After "Castle" season 7 wrapped up, the show's creator Andrew Marlowe decided to leave and for a while, lead actress Stana Katic, who plays Detective Kate Beckett considered leaving too. She decided to stay in the end though, much to the delight of fans, and now exciting things are up ahead in "Castle" season 8.
There would be "a lot of shifts" for season 8, Katic told Deadline, and one of the more interesting things they will tackle is Beckett's decision to run for the New York State Senate. Moreover, they will be delving deeper into Castle and Beckett's relationship.
Katic called episodes 1 and 2 of season 8 as "brother and sister" because each episode reflects Castle and Beckett's perspective on "an event that shifts the entire season into a higher velocity" and "is part of what will set everything up for the next 20 episodes."
"Part of the exciting thing about this season is the way Alexi and Terence have envisioned the cosmic version of why the two characters (Castle and Beckett) have come together, how did these roads combine," Katic explained. "It delves into the mythology of Rick's disappearance and memory loss as well as into what inspired Beckett to become a cop in the first place."
Looking back, Katic said that her decision to stay with the show was dependent on how the characters and their stories will progress in the following seasons.
"Part of my thought process making the decision whether to do another season was creatively, what that would look like," Katic shared. "He (Marlowe) was part of making this character (Beckett) what she's become, and he has been part of this dialogue about how to create a strong female heroine."
It was only when showrunners Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter came into the picture that Katic finally felt confident that her character - as well as the others - is in good hands. "Terence has been on the show since Day 1, and some of the most interesting episodes for my character were penned by Alexi - and while they are eager to shake things up and aim at telling challenging stories, they would also protect the integrity of the character," she said.
The actress admitted that she does not know where the show is headed, given that they have only began season 8, but she hopes it would not be the last season for "Castle" because playing Beckett has been a "creatively fulfilling experience" that she wants to continue.
