The Castle fandom readies its last stand as fans anxiously await an announcement from ABC regarding Caskett’s fate. Nathan Fillion has secured a deal to appear in Season Nine of the series he and Stana Katic began filming together in 2009. Katic will not return, and according to Internet reports, if renewed, Castle’s next season will include a new love interest for widower Rick Castle and a new direction for the show. Fans whom ABC hooked with a love story and lighthearted banter believe these radical changes will gut the series of its appeal and render syndicated episodes unwatchable.

Castle fans are leading a unique effort to save a show by cancelling it. Well organized twitter trends occurred over the weekend with #NoCastleS9 reaching World Wide Trending status on Friday evening. Caskett fans across the globe organized to send a message to ABC. They asked the network to honor the integrity of the love story Andrew Marlowe created and ABC marketed. Fan efforts to boycott the show and make their voices heard will continue until ABC reveals its decision.

Not every viewer agrees that a potential Season Nine will be a failure. Some say that lobbying a network to cancel a favorite show amounts to disloyalty. A much larger number of fans argue instead, that their loyalty remains with the version of Castle which includes both a writer and a muse.

Whether or not Caskett fans achieve their goal many have found comfort in the camaraderie of like-minded individuals who mourn the loss of a strong female character and a favorite couple. If ABC responds to the allure of star power and renews Castle, these fans will not follow the show to a ninth season. For them, Kate Beckett’s journey as a tough New York City detective who falls in love with an irritating, but lovable mystery writer defines the series. Just as in Rick Castle’s own writing, without her the story evaporates.

Caskett fans realize that contracts have been signed, lunches have been done, and egos have been stroked. Perhaps ABC has already made a decision to raze Castle and build anew. I’d like to think, however, that somewhere at the top of a tower sits a queen who does her research and understands that Castle has always been about two characters – Rick Castle and Kate Beckett. Finishing the show with both of them together ensures a happy fandom and a coin purse filled with syndication gold.

Cancel Castle now and preserve the #CaskettAlways legacy.