‘Once Upon a Time’ isn’t canceled — or close to it — despite ‘rumors’

Welcome to this latest edition of “putting out internet fires,” where the mission is simply that — we try to put out some of the ridiculous rumors that are floating around the internet like a bad smell.

For one reason or another, some of the most popular ones always do tend circle around the idea that certain shows are getting canceled, even if there is little to no evidence of it. Today, the latest example of that is “Once Upon a Time” on ABC.

We should start this by acknowledging that ratings are in fact down versus season 5 — actually, they are down by more than 20% in the key 18-49 demographic in the live+same-day numbers. We’re not going to lie, that’s not good, and it’s hardly as though the show’s ratings were ever stellar to begin with last season. The show had a bit of a resurgence commercially back when “Frozen” was a part of the tapestry a couple of years ago, and since that time it’s only fallen further into the abyss.

Yet, we need to take things into perspective before starting to take into account unfounded rumors. This is a show that is still ABC’s #1 Sunday show, and it’s really not even close. It also does cater to a family crowd, which is a very valuable market since these are often people with money to burn. The network as a whole is in the midst of a year in the doldrums, given that “Conviction” did not work, “Agents of SHIELD” is consistently low, “Designated Survivor” is falling, “Notorious” is effectively canceled, and “Shark Tank” is not the hit it once was. Beyond “Grey’s Anatomy” and “How to Get Away with Murder,” it is hard to find a drama series on the ABC schedule that performed better.

At the very least, we anticipate a seventh and potentially final season coming onto ABC in the new year, and one that could serve to tie together several different stories. Maybe we will get a chance to learn some other news in terms of that in the spring, which tends to be when networks make their renewal / cancellation decisions.

For now, take a deep breath — unless the ratings for the show go off a cliff, we don’t imagine any dramatic changes coming for “Once Upon a Time” in the near future.

Now, a bit of fun. If you missed it, head over here to take a look at what each “Once Upon a Time” character should receive in our new Christmas-gift series. (Photo: ABC.)