Some Castle fans still find it hard to look back on the show knowing what a ninth season would have looked like, but time seems to have changed a star’s perspective.
The series was not scheduled to end with Season 8 when it was first announced that stars Stana Katic (NYPD Detective Kate Beckett) and Tamala Jones (Medical Examiner Lanie Parish) would not be returning. Over the years Katic has opened up about being let go, most recently in an interview with the Daily Telegraph (via Daily Mail). “I was confused by the whole experience. I was hurt,” she said, but added that she was “grateful for the awesome run.”
Even after what happened, she is able to watch the show with emotion. “I’m so grateful to have been a part of this project because it touched as many people as it did,” she continued. “People loved this couple and loved the story that we told, loved all of these characters.”
Fans were obviously surprised at the thought of the show without Beckett and Lanie. Yes, the series was called Castle, but how could it go on without at least its female lead? What would that mean for the central couple, Kate and Castle (Nathan Fillion)?
Previously, Katic admitted that she was “not clear about the thought process behind the path [her exit] got off” in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2018. She used similar words to describe her experience on the show and its exit — “hurt” and “grateful” — and also talked about how its stories and characters affected fans.
“I met so many beautiful people on this project… It would be doing a disservice to those people, to the work we did together and to my work, which I think contributed, in part, to the success of the project. show, to be anything but grateful,” she said. “We told a love story that I think moved people, touched people.”
During Season 8 of Castle, ABC announced the departures of Katic and Jones with the following statement: “Kate Beckett has been a beloved character on our hit series Castle for 8 years. We are grateful for Stana Katic’s talent and dedication to the series and look forward to continuing our relationship. Tamala Jones has also been an integral part of the series and we are grateful that she was part of Castle.
Ultimately, the show was not renewed for a ninth season, and the series ended in bliss forever for Beckett and Castle; although they were shot, they survived and raised children together years later.
