Castle

For anyone of the "Firefly" persuasion, you are in for a treat! ABC realized what a gem they had in Nathan Fillion when he did his guest stint on Desperate Housewives, and they quickly got their act together and gave him a series! In other words, Nathan is back!! :) This series has a great start to it, with a strong ensemble cast that brings out a great multi-dimensional quality to the show. It is clever, and sarcastic humor reigns. The plot of the pilot was your typical Crime Investigation approach, but it is the delivery of this fine cast that breaks it apart from other shows. With that being said, I hope that they do develop the story lines a bit better in the future, but no matter what happens, this show is a joy to watch simply because of the cast...especially Nathan Fillion. This character is very much like Mal Reynolds in Firefly, and that is what brought me to this show. The rest of the cast and the great delivery is what will keep me with this show!! Well done ABC!!

Yes, this is a great vehicle for Nathan Fillion because he's gets to play the lovable scoundrel, which truly is his bread and butter. I was worried when I saw the pilot that they were going to shoot their premise in the foot but was impressed at the end when they gave you a new basis that could last longer than a few episodes. Now if we're fair and judge this show on it's writing and acting rather than on our excitement that Nathan Fillion is back then we must conclude... that the show is still pretty good. I have been impressed with the story lines up to this point and while the short description of the "who-dun-it" may sound like scenarios we've heard before, these writers aren't satisfied with a "Law and Order" ending. They've already thrown out the triple and quadruple switchbacks with the uncovering of the culprits. And all the while allowing Nathan Fillion to fill the screen with his smarmy charm and allowing him to cavort with an attractive, albeit, hard-boiled female cop.

The great part about this show is that they haven't really set up Fillion as a Sherlock Holmes. He is playing a seemingly educated street-wise poetic guy, but he isn't the one with all the answers. For every conclusion he draws, the female lead makes just as many and may refine Fillion's, which is wise on the writers' part because his character works because of the inherent flaws that come with being a writer rather than a detective.

It's a clever show that's a must-see if you're a Fillion-atic and a pretty good hour even if you're not.

Oh, yeah, we've seen this one before....Irresistible-force-meets-immovable object. Opposites attract. Oil and water. Fire and ice...you know the drill. The problem is that when you have a pairing that mixes snappy patter and grudgingly mutual admiration with just a touch of sexual tension, the recipe is only going to be as good as the charisma of the two leads involved, whether it's a sitcom, dramedy or police procedural.

CASTLE wants to be a mix of all three, and fortunately one of the most valuable weapons in its arsenal is the rakish charm of its featured lead actor, former FIREFLY star Nathan Fillion. I can count the number of actors on one hand who can pull off the "charming rascal" vibe in a way that never gets old, and Nathan can do those guys in his sleep. (And probably has.)

But he also knows how to modulate them as the occasion warrants, and where in his former role as Captain Mal Reynolds he could definitely play the bad-ass card when needed, here as womanizing bad-boy, party animal and bestselling novelist Rick Castle, he's a whole lot less serious. Bored with the cop character who has been his bread-and-butter for a string of chart-busting crime thrillers, Rick has decided in his latest tome to blow his hero's brains out, thus making a continuance of the series a little difficult to say the least. It wouldn't be a problem if the laid-back Lothario weren't suddenly faced with a major case of writer's block. But inspiration is coming in the most fortuitous if unlikely of ways.

A serial killer has decided to rehash some of the more gruesome deaths from Castle's earlier novels, and it's up to the very attractive (of course!) and no-nonsense detective Kate Beckett (newcomer Stana Katic) to crack the case...which of course will require the assistance of a certain writer of whose books Detective Beckett is a closet fan. But a fan of smart-alecky guys who like to make very unsubtle passes at her? Not so much. Let the games and one-upmanship begin!

At first blush, you could easily accuse CASTLE of trying too hard, especially since matched with the seasoned experience of Fillion, the jury was out on Katic's ability to keep up with him in the first few episodes (at least it was for me.) And to enhance its credibility, the pilot even threw in some heavy hitters in guest cameos - James Patterson, no stranger himself to the crime fiction genre, and Stephen J. Cannell, who used to crank out pilots for series just like CASTLE over breakfast.

But creator Andrew Marlowe left nothing to chance with this one, knowing full well that no matter how great a character is, he's nothing without a good backstory and some fascinating support players. Here these come in the form of Rick Castle's teenage daughter, Alexis (Molly C. Quinn), whom of course is the real 'adult' in their relationship - probably her way of rebelling against her lovable father who nevertheless lives the lifestyle of a guy half his age, and their temporary roommate who also happens to be his mother, former stage and screen star Martha Rodgers (Susan Sullivan in a turn that makes Shirley MacLaine in POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE look like a dowdy matron). Once you meet Martha, suddenly Rick's personality makes perfect sense.

As with any new series, this one will take some time to really settle into the groove it needs to capture a wider audience, but with the growing ease of the push-and-pull relationship between Fillion and Katic's characters, it could very well become the next "MOONLIGHTING" or "REMINGTON STEELE"...which wouldn't be a bad thing. Crime procedurals have been missing that fun element of late, and CASTLE could very well bring it back, without having to resort to a less-successful springboard of surrealism to build from (sorry, LIFE ON MARS).

I fully enjoyed the pilot episode of Castle. Nathan and Stana have great chemistry, with him providing a ton of comedy as the crime fiction author to her straight laced cop. Castle is an engaging hero with a surprising amount of support from the characters around him, especially with his daughter and his mother.

I find the premise has tons of promise as the series progresses, both with the types of plots that can come from Castle's novels and with his romantic interests. The idea that a series of murders can be copied into real life seems a bit trite, but the execution was far better than I expected. The fact that Castle can keep up with Detective Beckett as far as crime scene analysis and motives is smart, but also a great source of comedy. Beckett's apparent infatuation with Castle's book series not only suggest that she's a potential love interest, but hints at a lot of character subtlety that has yet to come.

If crime drama crosses with romantic comedy sounds at all for you, then you should definitely watch and support Castle.

Castle is about a famous novelist named Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) as he teams with NYPD detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) to solve mureders. As they investigate these murders they build a strong relationship both at work and in their private lives. Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic just have such great chemistry...at least on screen, off not so much. They apparently did not get along in real life and that was a big reason the show stopped after 8 great seasons. Those two are definitely the best thing about the show but not the only thing. The rest of the supporting cast all pull their own weight too. Each of them is what makes this show so special, there's not a weak link among them. This is a show where you can watch it more than once and still not be bored.