For so long, it seemed like the popular television series "Castle" will be bidding goodbye to viewers during its seventh season, with lead actress Stana Katic (who plays Detective Kate Beckett) earlier saying that it's best that they quit the show while they are ahead.
But if high ratings are any indication (a whopping 10 million viewers per episode), the show is determined to remain on the small screen, and season eight is already in the works. However, Screen Rant reports that one of the mainstays of the show will no longer be included - Captain Victoria "Iron" Gates.
She is actually the second captain of the show, replacing Captain Roy Montgomery, who was Kate's mentor. He was killed off during the "Knockout" episode when he decided to take against the person who was responsible for Johanna Beckett's death. He was survived by his wife and two kids, and although Castle and the rest of the team knew about his past (for a while he was a dirty cop), they decided to remain silent to honor him.
Captain Gates was introduced during season four of the show, and she first appeared as a strict, by-the-books authority figure who demanded to be called "Sir" instead of "Ma'am."
For season eight, however, a spokesperson from ABC recently confirmed that Penny Johnson Jerald (the actress who plays Captain Gates) will no longer be returning, but it remains a mystery how she will be leaving the NYPD's 12th Precinct. Will she die? Or will she simply be reassigned?
Jerald herself was just as surprised about Captain Gates' departure as the rest of her fans, and she even said on Twitter: "To my Castle fans around the world, as of late yesterday I am surprised and saddened to learn that I will no longer be a part of the Castle family. Thank you all for your support and love. Hugs from PJJ."
Her sudden exit could only mean that there would be several creative tweaks made on the show, which is now under the helm of new co-showrunners Terence Paul Winter and Alexi Hawley (who stepped in for David Amman).
When Castle season seven wrapped up, Beckett was offered a position to run for state Senate, and she was also studying to become the captain of her own precinct. So will the hardworking detective finally land her dream job? And if so, how will this affect her relationship with her partner and husband Castle?
