"Castle" series executives are assuring fans the new Hayley Shipton character (Toks Olagundoye) will not come between Det. Kate Beckett and Richard Castle. Still, that hardly means the newly installed police captain is in the clear.

Entertainment Weekly reports Hayley and Beckett (Stana Katic) certainly figure to bump heads, but it'll be more about work than over the affections of Castle (Nathan Fillion).

"She's a strong, powerful, beautiful, independent woman and she adds a flavor of that into the show, but is not -- in any way shape or form -- competition for Beckett," co-showrunner Alexi Hawley said of the new security specialist.

Fellow co-showrunner Terence Paul Winter added, "She has a very different perspective on how she attacks cases different from Beckett, which is going to create some fun tension."

Earlier this offseason it was revealed Beckett is slated to take over as captain of the 12th Precinct after passing the department's exam with flying colors at the end of last season. After considering a run for the New York State Senate, Beckett recently made the decision to remain in law enforcement.

"What's exciting about that dynamic is that she's not going to be a traditional captain who is in the office," Winter told EW. "She's boots on the ground. She's still Beckett. She's going to be handling cases and she's going to be involved in the interrogation."

With Beckett taking on her new role and Castle and Hayley spending more and more time together working on their cases, rumors were it could all spell trouble for the two costars' relationship.

"She's an independent investigator who comes in," Hawley added of Shipton. "What's great about her is Castle has been investigating cases police adjacent, so it's always about doing things the way the police would. She doesn't do things that way, so it's that fun dynamic of we break in rather than getting a warrant. There's definitely an energy about her that is a lot of fun."

"Castle" returns for its eighth season Monday, Sept. 21, on ABC.