ABC’s ‘Castle’ season 8: Terence Paul Winter named new showrunner

“Castle” season 8 is definitely happening, and after some confusion (including on our part) it seems like the show has officially settled in on a showrunner following the exit of David Amann.

TVLine is reporting that longtime writer Terence Paul Winter has been officially hired now to be the new showrunner; this is a hire that does make a great deal of sense, given that he has been with the show for over five years and was promoted to an executive producer earlier this season. He is inheriting a show that still does have some confusion; Stana Katic’s status is still unclear, though we can tell you that negotiations are still ongoing, and we are still hopeful that something can be worked out.

Yes, we have heard many reports today regarding whether or not some of the other cast could be back for the eighth season, but there is nothing definitive to report on that particular subject just yet. We’d be surprised if there is an enormous cast shakeup given that everyone seems to want to return, and we’ll just leave it at that for now.

Many other aspects of “Castle’s” eighth season should be announced at the ABC upfronts at some point next week, including the length of the season and possibly whether or not it is the last for the show. With the ratings lower for much of season 7, our feeling is that it probably should be, just to ensure a proper send-off and to ensure that you can keep as many original cast members around as possible without problems.

Head over here to watch a preview now for the “Castle” finale airing on Monday night. Also, sign up now to get some other TV updates on everything we cover right now, courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)