Low but steady? If you get rid of any of our main characters there specific fanbases will be leaving with them.
Yes, low but steady. For example, we did not fall in between 6A and 6B. We actually rose from 5B to 6A. Over the course of 6A we only lost .4 in the demo (not great, but not tragic).
Like the Grim Reaper said, it’s still the highest rated non-TGIT show. That does count for something. You’re looking at this through a fan lens–if X character leave, the fan base leaves. But not all viewers are part of a fan base, and not all fans are tied to one specific character or ship. ABC has a history of not looking at fanbases. Again, I cite Castle as an example. You can also think about Grey’s Anatomy killing off Derek (because Dempsey wanted off the show, much like some of our cast on OUAT potentially) and ending MerDer, the most popular ship on the show, the basis for a lot of the show, and the reason Grey’s was such a monster smash hit for so long…and it’s still doing just fine.
You need to look at the whole ABC board, not just this show and this fanbase. ABC can, in theory, cancel everything. But they have to have stuff in their back pocket to replace all that with. Already they’ve lost two new dramas (Notorious and Conviction), probably losing 2 two season dramas (Secrets and Lies and Quantico), probably losing another new drama at the end of its run (Time After Time), and possibly losing a show that’s 4 seasons long (Agents of Shield). The only “hit” they’ve had this year was Designated Survivor and that’s not doing gangbusters.
I also think you’re underestimating the power of curiosity. In another thread I asked who would stick around if a majority of the cast left. Most of the responses were “I’ve been with it this long, I’ll stay if only just to see how it plays out.” Sure, there are some who would never come back (ABC can look to Sleepy Hollow to see how losing a major characters hurt that show) but there are those who would stick around to see how it plays out, again because they aren’t tied to a specific fan base or character and are more invested in the overall story.
I also think it needs to be stressed that only ABC, A and E, and the actors know who actually wants off. What we have is speculation. It could be that it’s only one or two actors or even none at all if A and E can pitch them something worthy of their time and talent.
Now, with all that said, I think they should absolutely end it at the end of this year. I think torturing it for another year is nonsense. I think A and E are a bit naive if they think people will be as enthusiastic for a show that has a whole new cast. But this is a business and ABC needs to keep the lights on. They renewed TGIT, probably will renew most of their Wednesday comedies, but that still leaves Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday to deal with.