Castle Promo for Stana Katic's Exit Teases Tragic End to 'Epic Love Story' 

Everything ends in tragedy — even an epic love story like yours

That is what a nefarious character (LokSat?) says to Rick in the promo for

‘s Season 8 finale aka leading lady Stana Katic’s final episode.

Castle‘s Nathan Fillion Set for Potential Season 9 After Inking New Deal

The previously released synopsis for the milestone episode, titled “Crossfire,” reads: “With their best lead in hand, Castle and Beckett are ready to take on LokSat. But an unforeseen twist puts their case — and their lives — in jeopardy.” Co-showrunner Alexi Hawley meanwhile told TVLine that if

is renewed by this Friday, May 13, next Monday’s finale will end in a “dynamic” way that allows the show to move forward in a slightly altered incarnation — meaning, minus a cast member or two.

by then, however, an alternate, closure-filled ending will be swapped into the finale.

Watch the promo below (c/o the industrious rock stars at YouTube.com/TVpromosDB), then read on (if you care) for my recap of this week’s

RECAPLET: Non-ironically airing opposite the season (series?) finale of A&E’s

alum played Victor Crowne, the sole surviving heir to a family fortune, and around whom random deaths seemed to occur. Setting the episode in motion was the escape of a mental patient who came to Rick’s P.I. office one night because inside an old, secret room there (that apparently no landlord ever discovered, even though it’d probably fetch a half-million dollars with that square footage) lay hidden a dagger said to be capable of killing the demon seed. All the while, Rick feared himself “marked for death,” as an odd slash appeared across his neck in photos and videos. In the end, Rick stopped some other guest star from ritualistically slaying Victor. As thanks, Victor offered Rick anything he desires — as in “a deal with the devil,” Rick fretted? Kate meanwhile made sport of giving on-edge Rick a scare or two, and in the end surmised that the “flare” on his photos was caused by a jacket zipper.

think of …. Oh never mind, there’s a promo to discuss.

Sigh……my guess? She will die and Castle will spend season 9 looking for her killer and then the show will end. Such a sad disappointing way to end a series.

Never been so mad about a TV show in my life. It’s a big middle finger to all the fans.

josiah between this and la good wife, you have a lot to be mad about this week lol. I would love to see her act in acad ian dialect. she is a talented Chica.

Exactly. Its been a long time since I have loved a show so much.Like West Wing.So to fire Kate the heart of Castle makes the show a moot point.Always and After the Storm are on today.I won’t watch reruns.I just haven’t been able to.I am truly done.Stana Katic will move on as will most of the audience.I give Castle PI/GDS 8 episode s before cancellation rumors start to persist.

You’ve never watched Glades I take it? That was the worst- network decision; messing with Castle is the second worst. The last episode I saw of Castle was the season premiere. So sad how they allowed the show to be destroyed. I wanted a Kasket baby, not a casket Kasket!

Just realized that last night I watched my last “live” episode of Castle.

Already deleted from DVR. Hawley was the death of this show long before he decided to bump off Kate.

He’s not bumping off kate, she wants to leave the show for good.

@abcd efgh …. When one is not asked to return to their job, that means they are being let go … fired … done … put a fork in it. It has nothing to do with Stana Katic or Tamala Jones not wanting to return to their jobs. Maybe they are both happy, as they see the slide of story lines which have been bad at best.

She did not want to leave, why are you saying that. What planet are you from. She was fired period

enough with the speculation. We have no idea how her negotiations went down last year. For all we know maybe she gave them a huge reason not to approach her this year when she signed on for season 8.

Who’s talking about the season 8 contracts? For all we know, not that I’m speculating here, maybe she asked the same thing as the other lead, you know, salary, perks.

It’s not speculation. Tamala confirmed that she and Stana were told that they would not be asked back for season 8. Period. Stop trying to make this Stana’s fault. The show runners decided not to have Kate and Lanie in a season 9. This is on them.

Because clearly, the executives couldn’t have cut TJ for budget reasons. Then when SK’s contract negotiations weren’t going well, the execs decided to announce at the same time that neither was going to be asked back. As someone who just left a job, the real reason and the announced reason were very different.

the real reason… as far as we know, one of her negotiating demands was pay raise. That damn female, asking for equal pay as her white male co-lead. -_- But sure blame her for network firing her and T. Jones.

@DCL33, enough with these conspiracy theories.

Stupid stupid. I can’t believe they are really doing this.

I’ll be honest. That last scene with Castle and Beckett in the promo makes me think that there may be some truth to the theory that Beckett will go into witness protection. It just feels like that sort of goodbye scene. I think them teasing Beckett’s death in the promo makes me think that she won’t actually die. Anyways, I have developed a sense of morbid curiosity about how the next season will turn out.

I think that witness protection is really the only right way to do it if the show gets renewed.

I hope this is the what they do instead of killing her. I won’t be watching next season either way, but at least then they can create a happy ending when it’s all over.

Already stated in spoilers that the witness protection was for brooklyn 99 and the show runners said that all past storylines will be wrapped up by end of episode. That means Loksat will be caught and no ‘hunt’ to get her back.

They could put her in a coma.. And use stock footage and camera angles to keep “the love story” alive. And pay SK a ton to come back for a series finale.

Except witness protection suggests the LokSat storyline isn’t 100% over, and the LokSat storyline

They needed to tie up all the loose ends to be free of the baggage to go to season 9, ie. Beckett when in reality The loose ends were tied up in S7x

Technically it could be witsec while the case is on trial or something. Castle writers have been known to come up with stupid stuff. Killing off Beckett would indicate that the production knew Stana would be leaving which didn’t seem to be the case from the reactions. I am pretty sure the episode was shot before they announced Stana wasn’t returning.

I was thinking the same thing. I didn’t think anyone knew that Stana wouldn’t be returning when the ending for the season was filmed, so I don’t think they’d kill her. But maybe it is a cliff hanger that would leave the ending open and then at the start of the next season it could be resolved. Still, I don’t care to watch the finale. This couple has had enough contrived separation. In my mind, they get to live the rest of their lives together.

She’ll be shot in the episode. Then, if there is a season 9, we find out that she died from her wound. If there is no season 9 (fingers crossed) they filmed a little end cap with Castle, Kate, and their daughter sometime in the future.

(of course, this is just my guess but the only way I can see it would work if 1) they have both the possibility of a cliff hanger and a series finale already filmed and 2) if Stana really did think that she would be back for a season 9.

Witness protection ?. Or is the only way to keep fans waiting for the appearance of Beckett / Stana? Rating….Rating…Rating

its quite obvious that they will make it wishy washy, is she/isn’t she to keep audience interested for the ratings. I dunno why they are doing it since we know she wont be back at all. And if I was Katic, I wouldnt come back at all once they realized that the show is tanking with ratings.

I’m hoping that next week’s episode is the series finale. However, if ABC elects to push forward with another season, there is one logical story line that would keep Kate alive and still married to Rick – but not around – after any time jump: After taking down LokSat, Beckett is appointed by the governor to fill a vacant state (or US) senate seat – requiring her to spend a lot of time away from home. This story line would provide a plausible reason why she would not be around for Rick’s day to day activities – and why she would no longer be in the 12th precinct. It also would allow for a future, final ending to the “Caskett” story – with guest appearance(s) by Stana Katic (?) – at the end of Castle 2.0. This option could be a good way for ABC to hedge their bet since the success of any season 9 is a big question mark at this point given the fan backlash in the past three weeks. A senate career also would be consistent with the future for Beckett revealed by the time traveler in season six, and a senate run was the other option she was considering for her future at the end of season seven.

I meant to say, “the success of any season 9 WITHOUT Stana Katic is a big question mark at this point . . .”

Karen, after the way ABC treated her… Stana would never come back. Even for a guest appearance

I would disagree. Stana respects and appreciates the fans, and I think, for a fitting end to the storyline that allowed closure, Stana would do it for the fans. And for Beckett.

I’m pretty sure that’s what she thought she was doing when she signed on for Season 8. Look how that turned out.

And when exactly will they have time to have three kids that time traveler predicted if she’s never at home?

Well, that would be easiest part – a weekend there, a week of vacations there, with some luck one of the pregnancies being twins et voila – 3 kids!!!:):):)

Too much is put into every couple having children. Let’s just say, it wasn’t in the card for this couple. And that’s okay too – most of the time once characters have children, the build up is there, the lead has the baby and after that, viewers rarely get to see the kids …. i.e. Meredith Grey. She had Ellis Shepherd a year ago, saw that “baby” twice in a couple of episodes, now she’s almost walking. HUH???? No thanks.

Triplets and maybe that is why Lanie is leaving with her. Beckett wants someone close she can trust to assist. But we will be losing all the good mood swings scenes :(

Personally speaking witness protection will be a stupid thing to do, Beckett is too well know a figure in the serie’s universe. She’s married to a popular author, a Captain in her own ranks and has taken down popular figure like senators. Do u really thing people wont recognize her wherever she goes (Unless its an amish community)

Uh…plastic surgery?:) Different face, different hair, different everything?!

I agree with your assessment. One of my favorite parts of the show is this couple.

So how uphill do you reckon they’ll have to push to get a majority of the remaining fans to like the episode? I’m not saying it’s impossible (I actually liked their anti-christ episode and there’s very few episodes of Season 8 I can say I really enjoyed), but could be looking at a Prometheus situation.

The promo made me ball like a baby, I really hope they aren’t killing of my favorite character in the show. If there is a season 9, I will not be watching.

Thereby withdrawing your support for all the other actors and crew, including the title character? Oh well. You can use the spare time to learn how to spell simple words like “bawl” and “off”!

So we should all watch all shows on TV support all cast and crew yeah right if they take away why I enjoy watching then yes I will stop same as stop eating at a restaurant that takes away all the menu options I like all they had to do was bring Stana back and we would all still watch

I support the crew and those getting screwed over in this situation. Certain members of the cast after some of what I have seen from them and continue to see from them never again and that includes the one playing the title character.

The cast and crew have been let down by these show runners and whoever decided that season 9 had to be Beckettless. They had a good thing going and rather than take that and run with it they decided the show needed to go in a new direction. This isn’t something being driven by a grand artistic vision, a story that needs to be told, it is being driven by egos. If cast and crew lose their jobs because viewers tune out it is those egos that are at fault, not the viewers who decide they don’t want to watch any more.

Btw, the crew is dropping like flies. They are smart enough to know their business and to know that they will have a much better chance getting a new job now rather than after the end of Castle 2.0’s 13 episodes.

Yes – that will be the best decision that ABC will ever make. Budget reasons, not giving the same quality of story line and characters to the audience? ABC cancel the series and exit with dignity

I totally agree. It’s what the fans want and deserve. I made the mistake of watching the last episode (which I had dvr’d) and it was a waste of time because it was pretty close to Beckettess.

ABC has released this promo hoping fans will not be able to help themselves and will tune in. S8 finale will (they hope) get great ratings and then they will say – see we can do a S9, look at the numbers. What they fail to grasp is that while we may tune it to see what happens (a bit like watching a car wreck) we will not return to watch S9. Castle has always be and should always be about a writer and his muse – not just the writer. How long will they let him grieve before Castle is bed hopping??

ABC you screwed fans and I am sure they will return the favour.

Exactly! I intend to watch next episode at sometime because that´s my way to honour SK and TJ last appearance, but I SURELY will not watch any s9 crap!

If they make a time jump there will be no grieving. Where’s the fun in that? And having in mind the future solo lead actor’s acting capabilities and manners in bed, I seriously doubt that there will be any sincere bed hopping. But who knows? Since everything is changing maybe that will change too. Looking from the bright side, maybe Espo will finally become someone’s (Castle’s) muse. Too bad I won’t be watching either.

Maybe they’ll just fake her death and have them ride off into the sunset together on the last episode, whenever that will be. It’s still just unbelievable to me what ABC is doing with this once great show. It’s just so sad. I know it’s not going to happen, but I’m selfishly still hoping they cancel it.

Hey Matt, if the series ends, do you know if that finale is a “and they lived happily ever after” ending?

screw you, ABC and everyone who decided this storyline was a good idea. Way to kill the show. My Castle watching days are over!

May be the case regardless since they still aren’t official on if we’re getting another season.

Honestly. I cannot wrap my head around how we got to this point. What the h–l happened at the Castle set to bring all of this about? This all feels too personal and vindictive. This is not just business related. Killing Kate Beckett is the final nail in the coffin of what feels like a big FU to Stana Katic, Andrew Marlowe, and us loyal Castle fans of 8 years.

Totally agree with you! They have pushed Beckett from the co-lead to that of a supporting character on the periphery of the episodes now. Whatever happened behind the scenes has turned this into an all out mess and Stana being forced out just stinks of back room deals and jealousy. She doesn’t deserve this ending and neither to the loyal fans of the show. I’m done after 8×22. NoStanaNoCastle!!!

Yes, and describing what would be S9 as “slightly altered”?? I don’t understand the thinking behind any of this as far as the fans are concerned. :/

Exactly. ABC forgets Stana Katic’s Kate Beckett and loyal fans are the reason the show lasted 8 Seasons.I stopped watching.I won’t watch next year.I can’t even watch reruns in syndication.ABC screwed up.

I agree about it being personal. If budget cuts were the real reason then why not keep Beckett and get rid of all of the other characters but Castle’s family? I’m sure people would miss RySpo but far less than Beckett. I read that the show needs to stay in NY bc of the sets but they could’ve figured something out and have it about the Castle’s (Kate included). I’m sure Stana gets more money then RySpo but combined plus Lanie’s salary I’m sure would be enough.

I would have say cut Hayley (obviously), Alexis, and Martha. As much as I enjoy Martha none of them are adding to the story. Alexis and Hayley are pathetic old ladies who need to go out and get a life rather than depending on Rick for all their excitement. And, Martha is an interesting, dynamic woman who doesn’t need to hang around her son all the time, just pop by for the occasional visit.

I agree with lessening to time of Alexis and Martha. I just know they won’t completely cut them out of the show even though a little goes a long way with them. I think it would be more organic for them to add to the story if their appearances are sparsely done.

Agree to me the entire season of destruction has felt like a personal ax to grind towards her. Taking into account the fact of how invested Stana is with Beckett I can’t believe she would willingly let them do this to the character. Especially when she was the biggest supporter cast wise of the original premise and what Marlowe had envisioned.

I agree 110%. I seriously think all the decision makers at ABC HATE television and do not watch or care about anything they create and distribute (maybe with the exception of Thursday night). This just needs to stop. From what I can tell, lots of the writers have already jumped ship. I have never wanted a show to end this badly! A happy ending isn’t asking for too much.

And last night’s episode could have been lots of fun if we didn’t know what was coming.

This show is dead to me no matter what they do to poor Beckett.

Yeah…. just one of the LEADS is gone. that’s slightly RME.

Show should be cancelled, give the happy ending.

Knew I wasn’t going to watch it without Stana Katic next season, but after that promo, I’m not watching next week either. The best thing they could do is cancel Castle. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a show I’ve liked to be cancelled before. I think the Martha & Alexis characters would have been better budget cuts; they don’t do much anyway…IMO.

Sadly, They said witness protection was for brooklyn 99 and not for Castle. And the showrunners stated that all storylines from past will be closed by season end. Meaning, no hunting for Kate’s killer. No angst. It will be him becoming a playboy again or new romance with awful boring Hayley… wait Hawley/Hayley? A little to obvious that is what he wanted all along . Castle with HIS woman creation not Marlowe’s.

I quit watching when ABC screwed Stana. And I will never watch ABC again. Boycotting whole network. Very disgusted they get rid of all strong female characters to promote slutty women with no depth, and thinking sex is more important then true love.

They woke the dragon of Fans, and IF they get a S9, it will be like Hawley’s last 2, Body of Proof and Following and will end up cancelled. Never seen so many fans wanting the show to end to protect the show we watched, and two show runners, and some Cast members who still don’t think the two should be together. It was why Hawley left at end of S4 and it only took 2 episodes to break them up once he got back. He re-used Seasons 1-4 material with HIS mark on it, and they Stunk Up the place, face it he can’t run a show, used to be a good writer, but not this year, Very Disappointing and disgraceful end to such a wonderful show, it deserved better

Hawley totally re-used material all the time! I thought i was the only one noticing!

It was very noticeable people were actually pointing it out on Twitter during the eps as to which ones he was rewriting.

I like the witness protection idea. Mainly because I think it would hurt the $$ in syndication, if everyone knows the epic love story ends in Kate’s death.

I don’t understand people saying that reruns are not watchable if the main character dies. I personally love watching Castle reruns because the show/couple were so much fun in the early seasons. I stopped watching Grey’s Anatomy after McDreamy was killed, but I still enjoy watching the earlier seasons. Reminds me of “the good old days.”

The biggest problem is that this is not how the show was supposed to go. Marlow pretty much said that. What has happened this season has taken a huge dump on the past 7 seasons of character development by destroying it. Then add in that a love story that was supposed to beat the odds ends tragically. It kills the credibility of the last 8(even thought the 8th is garbage to me) seasons.

Any chance if Castle is renewed that abc could ask Stana/Tam to come back?(Although, I’d want them to say heck no,lol) Or any chance that the “Firing” is just a bad prank from abc….?

S8 has already destroyed the essence of KB’s character – I can’t see any way back tbh.

I really hate this show. I have watched for 8 seasons and I just can’t believe its ending like this. This season feels like an entirely different show. I really hate this show, I’m not even calling it Castle b/c it’s not anymore. Did I mention I hate this show….because I feel like I didn’t.

One more episode and then I can finally start the REAL grieving process. lol

It´s not Castle anymore. The cases are beyond ridiculous now , Beckett has very little time and Alexis has become incredibly annoying. (I loved the character in the first seasons)

The episode itself was not entertaining knowing what is to come. Honestly I fast forwarded through most of it I was that unimpressed. It confirmed what I have known since the beginning of the season and since the announcement was made it will be unwatchable and an insult to someone like me who invested in the original premise of the show. The promo is in a nutshell the biggest screw you to longtime fans who have watched it for that reason. ABC has signed the death certificate for this show if it really is a season finale. After this there is no dignity left in my opinion. It has already been erasing 8 years of history and that will destroy it completely. I have never wished for cancelation of a show until now but I guess I am one of what people are calling the selfish ones since I want a return on my investment. I refuse to watch any version of a season 9 and I know I’m not alone in that.

I really hope that the powers that be at ABC decide to honor the loyalty of the fans and end Castle with next week’s finale. The show has always been about the relationship between Castle and Beckett. If there is no Beckett what will the show even be about? I’m done either way after next week’s episode, which I will watch to see Stana’s final scenes as Beckett. Why sacrifice the integrity of a once great show for 13 more episodes that won’t be the “Castle” we all know and love anyway???

Could not agree more. Integrity and dignity have flown the coop at this point. It shows how out of touch they really are if they move forward. People had been giving feedback all season but I know that in the case of the advisory board people were kicked off for it not being rainbows and butterflies. I think the worst part is that it has made the last 7 seasons at this point in time unwatchable for me knowing that it will more than likely end a disaster.

Other than losing Stana, here’s what bothers me so much about the idea that Beckett is going to die in the finale: She’s already put her life in danger in seasons 3, 4, and 6 to catch her mother’s killer, and spent the end of season 4 deciding that her death would be worth the fight for justice, only to realize that she wanted a happy ending with Castle. We’ve already spent enough time watching her risk everything for justice, and I really thought she’d stopped doing that. I’ve been disappointed in the new producers since episode 2, when they decided that the growth Beckett has made since falling in love with Castle should just go out the window.

I totally agree with you! I was so mad about the breakup because I felt that any character development went right out the window. Then they end up getting back together in secret like they should have done all along. They come back out to the world and no one barely mentions it on the show. I wanted to see where Ryan and Esposito figured out it was fake or at least something about them being back together. I feel it was glossed over. I am done with the show at the end of this season as much as I love the ensemble class. I love Casket and this show hasn’t been the same for awhile now and it’s only going to get worse! I haven’t rooted for a show to be canceled since the OC and as much as I have loved this show I hope it does get canceled so the show can end in a respectful way to us fans.

I think a lot of people noticed that Episode 21 has less air time for Beckett but its more on Hayley, Alexis, Castle, Espo and Ryan? They are preparing the audience for S9 (if there is an S9) remaining characters. I find it boring – the way they interrogate suspects, it’s lifeless – not like the way Beckett interrogates – its intense and brilliant.

If I had done a full recap, I was going to speculate that was the most minimal Caskett time (for an episode they both were in) in

Can I just say that I’m pleased you chose not to do a full recap.

And just remember how ABC said at the beginning if this season that Stana Katic will be in every episode.

Well, Dina, that’s Hawley’s version of the show not Marlowe’s. Marlowe did call himself on Twitter Castle’s creator in exile. That explains a lot.

I deleted the show from my DVR back in September after the breakup stunt and haven’t watched it since — have only kept up since via reporting here, because Katic’s exit was too big of a story to totally ignore. I see no reason to tune back in now, and as far as I’m concerned it should have ended already.

I’m in the same boat, minus deleting off the DVR. I have 21 unwatched episodes now.

Me too! I have an entire season of unwatched episodes because I lost interest after the second episode. Still debating on whether or not to waste my summer watching season 8.

Don’t bother, I wish i hadn’t. I stuck around for the happy ending and believed the crap being spouted by Hawley and TPW all for naught!

I’m more interested and excited to read fans’ reactions/comments to the episode in next week recap.

The promo said series finale not season finale. So we all know how it is going to end. They could give us a happy ending and still give NF the real show he wants. It is too bad that ego had to out weigh professionalism. I am so disappointed all around.

I assume you meant to say the promo says “season” finale, which means nothing because a bubble show’s cancellation has (almost?) never, ever, ever been announced by a promo.

No, last night’s East Coast version of the promo said “series” finale. I was so surprised that I checked online to see if the cancellation notice had been posted.

I rarely advocate for this but in this case… Cancel it and give the ending that has series closure. I had stopped watching but I might have come back for the last seasons at some point except they fired Stana. Castle isn’t Castle without Beckett. Respect female leads.

Give Nathon another show – he’ll use the same cast like American Horror Story but don’t kill the love we fan supported and enjoyed for 7 years!!

Good Wife sucked… When will you learn to respect the FANS who supported you to begin with..RESPECT US!!!!

What tv producers and writers need to realize is that we don’t watch tv to watch break-ups and deaths. True love doesn’t necessarily happen every day in real life, so it’s nice to at least see that our favorite characters can have happy endings.

Yes! I feel the same way.Especially this show. While there have been serious story lines, it’s mostly a light-hearted show. The magic has always been when this couple is together. It’s what makes Castle (despite the title). I know which shows I watch to see real life situations and which shows I watch to feel good. This is the latter.

So true, they both need to stay on the show. Why can’t we have happy, loving relationship on TV . Instead the trashy, running around couples. If she’s gone it won’t be the same. Keep her if you want to save the show.

Tonight was the first episode I haven’t seen and from all accounts I didn’t miss much. Not going to bother with next week either unless the show is cancelled or I find out Beckett doesn’t die then I may watch it at some point down the track when I can try to forget all the bts stuff that have ruined the show for me. What annoys me the most is that fans have been seeing this coming from the beginning (diminishing Becketts character) and have called the show runners on it only to be strung along all season about them getting their happy ending and not breaking up only to find out they kill her. I don’t think they could have pissed off the fans any more.

Deja Vu. After 6×23 the 99% of the audience was furious with Milmar. I remember when people spend the entire summer talking about it and fans promised not to watch the show anymore. Then? After 8×01 the audience were furious with Hawley and TPW, and once again fans promised not to watch the show.

And now? Well, the 80% of the mourners fans promised not to watch the show anymore!

What are the chances that Castle will not get an announcement in time? (In other words, they air the cliffhanger show but then it’s canceled after vs. announcement that allows for closure?)

I’m guessing they will proceed as they did with Hollander’s Woods and end the season on a good, “tie up most of the loose ends” kind of note.

They’ve said they filmed two endings — one that ends the series and one that ends the season but is a cliffhanger. That’s why I’m wondering if they’ll give enough notice for the showrunners to decide which one to air.

I’m saying if they Don’t have the answer, they would go with series end choice and figure out what to do next season if it happens.

I am so livid and angry right now. How the heck can ABC treat Stana so poorly. What did she ever do except be dedicated and hardworking the past 7 years. No one has worked harder on the show than she has. I can’t believe this is how Kate Beckett story is going to end. I’m going to be ticked off if the writers kill her off like Shonda did to Derek Shepherd a year ago. There’s no show without Stana. Castle is about a writer telling the story of his muse through his eyes. He’s telling her story

Just reading about the promo brought tears to my eyes. I still can’t believe that Kate Beckett will (probably) die. If any TV character deserved a HappyEnding it’s Kate Beckett. After this sexist debacle I will no longer watch any ABC program for years to come. #NoMoreCastle.

I agree. The character of KB has gone through so much, if nothing else she deserved her happy ending. I was livid with the wedding episode back at the end of S6 for that very reason. It is like the writers enjoy a bit of sadism with fictional characters or something.

I will watch the season finale. Depending what happens and if indeed they do kill of Kate I will delete the season pass for the show off my DVR. I’ve done so before and stop watch other shows that use to be good. It will be a disappointment for sure

I have decided to use elements of what’s happened to the Castle franchise for my graduate school thesis in Digital Makering and Mass Media program this coming year. Once the final story on Kate Beckett is told and closed, we will likely see the repercussions in Viewership, impact on Ad buying dollars, capture the ratings for the entire year, and factor in the ABC Upfronts. It is truly a case study in many of the issues plaguing Broadcast networks and their failure to connect with, know, and keep their audience levels. Shows as old as Castle are very rare, and they need the revenue stream generated from other avenues like syndication, VOD, Internet streaming, international sales, DVD and book sales. What’s interesting about all of this is that ABC Network and Disney are willing to jeapordize those revenues streams with a story direction, that by all rights, has proven to alienate the very fan base that generates the dollars. Ratings since the beginning of the year are off by another 800k viewers. And for all of you who point to the delayed viewing numbers being larger (eg L+3, L+7, etc), they are meaningless when it comes to ad buy dollars. So….this appears to be a bad business decision all around. And continuing on appears to add to the issues that have been created. What is still a mystery is why ABC/Disney hasn’t just cut its losses. Who knows. Maybe they will surprise me. But I seriously doubt it.

The problem here is that Nielsen viewers never come through with the dramatic ratings drops. I’m desperately hoping they give up on it next year, but I have no faith in the Nielsen viewers to make the point.

True. But the demo for Castle skews very heavily female, and most of them are not in the 18-49 sweet spot. Once the 8×22 episode airs and that demo finally understands “no more Caskett” is coming, the ratings will drop. Not an opinion, it’s based in fact.

A review of the episodes that did not include the Kate Beckett character were the lowest viewed of the entire season – if you discount the Sunday experiment and the airing the next day on Valentines Day. And that was just a bad programming decision on ABC’s part and proof that Castle needs a good lead in show (like DWTS). Likewise, outside of the Anniversary episode and Mr and Mrs Castle, the episode featuring Kate Beckett at the police academy was its strongest since before Christmas. Pretty telling.

The storytelling issues aside (and there are many), the product being produced is not holding up well. In most other businesses, it would be discontinued. Again, puzzling why ABC and Disney think a Season 9 will work. Nothing in Season 8’s lackluster results would indicate the show has a fighting chance.

Add to that loyal Castle viewers / current consumers are just not likely to return in the Fall. Too alienated by ABC and feel betrayed by remaining Lead Actor and the showrunners. Loyalty and trust, once lost, is very tough to recover from in TV viewership. And with all the new shows in the Fall schedule, and innovators like Netflix, Amazon, and others producing very good content, the viewers can and almost certainly will move on.

And acquiring the right Demo with the “new” Castle product..is also not very likely. Just not the kind of TV show that demo watches. So again, I argue it makes no sense for ABC to keep going with Castle. Scratching my head on this one. Upfronts for ABC will be very interesting.

You are spot on and I know I am done with it after 8×22. There is no longer any credibility with cast(not just the lead), show runners or the network. They care nothing about the feedback they get.

Also I am still wanting an 11th hour miracle that would end the nightmare with cancelation even though I know its unlikely.

I’m sure it probably will but until it’s official I will continue to send ABC my opinion loudly.

Yes. The only explanation of this nonsense would be if ABC HAD to get rid of SK….

if you are really in grad school, and if I was your advisor, the hypothesis for you to explore would not focus on why they shouldn’t do this, you’ve covered that, I would really want you to examine why they are doing this? That’s the more interesting question, ‘what are they thinking?’, ‘what is their support for this decision’, ‘who has the leverage’, ‘does this go against the best advice’ and so on. Folks seem to believe that they’re just plan dumb, or mean or insensitive or…dunno. Have they taken into consideration, do they know what you’ve stated? If so, they’re going for it anyway–why? What is the justification? Has this ever worked? Why would they cough up the cash for this? That’s more than one question-sorry.

I am. And all very good points to consider. Thanks for the assist.

I think they saw the numbers since the news appeared and are convinced that the fans’ outcry is nothing more than the usual “I won’t watch it anymore” blurb, what you can see after all sending-off a main character. Last year GA lost its main male character, long time love interest and yet the show didn’t suffer (much).

However IMHO they are wrong on many fields.

x Most of the audience haven’t even heard about Beckett’s decided demise. It’s clear from the reaction to the promo – most of it is surprised and convinced that it’s just a cliffhanger like S3 finale was. Very few people follow the background informations of a show, comparing to the millions of the audience.

x Castle is not an ensemble show, like GA. The secondary characters are one dimensional, have no weight. (Big mistake of the past seasons.)

x Whether they like it or not, they core of the show from S2 was that it is a love story. That was in the focus, that was the glue of the seasons. Cutting it out is like don’t serving fishes anymore in a seafood restaurant. They can tell, that hey, we have some shrimp appetizer and try out our beefsteaks and omlettes – those who came for the seafood will leave. They can find the “new offer” in other places too.

x Castle doesn’t have the safety margin GA had. GA could afford to lose 0.3 in the ratings and remained on the top. Castle after losing 0.2 (that was from last year to this year) will be a sure cancellation.

x The steady numbers of the show are deceiving. ABC is obviously interpreting them as the sign that people don’t really care about the horrible story arcs and destroying the characters. They are coming just for the fun. IMHO they are wrong. People were disappointed and critical about the bad storytelling, however they stayed because they were PROMISED a suitable reward in the end. That was typical to Castle’s seasons’ structure, they were accustomed to that. So they stayed and waited for the good part. Denying that good part from them for good, betraying their trust will very likely change this patient attitude.

My only comment is the ones that like sitcomes and silly comedy will watch. They only have to make it shorter, i.e. it should last half an hour like every other sitcom.

Exactly. I continued watching this horrible season hoping we’d get them solving crimes together again. As soon as i heard we’d continued having 5 minutes of Beckett screentime each episode, I stopped.

Just the fact that they refused to say that these have been Stana’s last episodes in any way promo wise proves that they know they need her for ratings.

go to hell abc and hawley you suck!!! you shattered my poor grandma heart . not cool abc not cool

There was a time in my life when this was my all-time favorite show, hands down. I got my family in to it, and we used to love watching episodes together. That said, when I was home this weekend, I actually asked my sister to turn the episode off and watch something else – I just couldn’t stand the sound of Fillion’s voice. Never in a million years did I think this show would devolve into this mess.

Nobody is going to watch season 9 and if they kill off Beckett, we really won’t watch. I hope Alexi and Terrence don’t stab Andrew Marlowe, the fans and Stana in the back by killing off her character. ABC and Nathan are fools for continuing on without her. It’s not just that she is leaving (which really sucks), but the writing and the plots are terrible. What are they seeing that we don’t? Please just end the show happily ever after.

My guess is that Beckett is going to die taking a bullet (or two) for Castle. Absent some witness protection, death seems to be the only way they can write her out.

The promo is a deception. Something will happen but Kate does NOT die. A purely business decision since otherwise it will hurt Castle’s syndication rights.

At this point I don’t think they care. If they did The character assassination of Beckett would not have occurred. They have been slowly turning the show into something that is unrecognizable. It will be like the last 8 seasons did not exist at least that is how I see it.

This is what I think too. If there’s a ‘sad’ ending to the romance it will ruin the rewatch of episodes in syndication.

They have already hurt the syndication rights. TNT wants a new deal for season 8 because the numbers do not support the 1.5 million dollar price tag per episode.

I honestly have to a ask why they would even want it when a good chunk of the fans didn’t want what we got the first time around.

I think TNT would be advised to ignore any post S7 Castle episodes for syndication. My experience has been that negative story arcs in a syndicated series change my viewing habits (eg when Lois lost her memory in The New Adventures of Superman, or when Lorelai & Rory were on the outs in Gilmore Girls), I stopped watching those episodes, and then forgot to return when the madness was over, having found something else to do or watch. In the case of Castle it will never get better anyway after S7 ends, as S8 sets out to destroy the main reason for many people to keep watching – KB. Can you imagine the audience enjoying returning to S1 having sat through S8? I have stopped watching a few episodes ago in a desperate attempt to still be able to enjoy S1-7 in the future.

I will watch S9, because of Nathan, Jon, Seamus, good people, great actors, who deserve our respect and love.

Castle ended with Season 7. That’s when I stopped watching live and full episodes. This pile of junk they call Castle Season 8 is just extra stuff that is not canon to me. And I really thought they couldn’t do worse than the wedding fail at the end of season 6. Ha! I was wrong.

Wouldn’t be funny if this whole “letting Stana go for budgetary reasons” was just a red herring? .

And that she isn’t actually leaving, but that they are just trying to Jon Snow everyone?

Yeah. Funny. They aren’t going to do that. But they will get the ratings bump bc people will want to see what happens with Beckett.

As much as I think ABC and whoever is behind this whole mess is stupid as hell, I dont think they are THIS stupid to go for a “ha-ha, just kidding” considering how much damage it made. Damage beyond repair.

They could re-name the show to Three Weddings and a Funeral! Too soon? Sorry LOL!

Good grief! or I guess in this case bad grief!

None of the decisions by ABC make any sense from a business and economic standpoint at all. I know I will get people who will say L plus 3 and L plus 7 matter. They don’t. Not to the money people that really matter. The advertisers. Networks like to use L plus 3 and L plus 7 to make a strong show look stronger and a weak show look better. From many of the interviews that I have read Alexi Hawley give he uses the L plus 3 numbers to try to make the show look better. To the advertisers though the L plus three numbers don’t matter as much because people can skip ads and the l plus seven numbers are worth less to them because many times the deals are already over for that ad. The front end deal for ads in the Castle time slot per 30 second ad average was about 120,000 at the beginning which is about a 30,000 dollars drop from the end of season 7. From the beginning of season 8 to three months into the seasons the ad price dropped between 5 and 10 thousand dollars per thirty second ad. It dropped again by an average of 3000 dollars per thirty second ad again during the second 1/2 of the season. At the end of season 7 Castle was making about 2,100,000 for 14 30 second commercials. This does not include the 15 second commercials. After the leaks about Hawley being an idiot and separating Castle and Beckett the new front end ad deals dropped in value by about 30,000 dollars to 120,000 per 30 second commercial which would be 1,680,000 for 14 30 second commercials which is a lose of 420,000 per episode compared to the end of season 7. Midway through season 8 and the cost of a 30 second commercial had dropped by 8-10 thousand. Now for the next rounds of ads Castle is making 1556800 per episode which is a lose of 123-124 thousand per episode compared to the front end ads. Now at the back end deals Castle is making an average of 1470000 per episode which is at a lose compared to the beginning of season 8. TNT waiting to negotiate the season 8 syndication deal because season 8 was such a bomb. The only reason that Castle has not been cancelled yet is because ABC is the weakest of the major broadcast networks and needs all the help it can get.

Not sure if you’re allowed to post links to other sites here but “Variety” posts an article each year around September giving the initial rates from the up fronts, and I think it is safe to say that Castle’s income from direct ad buys has fallen quite dramatically, and is probably struggling to cover costs now, which makes ABC’s decision to risk damaging the other income streams by probably killing off Beckett in the hiatus even more puzzling.

Fascinating, thanks for sharing that info. Given the drop in ad value during S8 because of what they’ve done during the season and how bad it has gotten and TNT wanting to renegotiate the S8 syndication deal, you would think that someone at ABC would connect the dots and realise that S8 has been a debacle and S9 even more so given Beckett won’t even be in it and either end it or not let S8 continue the way it had.

I’m with you about questioning ABC’s decisions. Last year, Forever made about 1.8 million dollars per episode while the following freshman shows that survived to May made the following:

Fresh Off the Boat, Secrets and Lies, and Agent Carter had similar Live+7-Day ratings as Forever, and they were renewed. American Crime and Galavant did much worse in the ratings and generated less advertising revenue for ABC. Yet, they were renewed. Forever generated the fourth-highest ad revenue out of all the new shows on ABC and had decent ratings. Yet, it was cancelled because WB owned it.

Loved Forever! My son and I were crushed when ABC didn’t renew!

ABC Studios and show runners Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter are way off target with their audience. They have successfully driven more fans away this season and now they are driving the rest away too! Castle is not Castle anymore. The writers have had an agenda this season to take down the character of Kate Beckett; well newsflash, they have done the same thing to the character of Richard Castle without even trying to do it on purpose. Yin needs yang and Castle needs Beckett. The story just flops when this formula isn’t followed. If ABC does renew Castle for season 9, it will be for nothing. What’s more objectionable is the “slightly altered incarnation” that suggest that Hawley and Winter are attempting to gloss over firing Katic and Jones as if these two talented women meant nothing to the show in the first place, which couldn’t be further from the truth! No wonder fans are calling for the cancelation of their beloved show. Better to put it out of it’s misery than move forward with this farce. Castle season 8 has just been one big disappointment after another with the one exception of Fidelis Ad Mortem. Castle just needs to end now! This viewer isn’t watching anymore!

From the start this was a show based on the “odd couple” film and TV trope. It was called “Castle” because he was the glitch who disrupted Beckett’s world.

But they can say “it’s called “Castle”” all they want, it does not change the fact that both characters had the most screentime and lines and existed because of the other.

Castle alone is not funny, he is ridiculous. Beckett alone would be boring. It worked because they both reacted to one another, provoked each other, bantered, pushed each others buttons.

They have to fundamentaly change the premise of the show for it to work. Not “slightly”. Give it another name! Call it a “spin-off”! Just close this chapter, or rather, end this story.

This is a very sad ending of a wonderfull Show I enjoyed watching since season 1. I stop watching it after seaon 8, even if there will be a ninth season. I annot stand watching CASTLE without Beckett. Please make a happy ending and cancel it after seaon 8.

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