'Once Upon A Time' Isn't Over Just Because Jennifer Morrison's Leaving

On Monday morning, Once Upon a Time star Jennifer Morrison announced that her contract with the show would be complete after Season 6, and that she won't be returning for an additional season. Without it's lead star, fans may be curious if Once Upon a Time will be canceled, or if it's going to return for Season 7 without Morrison. According to E! News, another season has not yet been ordered by ABC, but that doesn't necessarily mean the show is coming to an end. (Bustle has reached out to ABC for comment, but has not yet received a response.)

Morrison revealed the news that she was not returning to the hit series on Instagram. The actor shared a photo along with a caption that reads,

As I reached the end of my 6 year contract on Once Upon a Time, I was faced with a significant decision. ABC, Eddy Kitsis, and Adam Horowitz very generously invited me to continue as a series regular. After very careful consideration, I have decided that creatively and personally, it is time for me to move on. I will be forever grateful to Adam, Eddy, and ABC for giving me the gift of playing Emma Swan.

The surprising news comes just a week before the two-hour Season 6 finale of Once Upon a Time airs next Sunday, May 14. According to TV Line, all four of the original cast members have contracts that expire at the end of Season 6, and two new characters are being introduced in the upcoming finale as part of a narrative "reset," according to the series' co-creators.

"If ABC Network does in fact order a Season 7," Morrison said in her Instagram caption, "I have agreed to appear in one episode, and I will most certainly continue to watch Once Upon a Time. The creativity of the show runners has always inspired me, and I cannot wait to see the ways that they continue to develop and reinvent the show."

Executive producer Adam Horowitz recently hinted to E! News that there could be another season. "I think the way we sort of look at it is these are stories for these characters and there are set end points to different stories but that doesn't mean that there aren't new stories for different characters," he explained. "So I think that by the end of the season finale, a lot of what we've been doing for the last six years is wrapped up in a very satisfying way and then we move forward in a way that at the end of it, hopefully you'll see what we're hoping to do in Season 7."

Unfortunately it looks like we'll just have to wait and see whether or not ABC orders another season of Once Upon a Time. One thing is for sure though, it certainly won't be the same without Morrison.