It’s tough for audiences when a star leaves a beloved show. Especially if that star, like Stana Katic of Castle, is so intrinsic to the formula that it’s hard to imagine the show going on without her. That’s the dilemma facing heartbroken Castle fans with the announcement that Katic, who as Beckett plays Castle’s wife and — literally — partner in crime (solving) on the popular program, is leaving. Nathan Fillion, Castle, is among those saddened by the news. Katic’s luminous presence gave his character room to get quirkier than might have otherwise been possible — and as she forgave and understood him so did the audience.
Is a Castle Season 9 possible without her? Fillion knew better than to say, writing only that “I hope the show will continue for many years.” So do Castle fans, but the writers have a Herculean task ahead, conjuring a new narrative with no Beckett in the mix. “Castle,” Fillion tweeted, “has been one of the greatest joys of my creative life.. and Stana has been my partner all this time.” It’s a broken Castle right now. Mending it will take some creative genius.
— Nathan Fillion (@NathanFillion) April 19, 2016
