Fans of ABC’s “Castle” would have to wait for less than a month more before the show returns for the rest of Season 8.
ABC has moved the show’s midseason premiere to February 1. Initially, it was scheduled to premiere on January 4, but the network released a statement that the crime procedural comedy-drama TV series would return a month later due to the network prioritizing “Bachelor Live.”
The change in the schedule has prompted fans to worry that ABC is already contemplating of axing the show and not renew it for a ninth season.
It looks like it is a done deal already as showrunners are also embracing acceptance with regards to the fate of the show.
In an interview with TV Line, co-showrunner Alexi Hawley revealed that they honestly have no idea if the show would be renewed for another season or not.
Hawley states that the reality of it is that network execs take too long to decide if they are going to axe a show or not given that there are many things to consider aside from ratings.
Up until now, ABC hasn’t given any statement if “Castle” will come back for Season 9 so the showrunners are treating the season as if it’s going to be the show’s last.
For this, Hawley said that the treatment for Season 8’s finale episode, and the rest of Season 8 for that matter, will feel as if it will be the series’ finale.
Hawley says that it was the same thing they did last year when “Castle” was a toss-up for renewal or cancellation. Since last season, the show was taking a dip in ratings hence barely making it out of the list of shows that got chopped off last year.
Fans thought that Season 7 would be the last for the series, but were all surprised when ABC renewed the TV series again for Season 8. Some fans are now saying that this will also be the case this time around and that “Castle” will probably see another season.
Also, the executive producers had to resort to a season finale last season that seemed to have wrapped up things since the contracts of lead stars Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic expired by the end of the seventh season.
At that time, Katic was unsure whether she will stay with the show or not, but both stars only renewed their contracts the minute the show was renewed for an eighth season.
Hawley says that episode 22 of Season 8 will feel like the show’s ending as it ties up all loose ends and wraps up the story of series leads Rick Castle and Kate Beckett.
Although, there still remains a glimmer of hope from the showrunners, Hawley says that the despite the goodbye feeling of the upcoming season finale, it will still leave some room for another season in case ABC decides to renew it for one more season.
The executive producer adds that what they are focusing right now is planning a satisfying story to wrap up the show so that fans could enjoy it if it will be indeed the last season.
“Castle” returns on February 1 and will air 14 more episodes every Monday. The midseason premiere titled ‘Tone Death’ will finally feature the much-awaited reunion of the husband and wife tandem.
During the midseason finale, Rick and Kate finally set aside their differences and got back together to the delight of their fans.
Entertainment Weekly reports that when the show comes back, the pair will work together to solve a murder case.
EW states that the episode title is actually a nod to the film “Pitch Perfect” and the episode will actually feature an acapella group.
Castle and Beckett will be tapped to investigate when a member of an acapella group is found dead. The case will be the first time the two will be working together after a long time.
Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion both won PCA for their roles. The show itself did not. This is very telling. Showrunners….please do the math.
There are a great many fans who want this show to continue and would eagerly tune back in if they would just stop messing with the Kate-Castle relationship and allow it to evolve naturally. Every time they mess with their relationship, ratings drop. When there is even a hope of them getting together, ratings inrease. Even in my twisted corner of the universe, 2+2=4. Together…good. Separated…bad. Its not rocket science.
If the showrunners don’t know how to write exciting stories with them as a happily married couple, then the network needs to hire someone who can. This show still has a lot of life left in it. The PCA awards clearly demonstrate that the fan base is still there. The fact that the ratings are as so low can only mean one thing…there is something wrong with the story. With the extended hiatus, there has been plenty of time for the showrunners to fix things and boost the ratings, however, judging by the media releases I’ve read, it sounds as though the showrunners are stubbornly sticking to their ill-fated storyline. In the infamous words of John C. Maxwell…”A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them”.
Well said. The CASKETT chemistry, combining drama, comedy, and passionate partnership, is the show’s success! Let’s hope the decision makers use your comments, along with thousands of other fans, like a focus group, and change the storyline, or get new story tellers!
Agree totally. Latest news is that Gerald McRaney is going to appear in a short multi- episode story line where he is the head of a super secret PI organization. Makes you wonder if they are creating an “out” from their pathetic current situation or just trying to see how many story lines they can have going at the same time. The “out” could possibly be great to get both Castle and Beckett in the PI organization so that they can work together 24/7 without NYPD red tape and Beckett could forget the problems in keeping Castle away from the 12th.