Penny Johnson Jerald's sudden departure from ABC's Castle has led fans to wonder if the show's other cast members are safe.

New 'Castle' Showrunner Ready To 'Shake Things Up' In Season 8

Jerald, who played Captain Gates on Castle, was announced to not be returning for season 8 this fall, which was even a shock to the actress herself. With the show heading into a new era with new show runners Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter, will there be any other cast members exiting?

Fortunately, the other stars are safe. A new report by TVLine says that Jon Huertas (who plays Esposito), Seamus Dever (Ryan), Susan Sullivan (Martha Rodgers) and Molly Quinn (Alexis) are all signed on for season 8. While the report makes no mention of Tamala Jones (Lanie Parish), it also says that Jerald is the only departure ahead of season 8.

What Would 'Castle' Have Done If Stana Katic Left?

The show's stars, Nathan Fillion (Castle) and Stana Katic (Beckett) are also on board for the new season, as previously announced.

The seventh season had many fans speculating if this was the end of the show, as neither Fillion nor Katic had signed new contracts for several months. In the final weeks of the TV season, though, they came through and signed new deals for one season each.

In other Castle news, ABC announced the official premiere dates for fall 2015, with the crime procedural among those announced. The eighth season of Castle will begin Monday, Sept. 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

Tags: Castle television ABC