"Castle" season seven ended on a rather surprising note. In the final moments of the police procedural drama, Kate Beckett decided to run for New York State senate after acing her Captain's exams, while the mystery surrounding Castle's disappearance remained unsolved. With new creative changes planned for season eight, what's next for the power-packed couple?

One familiar face will surely not be seen in the forthcoming season. Actress Penny Johnson Jerald, who essays the role of the Captain of the 12^th precinct, will not return to the show, according to TVLine. Captain Victoria Gates has been a series regular since season four. Her exit is seen as one of the numerous creative tweaks "Castle" is making for its upcoming season.

Showrunner David Amann has stepped down from his duties and handed over the reins to Terence Paul Winter and Alexi Hawley. Both Paul and Hawley have been part of the "Castle" family for a long time. New showrunners means fans can expect a spruced up forthcoming season.

Hawley was asked to dish out some spoilers for the show's season eight. However, in a separate TVLine report, the co-showrunner explained that "Castle" was still in its early stages of production.

"At this point, we haven't even sat down and talked about it yet," he said. "Fundamentally, Beckett and Castle's relationship has room to have movement in it. So for me — and I can't speak for Terence — we're just excited to go in there and see what the future holds," added Hawley.

Meanwhile, International Business Times has speculated that senator William Bracken may pose a threat to Beckett's ambitions. Viewers had last seen the corrupt politician in the recently-ended season seven. Whether or not the corrupt senator will make life difficult for Kate remains to be seen.

"Castle" returns with its eight installment on Sept. 21 at 10 p.m. EST on ABC.