Official "Castle" thread! Spoilers welcomed!

[disney4us2002]

It's starting to look like it's true. I can't believe they are firing her. Makes no sense at all.

I might have watched a spin-off if it was her choice not to return, but now I'm done.

Where did you read that? Everything I've seen said she wanted to leave. I don't think it'll work without Beckett. I'd rather it just end.

 

[Missy1961]

Where did you read that? Everything I've seen said she wanted to leave. I don't think it'll work without Beckett. I'd rather it just end.

Then you're reading articles written by the people who don't like Stana or Kate Beckett. Because every legit source is saying that this was not her choice, that it was ABC's.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

I'm pretty new over here but have been watching the show since the beginning. This news is insane, the show has to be cancelled now, they played in to their chemistry from the get-go and it seems to revolve around their relationship so much...I just can't see him getting a new partner and being okay with it. Nope, looks like I'm out if she is gone too and it's too bad.

 

[Missy1961]

I'm pretty sure that it's done now. The only way they can carry on without her is if they send her into hiding, which is a possible way this current story could go. Then he goes on - no new partner - has conversations with "her" - gets messages from her. Then the last episode is they catch the guy - she comes out of hiding - and they move on.

But even if they go that way, it won't last much beyond a few episodes. I could see them doing a 13 episode last season like they did for The Mentalist or they're going to do for Bones. But the ratings will be horrible, so it won't surprise me if they cancel it right now.

 

[Missy1961]

Strange. A few days ago, reading about the stronger possibility of season 9 would have made me happy:

http://tvline.com/2016/04/20/the-blacklist-spoilers-season-3-finale-liz/

 

[Missy1961]

And of course, now it is coming out, that yes, Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic haven't been happy working together for a while. I'm not surprised, but I always felt that they did a good enough job on screen that it didn't matter.

And while almost every story out there says it was ABC's decision, I'm sure they didn't leak the news. And it's very possible that they had a hard time bringing her back last year, and thought it would be harder this year, so they decided against it. Or Stana did tell them no a few times, and they finally went with it. And then Stana's PR people thought they'd get the news out there and put ABC in a bad spot.

Who knows? I don't. And we probably will never know the whole truth.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

When it comes to things like this, I 100% believe that we never get the real story, which is what makes it all so frustrating!!

 

[Missy1961]

When it comes to things like this, I 100% believe that we never get the real story, which is what makes it all so frustrating!!

I know.

But I hate that my mind keeps going to the fact that Stana is the only one that benefits from this news coming out. I really like her, but that's where my brain keeps going. ABC certainly doesn't benefit from this. Nathan Fillion looks like a heartless jerk because of that bland statement and if he does sign a new contract, he really looks terrible.

And I hate that I want this show I love to be cancelled. And if it's not cancelled, I probably won't watch it without Beckett. I never thought I'd be thinking that. I hope they don't kill her in the last episode, because that will taint my view of the earlier episodes. Like I said, I kinda hope ABC cancels it, and the ending is happy.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

I am with you all the way. Give us a happy ending so that we can forget the articles and live in our rose colored world. I don't want to see her killed off and then they struggle through another season and just can't get it to take off and end up cancelling it mid-season with no closure.

 

[Missy1961]

I am with you all the way. Give us a happy ending so that we can forget the articles and live in our rose colored world. I don't want to see her killed off and then they struggle through another season and just can't get it to take off and end up cancelling it mid-season with no closure.

I'll tell you this, if they are stupid and kill her, in my mind it won't be true. Instead, they will be off on that motorcycle trip and then they decided to open a PI firm in CA. So if there is any sort of Castle show on TV next year it is a fake.

 

[NotUrsula]

Nothing I've read so far precludes the possibility that while Katic will be gone, BECKETT may not be. There is always the option to simply re-cast the part.with another actress. It isn't done all that often these days, but it's not impossible -- remember how easy it was to make Laura Prepon look and sound eerily like Stana Katic? All that they really need is a tall, graceful actress who has good chemistry with Fillion; they can claim that a major injury in the finale required plastic surgery if they want, or simply just ignore that it's a different Kate Beckett and just pick up where they left off.

Personally I have no strong connection with the actors on this show, it is the characters that I like so much. They can still be substantially the same people with different bodies inhabiting them; that's why it's theatre.
Fillion has been producing quite a bit this season, which means he has a substantial financial stake in the program. If he wants it to continue, ABC is likely to try to do so if costs can be reduced.

 

[Missy1961]

I guess you don't read any of the fan sites. Because there is no way the Stanatics would take that lying down. They're ready to bomb ABC and they want to string up Nathan Fillion now, and if they replaced Stana I don't think the show would survive much longer.

Stana Katic was also a producer on the show, so I doubt that means much. I have a feeling that Nathan wants to sign an extension, but ABC has seen the response, so I really wonder if they will continue.

 

[Missy1961]

No matter what happens, there are a few episodes left this season. and I'm still watching.

Here's a sneak peek:

 

[NotUrsula]

I guess you don't read any of the fan sites. Because there is no way the Stanatics would take that lying down. They're ready to bomb ABC and they want to string up Nathan Fillion now, and if they replaced Stana I don't think the show would survive much longer.

Stana Katic was also a producer on the show, so I doubt that means much. I have a feeling that Nathan wants to sign an extension, but ABC has seen the response, so I really wonder if they will continue.

Like I said, if I'm a fan of any person when it comes to Castle, it would be the writers -- I'm a huge admirer of the work of Old Man Winter and Dara Creasey. It's a character-driven show, though the chemistry between Fillion and Katic was definitely more important in the early years, because the whole "muse" thing had to be believable.

The fact is, Fillion is bankable, and Katic presently is not, no matter how much the Stanatics like to deny it. Every film she has been in has been a box-office bomb (except for her bit part in Quantum of Solace, though for a Bond film, that one was a low-earner), whereas Fillion turns just about everything he touches to gold. Even Firefly is now a profitable product due to DVD sales, syndication and merchandise. Part of the problem that Katic has is that, out of character, she is not a good interview -- she either comes across as an airhead, or as a disinterested intellectual (which I know is closer to the truth, but that breathy voice she has IRL works against her.) Fillion is the goodlooking guy next door who likes to tell jokes on himself; people who don't know his work see him in an interview and imagine he could be their best bud.

Speaking of best buds, another interesting thing about those two is their approach to publicity. Fillion is a master at it, making himself VERY available but on his own terms. He fools fans into thinking that they know him very very well, but actually reveals very little of his personal life. Katic, OTOH, is one of the most secretive actors working today; she reveals essentially nothing of her own life, and guards her off-screen privacy as if she were an covert agent for the CIA. While that approach may work for someone who is as stunningly good an actor as Kevin Spacey, for example, for most actors trying to build bankability it isn't an effective strategy.

 

[sailorstitch]

When I told my mom about Stana leaving she couldn't believe it. She says the show will be so dull without Kate.

You know what would keep me watching? If at the end of this season Rick and Kate go on their road trip. Then Alexis (aka Castle 2.0) gets her PI license and takes over Rick's business. I'm sure Ryan and Espo would help her out.

sailorstitch

 

[Missy1961]

When I told my mom about Stana leaving she couldn't believe it. She says the show will be so dull without Kate.

You know what would keep me watching? If at the end of this season Rick and Kate go on their road trip. Then Alexis (aka Castle 2.0) gets her PI license and takes over Rick's business. I'm sure Ryan and Espo would help her out.

sailorstitch

I think I would have watched that. But I can almost guarantee that would be a bust too. It shocking, I know, but there are many Alexis haters out there. And Molly Quinn didn't endear herself to many when she tweeted that the "show is called Castle and Nathan plays Castle" after the news broke about Stana Katic.

The Castle fandom can be very nutty. And this is bringing out the nuts. Someone wondered if the fans did a GoFundMe to cover her salary. But considering it's a couple of million a year, I don't that's a good idea.

 

[Missy1961]

Like I said, if I'm a fan of any person when it comes to Castle, it would be the writers -- I'm a huge admirer of the work of Old Man Winter and Dara Creasey. It's a character-driven show, though the chemistry between Fillion and Katic was definitely more important in the early years, because the whole "muse" thing had to be believable.

The fact is, Fillion is bankable, and Katic presently is not, no matter how much the Stanatics like to deny it. Every film she has been in has been a box-office bomb (except for her bit part in Quantum of Solace, though for a Bond film, that one was a low-earner), whereas Fillion turns just about everything he touches to gold. Even Firefly is now a profitable product due to DVD sales, syndication and merchandise. Part of the problem that Katic has is that, out of character, she is not a good interview -- she either comes across as an airhead, or as a disinterested intellectual (which I know is closer to the truth, but that breathy voice she has IRL works against her.) Fillion is the goodlooking guy next door who likes to tell jokes on himself; people who don't know his work see him in an interview and imagine he could be their best bud.

Speaking of best buds, another interesting thing about those two is their approach to publicity. Fillion is a master at it, making himself VERY available but on his own terms. He fools fans into thinking that they know him very very well, but actually reveals very little of his personal life. Katic, OTOH, is one of the most secretive actors working today; she reveals essentially nothing of her own life, and guards her off-screen privacy as if she were an covert agent for the CIA. While that approach may work for someone who is as stunningly good an actor as Kevin Spacey, for example, for most actors trying to build bankability it isn't an effective strategy.

Look, I agree. I came to Castle because of Nathan Fillion. He is certainly more bankable. I'm just saying that whether or not SK is a fantastic actress or not, many Castle fans will not watch a show without her in it. When Paul Lee started talking about possible Castle spin-offs (and of course his opinions are moot), I saw the reaction - it was almost all negative. Most of the fans didn't want an Alexis Castle PI spin-off. They didn't want a Ryan/Espo spin-off. They wanted Castle & Beckett/Nathan & Stana forever. So ABC can try to bring it back, but whatever they do is doomed to fail. Honestly, I was one of the few that stuck with it this year, but if they come back next year without SK, I'm probably out too. I know Hollywood's a business, but this just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

You know I HATE HATE HATE when a soap recasts an actress and it drives me batty, but I eventually get over it and even forget who was originally cast in that role....so I actually could get behind a recast of her...but I doubt they would do that on primetime tv.

 

[sailorstitch]

You know I HATE HATE HATE when a soap recasts an actress and it drives me batty, but I eventually get over it and even forget who was originally cast in that role....so I actually could get behind a recast of her...but I doubt they would do that on primetime tv.

The most recent example I know of is Jesus on The Fosters. That's prime time, but it cable instead of network tv. Either way Castle isn't going to survive without Stana.

sailorstitch

 

[Missy1961]

Yeah, it hasn't happened very much lately on network TV. And I truly don't see it happening here.