[TV] Castle - 3/9

[Tenshin_Xo]

Captain Hammer is back!! This time as a crime novelist tagging along with a female detective to build research for an upcoming series of novels.

  The following was from Futoncritic.com

DESCRIPTION:

(from ABC's press release, December 2008) Wildly famous mystery novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion, "Desperate Housewives"), who is bored with his own success, learns that a real-world copycat killer has started staging murder scenes depicted in his novels. Rick is soon questioned by NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic, "The Spirit"), a very bright, aggressive detective who keeps her investigations under tight rein. Rick and Kate's styles instantly clash, yet sparks begin to fly, leading both to danger and a hint of romance as Castle steps in to help find the killer. And once that case is solved, he and Beckett build upon their new relationship as they look to solve strange homicides in New York as much fun as one can have with death & murder. Castle is kept grounded by his Broadway diva mother, Martha Rodgers (Susan Sullivan, "Dharma and Greg") and quick-witted teenage daughter Alexis (Molly Quinn, "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story").

[Dunbar]

Huzzah!

 

I <3 Nathan Fillion!

[Cadsuane]

I want to see this. I'm hoping it's easily available online.

[Emperor]

Looks like a Bones rip off....

 

But I will give it my 3 episode chance just because Fillion is in it.

[Liathiana]

I love Nathan! So I am checking it out ;D

[Emperor]

Actually I am now taking a pass on this show unless people rave about it...

 

Here are the reviews...

 

The latest chunk of unfunny dramedy awfulness from ABC, “Castle” stars Nathan Fillion (“Slither,” “Desperate Housewives”) as a bestselling crime thriller novelist who starts (with he blessing of his fan and friend, the mayor of New York) hanging around a hot NYPD detective to help himself get over writer’s block. Screenwriter Andrew Marlowe (“Air Force One,” “Hollow Man”) is the show’s creator.

 

A predictable yawn-fest of a poor “Moonlighting” knockoff. “Castle” is no less riddled with clichés than “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Desperate Housewives” or “Ugly Betty.” Richard Castle is the kind of bore who thinks he made up this gag: “It’s not what you think. Okay, it’s exactly what you think.” He’s got a conservative teen daughter and a horny old mom. He’s irrepressible while the cop he’s shadowing is a scold. It’s all just too tired and mind-dulling.

 

While one hates to root for series to fail, let’s hope “CSI Miami” and “Medium” overrun “Castle” quickly so Fillion can move on to projects more worthy of him.

 

Entertainment Weekly says:

 

Nathan Fillion’s copious charm curdles in this cutesy series … “Castle” is just an implausible muddle.

 

 

The Los Angeles Times says:

 

… The problem is that in the pilot and an early episode, the crimes are nowhere as compelling as the characters. For a show like "Castle" that dares to launch a more classic version into an already saturated and tarted-up market, the murders have to be as complicated and compelling as the push-me-pull-you glances between the main characters, and so far, they just aren't.

 

 

The Chicago Tribune says:

 

… Nathan Fillion (“Desperate Housewives,” “Firefly”) is by far the best thing about “Castle,” ABC’s latest attempt to launch a procedural franchise. As mystery novelist Richard Castle, he brings frisky energy to the show, which almost makes up for the lack of chemistry between him and his co-star, Stana Katic, who plays detective Kate Beckett. Little about “Castle’s” lead characters will surprise you. … competent but mostly unexceptional …

 

 

The Washington Post says:

 

"Wildly famous mystery novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) is bored with his own success," says ABC publicity for the new crime series "Castle." Bored with his success? Poor bay-beee. As it happens, he won't be the only one. Viewers who stumble into this misbegotten "Moonlighting" imitation will likely be bored, too, but not because of too much success. …

 

 

The San Francisco Chronicle says:

 

… The trouble with "Castle" is that it's just so completely fluffy - which is annoying. True, not everybody wants to watch a gritty cop series as they unwind in front of the television. But to think that Castle's theories about killers and crime and personal behavior would hold New York detectives in rapture is ludicrous. Nor would he be allowed to follow along so closely - and invariably involve himself in the capture of said killers. Everything in "Castle" happens conveniently and with rote dialogue. Yes, "The Wire" and "The Shield" have made the common cop show pointless, and "Castle" is the antidote to their respective bleakness, but who knew that after the cops-and-detectives trope played out at such heights, the industry would circle back to "Murder, She Wrote" levels?

 

 

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:

 

There's nothing in ABC's "Castle" viewers haven't seen a million times before, but the cast elevates the pedestrian material. … It's a tired premise but if the writers can give Beckett more personality -- and if Katic can imbue the role with more dimensions -- "Castle" might be a palatable program …

 

 

The Boston Globe says:

 

… With "Moonlighting" and "Murder, She Wrote" as the dominant influences, "Castle" is predisposed to be formulaic and stale. The show tries to get by on charm, hoping that we'll enjoy Fillion as a bad boy enough to overlook the half-baked plots and thin characters. …

 

 

USA Today says:

 

… None of the episodes is likely to keep you up at night puzzling out the intricacies of the mystery, but they won't bore you or insult your intelligence. Castle exists to exploit the appeal of its stars and the amusing byplay between their characters, and it does that with admirable efficiency. Whether that's good enough is ultimately up to you.

 

 

Variety says:

 

… has a breezy ease but, as a whole, feels a tad underfurnished. …

 

 

The Hollywood Reporter says:

 

… What stifles "Castle" is its separation from the way real people speak and behave, its rat-a-tat dialogue more cartoon-y than enchanting. It's tough to build much of an affinity for characters who are so madly in love with the sound of their own voice as Castle or as self-consciously controlled as Detective Beckett. The primary selling point for the series is the magnetism of Fillion, who knows how to carry off the masculine allure thing big time. But again, you feel the sense while watching the show that you're being conned rather than entertained, and that's hardly the stuff of which appointment viewing is made. …

 

 

10 p.m. Monday. ABC.

 

[Vemynal]

sorry to necro but i was just gonna say i watched the first episode and was hooked in the first 10 minutes, the show is really funny imo

 

Once heroes ends I'm gonna be watching it weekly at a friends house, apparently like 10 people show up for it.

[Sirayn]

I really enjoy this show. It's Bones-esque in that it's slick and glossy, with a reliance on the snarky banter between the two main characters, so if you're not sold on Castle and Beckett, you probably won't enjoy it. But I love Bones and I'm loving Castle.

 

Not following the LA Times' complaint that the murders aren't complicated enough. I'm often struck by the zigging and zagging - I'm familiar enough with Bones to be nailing the murderers way before the show catches up, but Castle throws me repeatedly off the scent.

 

I do have problems with the show. It bugs me that the minor characters are flat - apart from Castle's family, I don't remember a single trait for any of the cop characters, for example - compared to Bones which populates the main character's family and her team at work with well-drawn characters. And Castle's ability to unlock doors with his winning smile and fistfuls of dollars borders on too powerful at times. I'm sometimes left thinking that having Castle on board makes things too easy.

 

On the upside, Castle is a bestselling novelist who actually comes across as a novelist. It brings the inadequacy of Bones' portrayal of Brennan as a novelist into sharp relief: Brennan is emotionally stunted and unable to read social cues, Castle is observant, socially adept and understands emotion; Brennan is highly scientific and analytical, Castle has flights of descriptive whimsy; Brennan frequently offends people by accident or gives them the wrong impression, Castle is fully in control of the way he comes across. Castle can reduce the entire team to spellbound silence when he's telling them a story. Where does Brennan's ability to write come from? Because I don't see it and now that I've watched Castle, I see what I'm not seeing.

 

Anyway, /rant mode off.

 

If you like Bones, you'll probably enjoy Castle.

 

edit: there are also some amusing metafictional moments deriving from the fact that a mystery/thriller novelist is doing actual mysteries.

[Liathiana]

I'm really enjoying the show. I think the minor characters are becoming less flat with each episode.

 

From my understanding, Bones is based on a real person, including the writing books thing so I assume it's possible.

[Az]

The murders are fairly complex.  However, the reason I like the show is Nathan Fillion.  It's worth checking out.

[Vemynal]

this is kinda spam but...

 

Az u have one of the best avatar's ive ever seen

[Sirayn]

From my understanding, Bones is based on a real person, including the writing books thing so I assume it's possible.

 

The character of Temperance Brennan is drawn partly from Kathy Reichs' character of the same name and partly from Kathy Reichs herself, from whom the bestselling author thing is borrowed. That doesn't matter a whole lot to me, because while real life can be weird and improbable, TV writers need to think about story logic.

[Liathiana]

Nathion Fillion is win and awesome ;D

 

I love Bones, never saw it to be a problem *shrugs*

[petels]

I love Nathan Fillion. To bits. I haven't watched any of Castle yet, but I certainly will get them on Netflix when they're available. It's hard enough for me to stay up for shows these days...and I can only commit to one show at a time that seems too good to be true (and thus destined to be canned, although apparently not...), like Dollhouse (which is my Dr. Horrible fix these days).

[Cadsuane]

Castle is available on abc.com the day after every new episode.

[Vemynal]

Castle is available on abc.com the day after every new episode.

 

just watched the new one doing what cad's said^^

 

 

[Krakalakachkn]

I find it more than entertaining enough to watch.  Fillion is very funny and the show overall keeps my interest going.  The cappuccino machine was hilarious.  Also, I find myself really enjoying Beckett's two minions: Esposito and Ryan, which is weird for me.  Usually I don't enjoy the side characters as much as the main characters, but this show is very entertaining

[Vemynal]

My friends and me keep refering to Esposito and Ryan as "The Ambiguously Gay Duo"

 

they really seem like a couple at times, and Beckett's comments never help XD

[Alanna]

I love Castle; it's a great show.  I see some similarities to Bones, but when I watch Castle I don't feel as though it's a rip-off or copycat.  The tone of the show is a bit different, as well as the side characters.  And the murders themselves are wonderfully written.  In fact, I would almost say that I watch this show for the murders, as opposed to Bones which I definitely watch for the characters.  I say almost because I do watch Castle for the characters as well; I love Nathan Fillion, and I think his mother and daughter are great characters.

[Az]

I tried to watch Bones but I couldn't get through the pilot.  I've come to like Castle alot it's pretty funny.

[Sirayn]

The pilot of Bones was extremely clunky. I really think that anyone who likes Castle would enjoy Bones, though. Try watching a different episode? There are some crackers in the first season - episode 7 is the introduction of an awesomely creepy recurring villain, for example.

[Sirayn]

Dear Castle,

 

You are shiny and glossy and I love you. But you're just a tiny bit popcorn. You know what would make you two thousand times better? Plot arcs. Problems that the protagonists can't wrap up neatly by solving the case inside an hour. Things that get a little messy, a little complicated, and have consequences for longer than one episode.

 

I'm just saying. You'd totally be prettier.

 

Love,

A viewer

[Emperor]

Officially listed as on the bubble for being renewed.