Hi Anon,

When Season 7 airs really doesn’t have too much weight on getting a Season 8.  Personally yes, a year is a long hiatus and hard for a fandom to get through.  But we’ve done it once and if it means I get to see them again, and have more time with this amazing fandom, I’ll do it again.  When we get Season 7 and anything beyond that comes down to money.  Money for Marvel, Money for Disney, Money for ABC.  The will air where they make them the most money.

The biggest issue is securing the cast.  They will not want to take a long break between filming seasons because the cast may want or need to take on other or bigger projects.  If my math is correct they will wrap around SDCC.  If lets say Season 7 Premieres in Jan 2020 and the cast starts filming 8 in Jan/Feb 2020 they’ll be on the same schedule as they were this year.  IE in town for Wondercon and SDCC.  And then Season 8 Could be Fall 2020 or Midseason 2021.

My gut is they will have or be making the decision on Season 8 shortly, while they still have the cast finishing 7 and can work out who/what they need contract wise.  That way the cast and crew knows how long hiatus will be and if they can or need to set up other work in the meantime.  Then throw in if we have an Overlord kind of situation in the works where someone already has a major project lined up and they work their contract around that.

No matter what happens everyone needs to brace themselves.  

Be it that they stand up in Hall H and say 7 is going to be one hell of a final season or that not only is 7 going to be one hell of a Season but so will 8 and beyond.

The other is I have very much prepared myself to start to loose some of the core cast.  Please don’t send me asks on who or what if who leaves what does that mean.  I do not have  a crystal ball nor am I privy to what is going on behind the scenes.  But the fact that we’ve had this core cast for so long is a real rarity in today’s TV.   Some might be ready to move on.  And it’s up to each fan to decide if they want to watch in that case without threatening to burn it all down because their favorite actor has moved on.  If Henry for example decides to be done, wants to spend more time with his family, then we as his fans need to respect that.  

I don’t think they will even attempt a OUAT where a huge chunk of the main cast moves on and they try to carry on with a few old characters and a mess of new ones.

And with the whole Disney Plus thing spin offs are already an option.  Me, I would watch Domestic Fizsimmons safely shopping in IKEA and then putting together a dresser for their babies nursery, the series.