Do you see a picture of shark fins in the water….
Is Castle, “Dead Again”? Last season Castle fans were concerned about the fate of show continuing. This season there is also concern, albeit for different reasons. Unless you’ve been completely media free this past week you’ve heard the news that ABC’s Castle has decided that if they do a Castle season 9 it will be without the show’s co-star Stana Katic and the long-time cast member Tamala Jones. Respectively, the two play Captain Kate Beckett & Medical Examiner Lanie Parish – and the characters are best friends. The reaction from fans, reviewers, and even the entertainment business community, has been one of disbelief. It has also created an outpouring of sentiments stating the hope that a Castle season 9 never sees the light of day.
Fans are heartbroken at the idea that the couple they’ve rooted for over the last eight seasons is being tossed aside like trash, with little thought or concern about the viewers investment in the show. Reviewer Matt Roush from TVinsider describes the situation best:
Dignity went out the window a while back, given the way the producers have jerked these characters, and Castle‘s fans, around for so long. But this does seem like the last unnecessary straw to keep this franchise going by shattering its core.
Roush is addressing the poor treatment of the fans, the show’s recent bad writing as well as the fact that the center of the show’s story is the relationship between writer Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Beckett. Unlike a show like Monk – or to go really old-school, Kojak – ABC’s Castle has never been about Richard Castle. The show is about the pairing of Castle with Beckett. As one smart fan tweeted, every single DVD case for the past seven seasons have featured them on the cover.
“Nathan Fillion IS #Castle“? Wait, but I could’ve sworn…. #NoStanaNoCastle #IStandWithStana pic.twitter.com/rKODLSaAsz
– jade (@girlwithlatte) April 19, 2016
Maureen Ryan, the chief TV critic at Variety, which is like, the entertainment business daily magazine, isn’t concerned about the story. She called ABC out on the Kelly Ripa situation and the issue with Katic & Jones as not only one of Hollywood sexism, but in creating bad P.R. for the network – which is bad business. Even though the official reason for the firings were “budgetary” Ryan dryly notes that watching ABC trying to “navigate” the bad publicity while trying to sell ad time at the Upfronts in May should be, “interesting.”
ABC’s big response to all the negative press appears to be to increase advertising for the show as fans have been commenting online about Castle ads popping on television in places where they usually don’t. It makes sense because with only four episodes left ABC is going to have to convince advertisers that the news of Katic and Jones not returning is something that won’t really hurt a Castle season nine. Hence keeping the show’s ratings somewhat steady will be imperative for the network – which is a problem given the reactions fans and the media have had. However, even without the announcement, the promo for Castle 8 x 19 was never exactly promising.
Castle, “Dead Again” is a straight play on the Castle season 4 episode, “Undead Again.” (Surprise, they’re trying to rip up season four again!) Gee, someone appears to be dead and then turns out not to be – just like in Castle 4 x 22.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4SrHzULeoE]
The problem with referencing season four’s “Undead Again” is that doing so completely kills the premise of this one! Castle, Beckett, Lanie, and Ryan have already dealt with a case where someone appears to be dead but they aren’t. After the initial shock no one should be freaking out like this, and Castle certainly should not be jumping to the conclusion that the “victim” is immortal and/or a superhero! For a long-time viewer, this entire story is yet another attempt at trying to rewrite the past. Being that “Undead Again” was such an excellent episode (Remember, “The killer’s a zombie!”) “Dead Again” is bound to fare badly in comparison.
Over several seasons the episode writer, Robert Hanning, has proven himself to be a great Castle writer – but he’s not the showrunner. In crafting an episode he has to work with whatever points he’s been given. The directive for Castle season eight has been to feature Castle in silly situations so that Fillion can do long comedy bits, keep the scenes between Castle and Beckett short and to a minimum, and you get bonus points if you can in some way make Beckett look crazy or in some way degrade her character.
On top of the above normal season 8 parameters, these last few episodes are all part of an arc designed to lead viewers towards Beckett’s character exiting the show and destroying the best part of it. We’ve already had, “Backstabber” which is appropriately named since it’s all about trying to get the audience to buy into Hayley Shipton (Toks Olagundoye) bonding with Castle and his daughter Alexis (Molly Quinn). (Note that I said it’s trying.).
In sharp contrast, “Undead Again” in season 4 was part of the arc designed to bring Castle and Beckett together in its epic season finale, “Always.” When you see all the handicaps “Dead Again” had before a word was written, the best a viewer can reasonably hope for are a few scattered scenes that will shine because of Hanning’s touch. He simply hasn’t been given all of the pieces needed to write a great episode – especially when placed next to, “Undead Again.”
The Sneak Peeks for Castle, “Dead Again”
The ratings for the previous episode, “Backstabber” are the lowest of the season and the series. Was that because viewers weren’t interested in a Hayley focused episode or because of the news about Katic and Jones? ABC is hoping that it’s the former, and in an ironic move the bait the network is using to get viewers to watch this week is…promoting more of Katic, Jones, and the Caskett relationship! Check out the progression of these sneak peeks!
Sneak Peek #1
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bY85kgXlU8?rel=0]
This sneak peek is sad. Castle is way over the top in it – even more than he was with the genie idea in Castle 8 x 17. Remember, this all starts because the victim appeared to be dead but wasn’t – just like in “Undead Again.” It was soon proven that the phenomena was caused by a special drug.
Still, even though Castle has his time of thinking it could be a zombie, creator Andrew Marlowe knew staying there would be too much given where the character had developed to. In fact, in “Undead Again” Castle tells Ryan that he’s pushing the zombie idea just to annoy Beckett. Here in “Dead Again” Castle’s in full-blown belief about a superhero. Why? Because in the story synopsis for Castle, “Dead Again” the would be victim will “come back to life” not once, but twice.
When a mild-mannered safety inspector for the city (guest star Jonathan Silverman) miraculously survives a poisoning, it might be luck; but when he survives another, it’s a mystery Castle and Beckett will have to solve.
One would think that having seen this kind of thing being caused by special drugs before, Castle would have gone there again. Nope. He’s all about the superhero idea.
Sneak Peek #2
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYHCsmPej_s?rel=0]
This sneak peek is the most we’ve had from Lanie all season. It’s great to see her! The dynamic between her and detective Javier Esposito (Jon Huertas) is still fun. The only thing that’s off at this crime scene is the need to position Castle in a way that makes him stand out instead of being part of the ensemble dynamic. As soon as he steps away to do his grandstanding the scene starts to go flat. It’s saved by the “dead” victim walking in and the Laine/Esposito bit.
Sneak Peek #3
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I1jlN_7qEM?rel=0]
I guess they want viewers to know that Beckett’s in the episode. Thank God for the voice of reason to interrupt Castle’s ramblings – because that’s what makes it an actual joke. This season the tendency is to let setups like that run too long and then they become tedious instead of funny. For instance, the guy rambling on the phone goes just over the line from being funny to being stupid. I’m also not thrilled with the, “As a cool man, you call it a journal.” In today’s world that’s true for anyone – male or female – who’s gotten beyond junior high.
Sneak Peek #4
This fourth sneak peek is short – but it features Caskett….
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0WfKEwTO8Q?rel=0]
This scene has all the buttons viewers are used to: Castle watching Beckett sleeping in that soft morning light with a loving look is straight out of season five’s “Still” while Beckett calling actions Castle takes regarding her as “sweet” is almost as big a thing as the code word “always.” However, isn’t it interesting that Castle pushes the point until Beckett turns away from him? I guess the writers have to go that way because god forbid it leads to a moment where they actually connect.
To get a sense of how all these sneak peeks have been received, I noted the number days each had been out and how many views were listed when they played.
Four Days:
sneak peek 1 has 10,753
sneak peek 2 has 7.058
Three Days:
sneak peek 3 has 8,273
Two Days:
sneak peek 4 has 7,271
I’m sure some math geek could give you the exact rate, but clearly both the Caskett scene and the scene with Castle and Beckett are being viewed at a faster rate than the first one. Sneak peek 1 was released before sneak peek 2, so it’s a little harder to gauge what that gap is about. If you want a larger sense of how these are all being taken in, take a look at the list on YouTube when you search for Castle sneak peeks 8 x 19. Those results come in order of popularity, and the top four literally run backwards with the most popular one being sneak peek #4 – while sneak peek #1 is last!
The fact that as it’s gotten closer to air time ABC chose to show sneak peeks pushing Laine, Beckett and Caskett as being an important part of Castle, “Dead Again” shows they know what viewers want to see. It doesn’t change that they don’t actually care what viewers want. All ABC is doing right now is trying to reel viewers in so that they have the numbers to show advertisers in the upcoming May Upfronts. They need to be able to say that the news of Katic and Jones leaving didn’t have a big effect on viewing to support the idea of a Castle season 9 without them. It’s exactly what fans don’t want, but ABC is hoping to use the viewers love of the characters to get them a Castle season 8 finale designed to break those same viewers hearts while giving ABC a Castle season 9.
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What I don’t understand is how would the fans have responded if Stana said she was moving on, and ABC said they were moving forward with the show? All of this fan outrage is so false. I posted a few weeks ago that Stana was moving on. These episodes are just the culmination of what has been going to all season long.
Well, the problem is what’s been going on is steeped in sexism. Let’s go with your theory that Stana wanted to move on. The right thing to have done, given what the story has been, would have to close down the story with a happy ending, and moved the actors into another show. Had they done that, fans would have happily followed the actors into whatever new characters and configuration ABC put them in, because they had that kind of loyalty and trust.
Instead, ABC has spent the last two seasons ripping the show to pieces. The message they’ve sent is that they don’t care that fans have loved this show and its love story, we are knocking it down and we expect you to love it the way we put it together. Because really fans, the show was never about Beckett or Caskett, it was just about Richard Castle. They’ve chosen to rip apart the story fans have loved for years, attempt to destroy everything that has been loved about the Beckett character, and by the looks of it kill her. The reason they thought this was even possible is the innate Hollywood sexism that discounts the importance of female characters, and things like love stories. That, is why fans are furious – and they have every right to be. There is nothing false about it.
Sexism? Really? Please don’t through yourself in with the crazies Joy. Those fan’s just look crazy and bitter. Look, none of us are happy about the move but ABC didn’t want the story to end. Since they own the show, they get to make those decisions. Richard Castle is the center piece of the show. (Unless there is a spin-off). In fact he is the only character that can’t be replaced. Everyone else can be, and some will be soon. In looking at the pending doom of the Caskett relationship, this has been coming on for sometime time. (I think it started with the DC-arc forward.) Stana started saying last year that she wasn’t inclined to move forward and was ready to do other things. (Everyone else in the cast seemed to be committed.) Look at Stana’s filming schedule for “Sister Cities”. That fact that it over-lapped with the filming of s8 should tell the least objective Castle fan her time was coming to an end. (I know for a fact, that ABC told everything they needed to know about Stana’s commitment to the show.) Think about it, in the 8yrs of the show has any of the “stars” ever taken time-off to film something else that required the Castle crew to shoot around them till they got back? Of course not. From the fact that you write on a fan-site, its clear that you love Caskett and see the nobility of the Kate Beckett character. That’s great and I love reading your work. I am sorry, but in the end, the show must go on.
“ABC didn’t want the story to end. Since they own the show, they get to make those decisions. Richard Castle is the center piece of the show. (Unless there is a spin-off). In fact he is the only character that can’t be replaced. ” All of this falls under the sexist logic. ABC didn’t want the show to end , but the fact is, if Stana or Fillion leaves it is game over. Fillion was never the center of the show. It was never marketed that way, it was never written that way until they tried it in season 7, The insanity is that they believe they could just toss the character out and it would still work. I’m not alone in this. Basically every entertainment business person is looking at ABC like they are out of their minds. It’s a straight up bad, bad, business decision and they made it because they – like you – are missing the obvious.
It doesn’t matter who got paid more and who was first on the call sheet. The success of Castle depended not on Fillion or Katic, but the combination. When every DVR cover features the same two people paired on the cover, that is your brand. As such, this has nothing to do with liking one actor over another. They may both be lovely or complete jerks, but It is not rocket science to figure out that if one leaves you no longer have a show. The only way one can miss this is if a person somehow think the woman isn’t important – even though she’s been front and center with the guy from day one. This is problem with sexist thinking. It blinds a person to the reality of what actually is.
You said don’t stand with the crazies, and I’m not. I’m it with the people looking at the situation and the bottom lines and going, what the hell was ABC thinking?! Now they’ve not only tarnished the Castle brand, they’ve gotten the ABC name being hit as well. They’ve lost a fanbase that would have watched any new show they put Fillion in that wasn’t Castle. Like, anything. It could have been him and a dancing bear and if Castle had wrapped nicely that fanbase would have been there. Not now and if they end it by not having a happily ever after. I pity the 2016-17 ABC roster. whether it has a Castle season 9 on it or not, the “crazies” aren’t going to let it go. Four PCA’s in a row. That energy turned against ABC….. The network had a huge opportunity and they seriously blew it. They can salvage some of it if they wrap this season right, but honestly, I don’t know if they’ll do it.
The other thing is that Stana was booked into Sister Cities because she was under the impression that Fillion wasn’t going to sign and the show was going to wrap. If you recall everyone was pushing to get new projects together because they thought the show was done. They were all surprised when he signed at the last minute – as in he signed on the next to last day before the show wrapped season 7. That backed everyone else into a corner about what they were going to do. So, no, Stana booking Sister CIties the way she did wasn’t about her not caring about the show, and she did not drag her heels. She, Seamus, Jon, Tamala and Penny really had no idea that the show was going to continue until it was announced on April 16th., 2015.
Joy, I know your responding as a fan and not someone who is looking at the situation objectively. (If you had insider information on the show, this would be clearer for you to understand.) So, let me clarify some things for you. First, Nathan had committed to do Castle if picked up. So, he was ready to go. Once he was set, everyone else came on board,. Stana was the last to commit. This is why Sister Cities overlapped with Castle’s s8 shooting schedule. Second, if Nathan or Stana left the show it would not be “game over” despite the marketing campaign up to that point. Again, just because one is not there, the show doesn’t stop. Again, if Stana walked after s4 or s5, does Castle end. Of course not. Third, a PCA is not an acting award. Its a popularity contest, and one person can choose the same actor or show as many times as they want. So, how is that objective? Its not. That’s why its nice for an actor to win, but it really doesn’t matter in the industry. Fourth, the decision was not sexist. What would have happened had Nathan decided to move on, but ABC wanted to re-title the show and move forward with Stana. Would it have been sexist then? Of course not. Finally, its about the Castle brand. (Caskett is not the name of the show.) ABC wanted to make this move last year because they rightly saw that the Caskett relationship had gone as far as it could. Add that Stana had made consistent overtures to the network that she was looking for something new and ABC was ready to move on. (BTW – Never ever tell your boss that you are looking for a new job. This is basically what Stana has been doing for 2 years bts.) PS – The final adjusted ratings of last nights show prove that the “backlash” over the Stana firing has been really next to nothing, and ultimately proved that ABC was right to make the move.
Do you know how many people come on this board and others saying they have insider information? Last month the insider information was that Nathan was bullying Stana. Which “insider” should I believe? In my experience, people who have real insider information aren’t commenting anonymously on article boards. Also, objectively speaking, my reactions are pretty much in line with the reactions people who are much higher up the food chain than me are having. If Variety is calling out ABC for these things I’m not worried about my thoughts around this being out in left field.
If you want a model of how to do this kind of thing right, all you have to do is look at The CLoser – which became Major Crimes Once Kyra Sedgwick left. For one they gave her a great exit story that had the character leaving alive and with her marriage intact. If TNT had done to the Brenda character what Castle has been doing to Beckett’s there would be no Major Crimes success story because the fans would have been furious. Castle spent half of season 7 trying to ignore Beckett and this season has been about trying to rip her story arc to shreds. Major Crimes didn’t destroy any of the CLoser’s arcs – it was seamless. The sexism is not only in the move itself, but in the way they’ve gone about it.
The ratings are up in part because DWTS was also up, but also last week fans really did not want to watch the Hayley focused story last week, but they did want to support the episode that Tamala Jones was going to be featured in. See where they are next week if you really want to gauge the effect.
You are also missing the point I’m making about the PCA’s. I didn’t say anything about them being an acting award. You are right, it is a popularity contest, one that takes a lot of time, energy and organization by the fans of shows and actors to get who they want to win. That, is why I mentioned it. That same time, organization and passion that got the show those awards is now being turned to push back at ABC. Not just with calling the network, or twitter campaigns, but with lists targeting ABC sponsors. They don’t want a season 9 and they’re going to do all they can to try and make it a financially bad idea. Will they gain enough momentum – I don’t know, but I’ve seen how hard the Castle fandom can organize and push – and it’s a heck of a lot
Thanks for another wonderful, insightful article. Those who say that Stana wanted out anyway are missing the point of the situation IMO. The point is that ABC did not invite the co-lead of the show to the negotiation table. The show has been as much about Beckett as it as about Castle (you could argue more so) yet TPTB chose to not even sit with her at the negotiation table for “budgetary reasons”. That is insulting and sexist. ABC deserves every bit of disdain and hate being directed their way.
It is beginning to look more and more like the the stories of bts issues between the stars are true, which makes it even worse because from what I have seen on screen Stana was able to put those differences aside and do her job while Nathan was not. Once again the man being rewarded in spite of his bad behavior. #No StanaNoCastle #IstandWithStana
In the end Lisa, it doesn’t matter. ABC dropped the bomb last Monday and expected the ratings to fall a little yesterday. Guess what? They didn’t . I love Stana on Castle, but she doesn’t drive the viewership of the show. Nathan does. Also, complaining about the business of TV is a fools path. Remember, ABC was going to make this move last year, but for the sake of the shows transition forward, they didn’t. What I don’t get from the Stana-only crowd is what would they like to have happened if Stana left after s5 or s6?
I think most people would have rather the show ended on a happy not after S5 or S6, than drag on forever 9-10 seasons with Castle becoming a widower. And I think they’d feel the same way if Nathan was the one leaving….no one would want to watch Beckett become a widower. Why not go out on a high note? (Or a medium note, as this show hasn’t hit “high” in quite awhile). Personally I could care less why an actor/actress leaves, I care about the characters.
The ratings did actually drop last week, and then yes, bounced back yesterday. But I bet they will drop a lot more next year after they go through with killing Beckett. Does ABC really think it’s going to be a hit for years to come?
As a fan, I am sad that this is happening. Watching Rick and Kate spar on Castle has been a real joy to watch, and as fan fan I have been able to watch for 8 years. (That in itself in an amazing accomplishment.) Would I have liked a different outcome here? Of course, but I hope it goes forward. Will the show lose fans? (Some. but not many based on the ratings.). Will it gain more fans? I believe it will. As a friend said to me, “Castle is like nothing else on TV and that’s why I watch.” Castle is still a really good show and if Kate is killed off on the last episode, like most of believe she will be, the show will go on.
Concerning all the BTS issues, let’s just say that “all parties” are going to be able to get what they want. and start fresh.
“Most believe” is inaccurate. If that were true, they wouldn’t have shot two endings. Obviously there is doubt – even at ABC.
Well, yes they and no they didn’t. What they did was shoot one episode, but filmed 2 different endings, but in both episodes, Kate Beckett is killed.
That’s an interesting speculation, but if were true, all the more reason it should be canceled. If that’s the way they saw the show and the character, then the show and those behind that decision don’t deserve another season. That would also mean Alexi Hawley and ABC would be swamped with more bad press than ever and Hawley would have made the worst decision of his career. By the way, how much do you know about IT?
So again, it makes no sense to just cancel the show if Kate Beckett is killed. Kate Beckett is not the titled character Richard Castle is. If Castle gets killed and they want to move forward, then yes, they would have to re-title and re-launch the show.
(I’m hoping that this answers your questions.) So, from what I know, the decision to not go forward with Stana on Castle as a lot to do with the fact that Stana, for about three seasons, talked to ABC bts about doing other things and moving on. ABC wanted her to stay but she was done. So, like most networks do, they make concessions to their stars for the overall sake of the show to keep her. From what I am told, her requests got bolder and bolder to the point that in this season she negotiated time off during the shooting of the s8 because of the shooting of “Sister Cities” and her planned Honeymoon in the fall. (Quick side note: One of the first concessions by ABC was to help Stana to keep her relationship with Kris a secret and out of the press. They of course agreed, but that’s where it started.).
So moving forward, when the news came out about Stana on a Monday, a month before s8 ends, I was shocked. The timing of this release made no sense to me. So, I made a call and found out that ABC had no intention of making this news public until after the s8 finale. In fact, in an ABC planned press release, they were going announce that Stana had chosen to move on from the show, and ABC wished her well in the future. Apparently in a very, very bold move, Stana’s agency decided to increase her visibility by planning a separate press-release early with Deadline.com and announce Stana was leaving the show , but in in article she was going to trash ABC and the show for holding her back in her career. ABC heard about it, was very angry and hurt that she would say such things having done some much for her, and dropped the bomb early. That is why everyone was shocked, cast crew…everyone. Then all of those stories about her and Nathan started coming out, which is completely wrong. If Stana and Nathan ever argued about anything, it was about the show and their strong feelings about how the show should go.
They shouldn’t cancel the show because of killing Kate Beckett, they should cancel the show to avoid killing her. Wrap up the show and give the two main characters a happy ending. I know the show is called Castle, but Beckett’s always been just as important as him, and I think ABC is crazy if they expect ratings to stay the same next season. I know it’s show business, but there’s also such a thing as creative integrity. And honestly, I am shocked Nathan is willing to re-sign. A couple seasons ago it sounded like he couldn’t get away from it fast enough. Stana seemed super into it until the non-wedding at the end of S6, then she seemed to stop talking about anything Castle related.
A lot of what you said about ABC sounds logical, but I don’t buy that the only thing Stana and Nathan ever argued about was the direction of the show. I don’t think he’s a bully, but it has to be more than creative differences.
Also, was it really that hard for ABC to help keep Stana’s relationship with Kris out of the press? She’s not exactly targeted by the paparazzi or anything, and he’s nobody to Hollywood.
I’m curious, do you think Stana is going to be successful? She hasn’t exactly been making great picks with her projects during the hiatuses, but maybe there were better things she couldn’t do schedule wise?
Yes, I believe can be successful if she can control the project, like a TV show Stana has been very good because the she is familiar with the writers who write the show and they write to her strengths.. TV writing is not like Movie writing. Up to this point, Stana has not show that she can be good on the “Big Screen”. It will be very, very interesting to see how she does in “Sister Cities” and “The Rendezvous” as they feature her prominently. Sister Cities is more like a Lifetime TV Movie of the week, but the The Rendezvous is more of an indie pick.
In terms of Castle, how many times has Kate Beckett almost been killed on that show? Too many to count. Finally killing her character seems like a natural progression, but again I understand why so many fans are sad. In the end, ABC wanted to handle her transition more gracefully, but her representation decided to do an end-run on something they new was going to happen anyway to try to get her more press. Stana was moving on. Up until this last year, Stana has been very good with keep family business within the network family, but her comments last year about her character and the show, and this press move have people in the business questioning if she’s really mature enough to star in another network project again.
With her relationship with Nathan, the only issues that they ever had were about the show. Nothing personal. No bullying BS, In fact, Nathan really gets along with Kris and has for years.
I can tell you that this stuff being thrown at you is just one fan’s story, and in particular, I can say that Stana’s agency did no such thing. Also, your comment about Kris is dead on. People like to get on sites and talk like they’re connected to the show – it doesn’t mean they actually are.
It does answer my question. You know quite a lot about IT, but facts at ABC…not so much. I’m not sure if this is your story or something that got spinned to you by a friend of a friend, but unless you can state concrete sources I suggest you not spread unsubstantiated rumors.
I can understand you being skeptical, but this isn’t rumor. You can take it as it is or not. I have no bias on Castle,and I am very, very certain on this information. Again, I know you are a fan which I love by the way, but when you work in the business is very hard to be so starry eyed about shows or actors. Hollywood is a funny business. You have to be connected to the business professionally to know anything, but there is a rule. Lose confidence. Lose access. So if your name is attached to a rumor, you will never be trusted again, and Hollywood is a small town. That’s why its funny to read all of these TV blogs like TVline,ect. They only know that the studio wants them to know.
Anyway, I think it would be easier for all the fans to realize that Stana leaving was a business decision. Her’s and ABC;s, Castle’s rating have been coming down largely due to the fact that the show has been on for 8 years, and the story has been the same. Since ABC owns the show, and that;s very important here, and they wanted to continue the show. The Kate/Rick relationship was no longer helping the ratings, so you make a change.
By definition, anything that is not backed up by facts is a rumor. I suppose recruiting people – to push a spin by having those people get on blogs saying they “know” the truth – is just another part of the Hollywood game. Secondly, I’m not remotely starry-eyed about what’s going on. This is not a pretty situation. However, the facts that are on the record don’t remotely match yours. In terms of what’s off the record, I’d bet money – a lot of money – that there’s stuff which doesn’t match your story either. Of course, there’s lots of talk off the record. It depends on who one is talking to. That’s why it’s called spin.
As for your last paragraph, I think you mean easier for ABC, since they’re the ones who desperately want viewers to stick around for their bastardization of what was a really good show. Then there’s your talk about the ratings. Your narrative is about as true as the Moonlighting curse idea – the one that says putting them together caused the ratings problem. Then, like now, it was the exact opposite thing that tanked the ratings.
On Moonlighting, once Maddie & David got together the show broke them up almost immediately. They then separated the leads on screen, and then they had Maddie act completely out of character and put her into a new relationship using a storyline that made no sense. This is basically all of season eight, but the seperating them on screen with stupid plots started with 6 x 23 and continued in season 7. Basically, ABC is making the same mistakes they did thirty years ago. They still hasn’t figured certain things out.
Viewers actually want a story to follow through & not circle back. If ABC had insisted on staying focused on the Caskett relationship and just let it move forward normally, fans would have been glued to the TV because having continuity in a story is not the same as telling the same story. What ABC has done – blowing up weddings, throwing characters into crazy stories about missing time, resetting character development and retreading storylines – that actually is trying to tell the same story over and over again, and that, is not what viewers want to see. It’s these ABC choices that have driven down viewer ratings. Has there behind-the-scenes stuff going on? Yes. That’s been acknowledged to a degree. It doesn’t change that bad writing decisions were made and that those story choices are what drove down the ratings.
Finally, the fact that ABC owns the show and wanted to continue it is their hubris. They know what’s made the show work – Castle and Beckett, aka Caskett. The idea that they could keep the show going without it’s core element intact and still be profitable – that is where their biggest error lies. Because of this basic error in thought, ABC let those horrible storylines occur. Those storylines have been alienating the audience and steadily destroying the show they own. After season eight they’ll no longer have it at all; they’ll just have the title and some of the cast. Fans are saying they don’t even want to watch the reruns because of what ABC’s about to do. Castle without Caskett is like a steakhouse that’s gone vegan. The name may be the same, but the meat and potatoes customers who have been coming for years aren’t likely to be coming back for the grilled eggplant.
Perhaps the reason the Rick/Kate relationship doesn’t seem to help ratings is because the actors refuse to film together more than twice a week? Why ABC ever agreed to that condition is beyond me, but it’s pretty clear from their screen time that that rumor is true and is pretty ridiculous for everyone involved.