ABC’s ‘Castle’ season 8 spoilers: ‘The Neighbors’ alum to join Stana Katic, Nathan Fillion in cast

We’ve been hearing for some time about a new “Castle” series regular by the name of Hayley, but until today, there was some mystery as to who was actually going to play her. Well, now we know!

Per a report from TVLine, Toks Olagundoye of “The Neighbors” (Jackie Joyner-Kersee) has signed on to play this part, who will be featured in many episodes over the course of season 8. One detail that has changed about this character from original descriptions is that she is now a former Scotland Yard police officer rather than someone with LAPD ties. This is probably a reflection of the actor’s own background more so than anything else. She’s described as smart, quick-witted, and determined to get the job done at just about any cost.

We know that there are some out there skeptical about this role already, and worried about whether or not she could take some time away from Castle and Beckett sharing screen time together. We don’t think there is enough evidence out there on that one way or another. The real reason we are getting a new cast member from our estimation is because Penny Johnson Jerald is gone, and there was a spot that new executive producers Terence Paul Winter and Alexi Hawley wanted to fill. This was their way of doing so.

We’ll find out more about Hayley during the “Castle” two-part premiere, which is going to begin airing come Monday, September 21 on ABC. That should answer at least the majority of the questions that people have.

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