After it was reported that the show is garnering low ratings, the showrunners think that "Castle" may end after season 8.
International Business Times reported that showrunners Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter revealed in an interview that they made the final episode of season 8 as if the show will end after the current season. Winter explained that they are still hoping that the show will be renewed for season 9 but as of now, they had to act as if it is the last season of the show. Hawley added that right now, they just want to deliver a satisfying story to their audience and end the season in an exciting way.
In his interview with TV Line, Hawley said that the network executives will not make a decision about the renewal or the cancellation of the show until around April of 2016. Speculations of the show's cancellation started April of this year when series creator Andrew W. Marlowe earlier revealed that Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic's contracts expiring. In the same interview, Marlowe also said that the season 8 finale will also open to an interesting storyline if ever the network would decide to renew the show for season 9.
In the early part of the season it was reported that fans are disappointed with where the story is going and many believe that this was the reason why the show is having low ratings. However, Hawley claimed that the show still has a lot of life in it and also its characters especially the trials and challenges the characters had to go through in season 8. He added that the temporary marital separation of Rick (Fillion) and Kate (Katic) is a shakeup that allowed them to give a great storyline for the show.
"Castle" Season 8 will return after a long break on Feb 1.
