Actually, I’m not. The question count about the Blind Item is at a whopping three, and I’m content for it to stay that way. 

To answer your question; not really. Something like Agents of SHIELD, Grey’s or Once Upon A Time is considered an ensemble cast because the major storyline points revolve around all of them. But blind items are tricky because, by their nature, they play up on the drama of the storyline and play the odds for maximum clicks. 

So, for example. if Emma or Regina were to “die” on Once Upon A Time, I wouldn’t necessarily classify either of them as co-leads. Emma Swan is the main character, sure, but I’d consider Regina, Charming, Snow White, Rumple and Hook all as relatively of equal importance depending on the episode or the storyline that’s currently running. I don’t watch OUAT anymore, but it’s my understanding that in this current storyline the priority/importance falls on Emma, Regina and Hook so, if one of them were to die, you could technically say that the show killed off a co-lead. 

It’s kind of like how the Blind Item for Castle inserted a possibly permanent tag into that article and people are still dwelling on that one thing even though the showrunners have said they’re not going to be apart forever. This co-lead thing is the same sort of situation where there’s just enough spin for maximum freak out and to keep various fandoms arguing that it can’t be their show because “______ [insert character/actor] isn’t a co-lead because ______ [insert show here] is an ensemble cast”. 

Well, I don’t think it necessarily has to work the entire season. People have sort of taken that stance, and they could very well be right, but Castle being a “full time P.I.” (check the promo that I blogged a few days ago) doesn’t always equal him being on his own. He could work a case and reach out to the boys and Beckett for help, or the boys could ask him for help outright on their case, or they could intersect in some way. Or you could have an episode where they don’t intersect or work together at all, but the focus is on the more personal side of things. 

I’ll be honest, “fractional regular” is some bogus term that I’ve never heard used until last week. For all intents and purposes, the role seems to be recurring (like Tory) but maybe with more of a storyline importance/development for the character that would make them seem more like a regular. It’s also possible that whoever is cast is going to get a contract that has some of the perks of a regular (season long salary, would be one of those versus per episode that recurring characters would see). 

A major recurring role is just recurring, but with some kind of major storyline attached. So it’d be for someone like Michael Moseley or Jack Coleman who came back episode after episode, and always for some big time plot point. So, to answer your question, given the information that we have right now they are nearly the same. Something may come up in a few weeks that tells otherwise, but at this point I see no difference in them beyond how they get paid and are billed at the top of the show. 

Not really, I think naming two showrunners is mostly because Terrence Paul Winter has never held that position while Alexi Hawley has. So while TPW has a longer history with the show and, I’d imagine, maybe a better handle on where these characters should go into season eight, Hawley will understand the business side and be more of a business guy that writes on the side. I’d expect TPW to run the writer’s room and all that stuff. 

And, honestly, showrunning is exhausting and a taxing job physically, mentally and emotionally so to have two people splitting the duties will ease that strain in several ways as well. 

Yeah, agreement in principle pretty much equals to a verbal agreement that is pending the actual signing of a contract. Since Stana is off filming a movie it’s not like she can just pop down to her agents office and take care of it so, presumably, someone has to take a contract to her, she has to sign it, and then they have to take it back to the studio. 

Generally speaking, you don’t announce contracts until the name is on the paper. I believe in California that a verbal agreement is legally binding, but they’re really difficult to prove if anyone went to court over it so, for all intents and purposes, a network probably isn’t going to release anything until the ink has dried, all the i’s have been dotted and the t’s have been crossed.