For those who are still wondering why Penny Jerald Johnson's Captain Gates is no longer a series regular in "Castle" season 8, the show's producers have finally revealed the answer why: There is a new boss in the 12th Precinct, and she is none other than Captain Kate Beckett.
To recall, Beckett (played by Stana Katic) aced her captain's exam when season 7 wrapped up, and she has even been approached to run for State Senate. Deciding between these two careers has been difficult, but in the end, Beckett decided to follow her life-long dream.
"What's exciting about that dynamic is that she's not going to be a traditional captain who is in the office," executive producer Terence Winter told Entertainment Weekly. "She's boots on the ground. She's still Beckett. She's going to be handling cases and she's going to be involved in the interrogation."
Beckett's new job comes with a lot of perks, but there are certain drawbacks too, and her relationships with fellow members of the 12th Precinct are sure to change.
"What's exciting is that now she's a supervisor, which brings a new dynamic with her, Esposito (Jon Huertas) and Ryan (Seamus Dever)," Winter added. "There's some fun conflict also with Castle (Nathan Fillion)."
Beckett's personal life will be further explored in the new season too, said executive producer Alexi Hawley. "Since she doesn't have to be boots on the ground in every aspect of the case, it also gives us opportunities with her to open up her character a little bit more and to take her down some other roads," he said.
As for her husband Castle, he will be spending a lot of time with a new character Hayley Shipton, formerly Vargas (played by Toks Olagundoye). She is an independent investigator working on adjacent police cases, and she does not always go by the rules so it would be fun to watch her and Castle stir up some trouble.
"It's that fun dynamic of we break in rather than getting a warrant. There's definitely an energy about her that is a lot of fun," said Hawley.
Even though Beckett accepted her new role as captain, there is still a chance that she would consider running as a senator. "There's a pin in it," said Hawley. "At first blush, we didn't quite know how to tell those stories in a way that would be satisfying given the way our show works."
"But there might be a future in politics for Beckett somewhere down the line," added Winter.
"Castle" will return on September 21 on ABC.
