Nathan Fillion built a reputation as the charming lead of The Rookie, but behind the scenes, stuff wasn’t always so smooth. Rumors swirled that not everyone on set was a fan of the actor, including a certain co-star who mysteriously exited the show.
Officially, it was a “budgetary” decision, but some believed there was more to the story.
Behind-the-scenes drama: Did feud with Nathan Fillion doom Castle?
Castle fans never saw it coming. ABC’s hit crime drama Castle ended abruptly after eight seasons, but the real mystery wasn’t onscreen; it was behind the scenes. At the heart of the drama was alleged tension between leads Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic.
Onscreen, Detective Kate Beckett (Katic) and mystery writer Richard Castle (Fillion) were the perfect team. Offscreen, not so much. Reports claimed the co-stars barely spoke before Katic’s exit. One source even alleged (via Us Weekly),
Stana would go in her dressing room and cry. A lot of people who work on the show don’t like Nathan. It’s not just her. The friction was very evident. Nathan has been nasty to Stana for a long time. Stana was a pro, just wanted to get in there and do her job.
The tension wasn’t new. Whispers of feuds followed Fillion from set to set, painting him as a difficult presence. Katic, meanwhile, reportedly just wanted to do her job. But as the tension grew, something had to give.
ABC’s solution? Cutting Katic from the series ahead of a planned ninth season.
Officially, it was all about the budget. Unofficially, fans weren’t buying it. Fillion played it cool, calling the show “one of the greatest joys” of his life and praising Katic’s character as “one of the greatest police officers on television.” But for some, the damage was done.
With Katic gone, Castle had no future. ABC pulled the plug and fans were left with an unsolved mystery.
Nathan Fillion celebrates The Rookie’s record-breaking success with heartfelt message
Nathan Fillion had a major reason to celebrate The Rookie’s success. The ABC drama just hit an all-time high in streaming ratings, and Fillion made sure to shout out the team behind it.
On February 22, he shared the big news on Instagram — The Rookie pulled in 8.8 million viewers over the last three weeks. Even bigger? It scored its best 18-49 demo ratings since March 2020 on Hulu and Disney+. Fillion wrote,
I know, I say it all the time. I couldn’t be more proud of what this show has accomplished…It honestly couldn’t happen to a more talented, kind, and deserving group of people. Cast, crew, writers, staff, and of course, [creator and showrunner] Alexi [Hawley]. My thanks goes out to all the fans, too. You keep this show going by continuing to tune in, and for that I am truly grateful.
He praised the talented, kind, and deserving cast, crew, and creator Alexi Hawley. And of course, he thanked the fans for keeping the show alive.
With season 7 thriving, could season 8 be next? ABC stayed quiet, but this milestone sure felt like a good sign.
Watch The Rookie on Hulu & Apple TV.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
