Spin-Off Goals: Should ‘Castle’ season 8 spawn into something more for Alexis?

How do you spin off a show like “Castle”? It’s an interesting question, given that so many of the characters are integral to the story. You cannot do something just about Rick or Kate, for example, since you would be forcing one of them away from the other. That’s a sight that nobody out there really wants to see. Therefore, any spin-off that comes out would have to establish that they are still together somewhere. Meanwhile, we don’t really want to see Ryan and Esposito away from them, either.

Therefore, for this particular edition of our Spin-Off Goals article series (which is actually the penultimate one we’re putting out there this month), we are putting the focus on someone in Alexis Castle who has grown up since the start of the series, and is also someone who could be excellent if given more screen time in a different place.

Why Alexis? – For one, she’s seen a whole lot of Castle and Beckett’s work first-hand over the years, and she is now working with Castle at his private-eye business. She understands how to investigate, and there is a certain Nancy Drew quality to the character (which is ironic, given that there is actually a Nancy Drew pilot being made at the moment). She’s also someone you could put in a new place and it wouldn’t feel strange; instead, it’d feel like an opportunity for her to spread her wings and show off more of her own skill.

The idea – It’s relatively simple: Move Alexis somewhere new, whether it be somewhere like Boston / Chicago or potentially a smaller town, a place where she can use some of her skills to solve serious cases with a little bit of wit and humor. You can bring in Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic for cameos, and we’d be fine if you also brought Hayley over so that you can give Alexis a foil who is a little more experienced in solving cases and the heavy action component that comes with bring a crime-solver.

Will it happen? – It’s not particularly likely, given that the ratings for season 8 aren’t exactly there to the point where we even have confidence in a season 9 renewal. We’d be thrilled to see something like it, given that there is especially not much out there in the mystery genre that appeals to a younger generation and an Alexis-led show could do that.