So let's assume Bea is really dead..

Joan as the central character would not work. They have made her too evil, too irredeemable. I know shows have been centred around villains before, very successfully, but I don't think this is that show, or that Joan is that character. They sure as hell cannot subject us to another season with her as a prisoner in Wentworth. Not only would it be tedious, it would be super ridiculously unbelievable. The women would lynch her within 5 minutes once they find out what she did to Bea. They'd have to put her back in protection full time and where is the drama in that? IMO, they should've had Bea and Joan kill each and put an end to it. For me the character is spent, there is nowhere else to go with her except down.

I also don't see NdS returning full time. I think if that was going to happen they'd have had Franky sprung with the gun and arrested in the season finale. The thought of Franky being back for good might've softened the blow soemwhat for some viewers who were upset about what happened to Bea. I think is she returns at all, it'll still be in a limited role.

Surely the new protagonist cannot be Kaz! I can see people switching off in droves if that's the case, lol. Guess it could be Allie. They obviously kept her alive for a reason. When you think about it, her story somewhat parallels Bea's in that they both suffered a heartbreaking loss at the end of their first season in the show and now Allie will probably be after Ferguson's blood and so the vengeance baton will have been passed onto another character.

Sonia will obviously be a big player but it's hard to work out who she will butt heads with. Sonia vs. Kaz doesn't quite have the same appeal as Queen Bea vs. the Freak, does it?

Feed me a stray cat

I don't think they will have anyone step up as the main character, if not Franky returns to prison (hope not, I need someone to do well). I think they want this to be more of an ensemble show now. The producers probably think that this way it can live on longer and not depend on one character. The problem is, they built this show around Bea and her experience and they have not done a good job replacing her with someone else.

Franky being put on the back burner for S4 worked because Bea was still around, but I'm not sure how interesting the show will be without the two best developed and engaging characters. People will probably tune in at the beginning of season five, but will they stick around?

Proctor was being set up to be the main character

I think Kate Atkinson (Vera) may get top billing, possibly Rabe. But I think they're going to try and make Allie Bea's protagonist replacement. I think they will use Kaz as the main antagonist to help her carry the dramatic load, and they may go after Ferguson together. Both for their own personal reasons.

I watched the Lady Parts Vlog Kate Jenkinson interview and I couldn't help but think to myself "this chick just stole Dan's gig". lol I think the show has screwed up big time with this move. They're taking Cormack for granted (STILL PIZZED ABOUT THIS). She's carried so much of the dramatic weight on that show, whether in a scene with others or alone. But she does it in a way that makes everyone look good. I think Jenkinson is a decent actress and the Bea/Allie chemistry was phenomenal, but IMO Cormack's presence flattered her. She's really not that great of an actress to me, certainly not good enough to replace Cormack. Unless they've got some diversionary tricks up their sleeve the audience is going to notice a huge void right away next season.

Following what you said - let's assume Bea is really dead. The reason given by the masterminds of the show for writing Bea out is that they don't want her to become boring and she wants to leave on a high. But if she is dead and leaves on a high, the show is going to be there on a low, so to speak. The show is going to be a little boring to begin with and it will be difficult to hold a viewer's interest because of the same reasons you said that the characters are not strong enough. None of them were properly groomed to hold enough interest. Without Bea and if Franky returns, the show can even become redundant. Franky was there already, she fought and fought and now she is out of prison. Why bring her back to do the same things again? That would be boring.
Honestly I cannot stand the character Kaz. She does not add any value to the show. She does not have any clear or compelling motives. only hate drives her for no realistic reasons, more like silly temper tantrums. Why should viewers really care and invest in Kaz? Boomer is a puppy and a follower she is not a leader. Liz, Doreen, Maxine, Allie and the rest are just supporters and not main characters and I don't think they have enough to develop into that. So what now? They bring in new members and a new main character and expect viewers to be drawn in because that main character will be instantly more beloved than Bea Smith? That is something you need to develop just like I liked Franky more than Bea but then come season 2 and 3 it was Bea for me. Now if they developed Kaz better or someone else, I wouldn't mind if Bea died. I would have something to look forward to. This is simple common sense and logic. The series would have ended on a high and continued. But not if Bea Smith is dead.

If Bea is really dead (Which I hope not), why not introduce some more characters from the original show in leading roles with in depth flashbacks given to each character as they did for Bea, Doreen, Franky etc in season 1.

Rita Connors was a biker who became Top Dog introducing her to go up against the Freak could be compelling viewing as she was just as ferocious as Queen Bea, I’d also love to see Judy Bryant, Reb Keane and Chrissie Latham included in the show, there was also Jock Stewart, a male version of the Freak from the original show too I’d love to see come into it in later seasons.

In the original he preceded Ferguson but was a nasty piece of work much like her.

Anyone but Kaz.

made this thread on reddit and i have more scars than Matthew Fletcher trying to cross the street. i thought it would be interesting to see it more from Vera's pov. Also Liz as the 'prison mom' to so many people now with Sonia to deal w/