Reporter. "We’re paying homage to the original premise, but there are certain characters who are returning and some who are not."
Dungey, however, explained it as just that at the ABC upfront in May.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider