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Show:		8.0
Picture:		8.0
Sound:		8.0
Extras:		8.0
Score:		8.0

Director(s):	Rob Bowman
Writer(s):	Andrew W. Marlowe
Starring:	Jon Huertas • Nathan Fillion • Ruben Santiago-Hudson • Seamus Dever • Stana Katic
Genre:	Crime
Website:	http://abc.go.com/shows/castle
Release Date:	September 22, 2009
Rated:

List Price:	DVD - $39.99
Amazon:

Nathan Fillion is one of my favorite actors on television. I would be lying if I said it had nothing to do with Captain Malcom Reynolds, in the criminally under-appreciated show (at least by FOX) Firefly. I would also be lying if I said that I wasn't going to Nathan Fillion being in a show that lasts more than one season. So I'm obviously biased. Luckily for me, Castle, starring Fillion as author Richard Castle and Stana Katic as Detective Kate Beckett, is a nice refreshing breath of air in a very formulaic era of crime dramas.

Castle is introduced to Beckett shortly after he'd killed off the main character from his popular series of mystery novels. Beckett, beautiful and the child of a murdered mother (presumably pushing her into police work) is struggling to deal with a copycat killer of Castle's work. She brings him on to consult, and non-sparks fly. Non-sparks are, of course, the most used tool in television or film, where the couple can't stand one another yet the sexual frustration between the two is palpable. This causes Beckett to allow Castle to continue working with him long after the copycat killer is done with, while giving us a slightly different perspective on a crime drama.

Truly, the most remarkable thing about Castle is Castle himself. Usually, in crime dramas, Detective A and Detective B are both detectives with detective sensibilities. His creative mind often edges its way into corners that the stereotypical "rational thinking cop" won't see. Castle views every case as a story, and in the setting of the show, it fits brilliantly. Castle, then, seems to be an ongoing homage to the artists of the world. The supporting cast of Castle makes no secret of how useful he is on the team—despite the sexual tension with Beckett—and as a result there is a great respect paid to the creative mind.

I can't be completely positive. The show is a bit far-fetched. At some point, like with Dr. Gregory House's amazing spontaneous epiphanies on House, a viewer has to say, "Okay, show writers, that's a bit cheap." Fortunately for us, Castle remains interesting and fresh, bringing unique cases and keeping focused on humor. SVU won't give you humor, and NCIS will make sure the humor is drastically overshadowed by the drama. Perhaps the hour of watching Castle flies by because they take violent subject matter and couples it with consistent laughs.

The special features of season 1 are fine. "Fine" isn't descriptive, but that's all I have for you. "Whodunit: The Mystery of Castle" is a pretty basic featurette: "We all get along." "The show is different, and more character based." "The actors are all talented." Wonderful. Even the blooper reel is not really funny, save for Nathan Fillion.

Which brings us to, easily, the shining star of the special features, "Write Along with Nathan Fillion". Fillion is paired with mystery writer. They hang out for a day so that Fillion can better understand the mind of a writer. Does it sound interesting? Well, yes, to me, but even if it doesn't sound interesting to you, Nathan Fillion will make sure that you love every minute. He's absolutely hilarious (both in character and, well, seemingly not) and it's a delight to get 9 minutes of him dicking around.

Overall, Castle is a great show for you if you enjoy a crime drama, but also like laughing, but also need something different. I would recommend the Season 1 DVD, but because the show stands alone weekly, I also recommend you check out Season 2 currently on ABC Mondays at 10 PM.