'Castle' Season 8 Release Date, Plot Spoilers: Kate Beckett, Rick Castle Go Separate Ways, Stana Katic Is New Boss

Aug 07, 2015 11:36 AM EDT

"Castle" Season 8 will be offering a new perspective on the relationships of the characters in the popular TV series. With Stana Katic's character, Kate Beckett, revealed to have been promoted from senior detective to captain, many changes will be made this season.

"At the end of the day, what we were trying to do was shake up relationships," shared showrunner Alexi Hawley, referring to the major changes the writing team and producers opted to implement in "Castle" Season 8, according to TV Guide.

As the new captain of 12th Precinct, one of the most notable changes in terms of working relationships is between Beckett and former co-detectives Javier Esposito (Jon Huertas) and Kevin Ryan (Seamus Dever). The shift in the working dynamics among the three should offer fans and followers of Castle a fresh perspective on how the crimes are investigated and handled by the police.

Disclosing that Katic's character will still be a "very boots-on-the-ground," Terrence Winter, another showrunner, shared that both Esposito and Ryan will feel "much differently" in terms of working alongside Beckett in "Castle" Season 8. With this in mind, Winter told fans to expect "more conflict" during investigations as Beckett attempts to come into terms with her new position, power and responsibilities. Needless to say, the shift in her status might make Beckett less daring in pursuing leads. Hence, fans could expect her to start exhibiting signs of doing things by the book which would either make viewers love her even more or get disappointed in her leadership skills.

Meanwhile, one character could be perceived as the most affected person with the change: Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion). Winter succinctly summed up the dilemma of the show's protagonist. He said, "It's much different when your wife is the captain, the boss, versus when your wife is the detective." In an effort to further stick to the concept of "shaking things up" for "Castle" Season 8, the writers decided to lessen the time spent by Castle and Beckett.

"What we realized is that the best way to tell Castle's stories is to have Castle investigating twisty, fun cases. And the best way to do that is to keep Beckett in the precinct," Winter explained, referring to the decision of the writers to give both Castle and Beckett separate storylines as opposed to constantly featuring them pairing up and working together on a case. Given that the relationship between Beckett and Castle is borne out of their writer-muse partnership, the sudden change in their interactions and positions definitely holds true to the promise of change brought about by "Castle" Season 8.

Meanwhile, two new characters will be featured in "Castle" Season 8. Toks Olagundoye enters the TV series as Hayley Shipton, a security expert and an independent investigator. As the season progresses, Entertainment Weekly revealed that viewers can expect an increased interaction between Shipton and Castle as the latter goes on to investigate crimes san his wife, Beckett. Apart Olagundoye, "Castle" Season 8 will also see the entry of Sunkrish Balak as Vikram Singh. Balak's character will be a tech analyst assigned in the precinct. According to TV Guide, Vikram will become one of Beckett's friends and confidant in the office.

"Castle" Season 8 will premiere on Sept. 21, 2015 (Monday) on ABC.