diff --git a/pandas/core/indexes/base.py b/pandas/core/indexes/base.py
index b42bbdafcab45..af04a846ed787 100644
--- a/pandas/core/indexes/base.py
+++ b/pandas/core/indexes/base.py
@@ -1114,7 +1114,7 @@ def to_series(self, index=None, name=None):
         if name is None:
             name = self.name
 
-        return Series(self._to_embed(), index=index, name=name)
+        return Series(self.values.copy(), index=index, name=name)
 
     def to_frame(self, index=True, name=None):
         """
@@ -1177,18 +1177,6 @@ def to_frame(self, index=True, name=None):
             result.index = self
         return result
 
-    def _to_embed(self, keep_tz=False, dtype=None):
-        """
-        *this is an internal non-public method*
-
-        return an array repr of this object, potentially casting to object
-
-        """
-        if dtype is not None:
-            return self.astype(dtype)._to_embed(keep_tz=keep_tz)
-
-        return self.values.copy()
-
     _index_shared_docs['astype'] = """
         Create an Index with values cast to dtypes. The class of a new Index
         is determined by dtype. When conversion is impossible, a ValueError
diff --git a/pandas/core/indexes/datetimes.py b/pandas/core/indexes/datetimes.py
index 9b00f21668bf5..a6cdaa0c2163a 100644
--- a/pandas/core/indexes/datetimes.py
+++ b/pandas/core/indexes/datetimes.py
@@ -665,23 +665,13 @@ def to_series(self, keep_tz=False, index=None, name=None):
         if name is None:
             name = self.name
 
-        return Series(self._to_embed(keep_tz), index=index, name=name)
-
-    def _to_embed(self, keep_tz=False, dtype=None):
-        """
-        return an array repr of this object, potentially casting to object
-
-        This is for internal compat
-        """
-        if dtype is not None:
-            return self.astype(dtype)._to_embed(keep_tz=keep_tz)
-
         if keep_tz and self.tz is not None:
-
             # preserve the tz & copy
-            return self.copy(deep=True)
+            values = self.copy(deep=True)
+        else:
+            values = self.values.copy()
 
-        return self.values.copy()
+        return Series(values, index=index, name=name)
 
     def to_period(self, freq=None):
         """
diff --git a/pandas/core/indexes/period.py b/pandas/core/indexes/period.py
index 0f86e18103e3c..969391569ce50 100644
--- a/pandas/core/indexes/period.py
+++ b/pandas/core/indexes/period.py
@@ -365,16 +365,6 @@ def __array_wrap__(self, result, context=None):
         # cannot pass _simple_new as it is
         return self._shallow_copy(result, freq=self.freq, name=self.name)
 
-    def _to_embed(self, keep_tz=False, dtype=None):
-        """
-        return an array repr of this object, potentially casting to object
-        """
-
-        if dtype is not None:
-            return self.astype(dtype)._to_embed(keep_tz=keep_tz)
-
-        return self.astype(object).values
-
     @property
     def size(self):
         # Avoid materializing self._values