NATHAN FILLION, STANA KATIC.(ABC/Richard Cartwright)
ABC has said the Castle TV series could continue for a ninth season, without stars Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic. While executive producers Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter are open to a spin-off with new leads, they have made it clear to TV Guide, that they would prefer a ninth season of Castle, with the stars returning.
Fillion developed a devoted fan following, while starring in Joss Whedon’s Firefly — cancelled by FOX, in its first season. The relationship between his character, novelist Richard Castle, and Katic’s NYPD Captain, Kate Beckett, has been heavily featured throughout Castle‘s run. While the network and EPs are considering a spin-off without the pair, will fans be receptive?
Here is more from TV Guide [emphasis ours]:
“If we had our choice, it would be the same cast, it would be the same show,” Hawley tells TVGuide.com “We’ve done some fun stuff this year so that it has a little different energy that could absolutely carry through to a Season 9. But both of us are very invested in this, and we understand that Castle has always been about Beckett and Castle. So the idea of that not happening is daunting, and we’re rooting against that.“
Still, Hawley tells TV Guide he and co-showrunner Winter are “exited” to continue the story, even if the stars depart the long-running crime drama series. The EPs believe there is a “lot of life” left in Castle.
Hawley remains mindful of the fact that the eighth season finale will have to provide some closure for fans, in case Fillion and Katic opt out of a ninth season. He talks to TV Guide about writing a season eight finale for Castle that could serve, if it must, as a Castle series finale, yet teases Castle season nine:
Hawley also suggests that, like last year, the show may have to craft a finale that ends both the season and the series. (“In a perfect world, we’ll have clarity going into the end of the season,” he says. “Obviously, there wasn’t clarity last season until the very, very end.”) But Hawley says that wrapping up ongoing mysteries — including Castle’s missing time and Season 8’s LokSat saga — was always the plan.
“LokSat is definitely getting resolved at the end of this year,” Hawley says. “Our hope was to take all the threads — the conspiracies, Sen. Bracken, Castle’s missing time– and really tie them off in a compelling, satisfying way, so that in Season 9 we can tell really compelling standalone stories and leave the conspiracy part of it behind. I think ultimately those stories are about played-out.”
Are you a fan of ABC’s Castle TV show? Do you hope that Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic return for a ninth season? What do you think about a spin-off, without the stars? Sound off, in the comments.
Would like to see castle renewed for another season. And yes would like to see it go back to more of the original style. Solving crimes and the good banter between everyone. Maybe adding the daughter more.
this season has been bad they should cancel the show
as stana and tamala have both been fired by abc this show is supposed to be about kate being ricks muse so what happens to rick writting new books
I love Castle & hope both Nathan Fillion & Stana Katic stay.
Love this show. Want to tie up loose ends. Want one more season selfishly
This show has been terrible for the last couple of seasons. I hope they cancel it instead of dragging this garbage on.
This is a great show and without the entire crew you might as well cancel.
without Castle and Beckett, I would not watch the show!
The writing this season has been great, with many memorable stories; I love all of the characters as always. They have evolved, just as people would in real life. I can’t imagine TV without Castle!!!
I have enjoyed watching Castle since its beginning, even this season which hasn’t been their best(the last two episodes were very good). So i hope they will be returning for a ninth season and more. I would like to say that the contracts of the actors are I believe the issues but i would just like to remind the actors that it was the fans that made them popular and that now they are not satisfied with their salaries or whatever but many actors have left popular shows thinking they could do better and make more money only to find… Read more »
I would love to see Castle come back for a ninth season with stand alone stories. The stories this season were mostly awful or played out too long. The reason people like Castle is for the relationship between Castle and Beckett, with a great cast around them. If we wanted Caskett to break up we probably wouldn’t watch!, it would be just another cop show. How the execs missed this, I don’t know! Get them back together and explore other stories. There is a nice cast that fit so well together, have some stories with them. From where I stand… Read more »
The show slide downward with Beckett as Captain, not as involved. Stana probably wanted less time on the show, not wanting to really be on the set. I’ve always enjoyed the C/B first 3 years of “the chase”. The last two years of stories were not as good — problems on the set??? I really enjoy Nathan, Seamus, and Jon. Seamus is a character!
It is clear to me, that the new showrunners (TPW&AH) couldn’t (weren’t able) continue this show. The biggest problem for them was to create a simple story with interesting dialogues with usual banter of characters, witty conversation and interesting crime puzzle
Instead of this, we had a senseless tragedy and a lot tragic and apthetic dialogues.
PS
Without this leads, the show doesn’t exist – every spin-off fails
Hello. I totally agree. It’s time to close the conspiracy part and have a new story in season 9, but no spinoff, please… Rick & Kate are truly in the heart of the show. It’s time for them to build a family: after all they are not getting younger. It’s time. Luis, Portugal
Castle and Beckett are the reason I watch the show. It wouldn’t be the same without them. I’m done with LokSat. I want C/B back working together.I hope the series is not cancelled. Alexis needs to stay younger…geared more towards college.
I’m sorry………you’re thinking of bringing back Castle without BOTH Castle and Beckett??? What on earth are you smoking??? How does that even work? You still gonna call it Castle? LOL!!!!!!!!
Please keep Castle on with the original cast members. It is a great show, I have watched it since the beginning. The whole cast compliments each
other. The plot lines are always good and they
also add those touches of humor that are great extras to the story line.
Please don’t cancel, if Bones can keep going so can Castle.