Even though Rick Castle is a civilian, as he is a crime novelist, he and Kate have investigated many crime scenes together and with his intuition, he has able to contribute and help Kate solved a number of cases in the past.
However, with the promotion of Kate into Captain, it appears likely that Rick will be left in the cold, as far as joining a police crime investigation is concerned. But since Kate is now in charge of the police force, and considering her relationship with Rick, it is likely that she will still allow him to take part in a role which he really likes.
That being said, Rick would surely need a partner to work with the force and if speculations are on target, it is likely that he will be working hand-in-hand with Detective Ethan Slaughter, who shall be played by returning actor Adam Baldwin.
Baldwin last appeared in Season 4 of “Castle” and he is likely to rejoin the show during its initial Season 8 episodes as a guest star.
Detective Slaughter is a rough cop who Rick worked and rode with in an episode of “Castle” Season 4 titled “Headhunters,” and rumors have it that the show might play up that partnership for Season 8. There is no official detail yet regarding Baldwin’s upcoming appearance in the show from ABC.
I think that “Castle” has reached it’s “sell by” date. The show has been going downhill since the middle of season 7.
The shabby treatment of Penny Johnson just added insult to injury. What were the writers and show runner thinking?
You do wonder sometimes what they are thinking. The latest comment from show writer Winter, was some of the fans want a Castle baby, the survey they did in June told them that 77% wanted that. He is one of the good showrunners, maybe not so good at listening to the fans.