Just like many of the fans of "Castle," its star Nathan Fillion was surprised to learn that the new showrunners were planning on breaking up his character, Rick Castle, with his TV wife, Kate Beckett (played by Stana Katic) in the latest season.
"I asked them if they were high," Fillion revealed during a panel The Paley Center for Media Saturday. But Fillion added, "They reassured me that what was going was they wanted to get back to a time when people were rooting for the couple, rooting for them to get together, to do something," according to TV Line.
Showrunners Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter introduced the break-up twist at the beginning of "Castle's" eighth season, and the married couple is indeed living apart after just two episodes. Now clear of the showrunners plans, Fillion said that he actually thinks Hawley and Winter "did a really good job" with how the storyline panned.
The renewed dynamic between the two central characters also created new possibilities to go back to the show's lighter days. "It's never been much of a drama; it's far more a comedy with dramatic and heartfelt moments. And they wanted to bring it back to a time when it was funny, when it was great, when it was the lighthearted show that everybody fell in love with," defended the actor.
Early on, the showrunners promised viewers that the couple will not be heading for divorce despite the separation, as reported on Parent Herald. They will still be working on cases together, but some awkwardness will take place given the current state of their relationship, according to Give Me My Remote.
The showrunners understand that some fans may not like their decision to separate Caskett for now. "I get [any upset feelings]. The show means a lot to us, too. And that's why we're going to protect it. And that's why it's always going to be about Castle and Beckett and the love story," said Winter via the news outlet.
In the succeeding episode, even as Rick is going to try to woo his wife back, it's still evident that Kate would like to keep her distance, as stated in the latest synopsis from TV Overmind. But before Castle and Beckett are back together, there will be many more hitches in their relationship. Based on the newest teaser, it looks like Castle will learn more about why Beckett decided to split.
"Castle" airs every Mondays at 10 p.m. on ABC.
