Why was The Rookie star Nathan Fillion's hit show canceled?

The Rookie star Nathan Fillion has had huge success with the popular show, which is currently on its fifth season. However, the star's previously much-loved series Castle was cancelled after eight seasons back in 2016, despite initially announcing that it was coming back for a ninth instalment. So why was Castle cancelled? Find out more…

Why was Castle cancelled?

While it is unclear why Castle was cancelled, the circumstances surrounding the show's ending were controversial. It was originally announced that season nine would be going ahead, but wouldn't be starring Nathan's co-star Stana Katic, who played Beckett on the hit show.

WATCH: Nathan now stars in the hit series The Rookie 

Following her departure, creator Andrew Marlowe confirmed that the show was actually ending, despite reports that Nathan had already signed a contract for season nine. He tweeted: "To the whole Castle family- our amazing cast, our remarkable crew, our imaginative writers & our wonderful fans, thank you for 8 amazing years!"

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Stana and Nathan reportedly didn't get along on set

In a rare comment about the show's ending, Nathan told New York Post: "It wasn’t the beautiful send-off that I think maybe you could hope for, but it’s the entertainment industry, it’s a business, I get it,” Fillion says. “I don’t take it personally when a show gets canceled — I can’t take it personally, all my shows get canceled! Look at my resume, it’s a long list of canceled TV shows.

MORE: See the cast of The Rookie and their real-life families

MORE: Nathan Fillion's former Castle co-star Stana Katic - where is she now?

"The fact is, I made a lot of great friends on a really great show. I’m really happy for everything that that show has done for me."

© Photo: Getty Images

Were you sad when the show ended?

It was also reported that Nathan and Stana didn’t get on while filming, but Nathan spoke fondly about her following her exit, saying: "Stana has been my partner all this time, and I thank her for creating the character of Beckett who will live on for all of us as one of the greatest police officers on television. I wish her well, and have no doubt she will succeed in everything she pursues. She will be missed."

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