Castle without Stana Katic?

One of the few shows I enjoy to watch the most every week is Castle. It is so much fun, seeing Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic along with everyone else. I get a real kick out of it. At the same time I've always been of the belief that shows should end before they lose what makes them special. I'm not trying to say that the show has lost its charm, while this season hasn't been as fun as the ones that came before it is still a great ride.

So why wouldn't another season be just as great? The loss of one of the greatest characters on the show. Stana Katic is said to be leaving at the end of this season yet there is talk of another season. All I can ask is how? Now they are also saying that they won't kill her off, so how do they go onto another season? It's the same question that I have been asking about the Fast and the Furious movies after the last film. When a lead is gone end the show. It is as simple as that.

In the universe of Castle it doesn't make any sense that Beckett would leave and Castle would stay. And if Castle leaves, well the show is named Castle.  Am I the only person seeing a problem with this? I get that the entertainment industry is about money but sometimes it should be more about the art. Don't bleed something dry, let it die while people are still wanting more.