'Castle' season 8: Midseason premiere delayed; new schedule announced

ABC

"Castle" fans need to wait a little longer before they will see Rick (Nathan Fillion) and Kate (Stana Katic) back in action as the midseason premiere was moved a week later.

According to TV Line, the midseason premiere, episode 9 titled "Tone Death," will be aired on Feb. 8 instead of Feb.1. The change in schedule paves way to a special episode of "The Bachelor" live aftershow.

The fate of "Castle" hangs in the balance and the premiere date getting pushed back for a week may be a cause for concern. However, it shouldn't be as the change in schedule does not mean bad news for the series.

To let "Castle" catch up and be right on track, ABC will also air the tenth episode, titled "Witness for Protection," on a Sunday, Feb. 14. Fans will see the power couple on Valentine's Day and it should be a great way for them to spend the special day.

In this particular episode, the show will feature its first ever courtroom episode. "For the first time ever in Castle history, you go into a courtroom, you actually see a trial based on a case," co-showrunner Alexi Hawley told TVLine.

Rick will also give his testimony during the trial, Hawley went on to reveal. The showrunner also promised fans that Rick's testimony will take them "on a trip down memory lane" since the character will share about what happened in the past few years.

"He's an 'interesting' guy to give testimony. He has to take the stand —  annnnnd it kind of goes sideways," co-showrunner Terence Paul Winter added.

The show will be back to its original schedule the following day, Feb. 15, with "Dead Red." It appears that fans will see "Caskett" more often following the delay in the midseason premiere date.

"Castle" airs Mondays at 10 p.m. EST on ABC.