Castle and Nashville, ABC’s last two “holdouts,” this winter will adopt the extended midseason break plan originated by such sister series as Once Upon a Time, Scandal and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Castle, which in recent years has only taken five or six weeks off in the winter, this season will air its fall finale on Nov. 23, then not resume Season 8’s 22-episode run until early February, TVLine has learned. This marks the first time since Season 2 (its first full season) that the procedural has not aired an original in January.

For Castle fans — the wait for February could feel particularly long. Because in the wake of the two-part premiere’s final twist, “Things are going to constantly evolve [for Rick and Kate], and by the time we get to the end of our fall finale, which will be Episode 8, there’s another shift and change that’s incredibly dynamic,” co-showrunner Terence Paul Winter said.

With Castle and Nashville on board, every returning ABC fall drama now is following the “gap” scheduling plan that was designed to deliver more continuous stretches of original episodes (and thus temper ratings erosion) and was first braved by Once (which last winter was on hiatus for 11 weeks), Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder (10 weeks each) and S.H.I.E.L.D. (12 weeks).

Source