Castle (TV series)

Castle
Genre	Police procedural Comedy-drama
Created by	Andrew W. Marlowe
Starring	Nathan Fillion Stana Katic Susan Sullivan Molly C. Quinn Jon Huertas Tamala Jones Seamus Dever Penny Johnson Jerald Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	66 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Andrew W. Marlowe Rob Bowman Barry Schindel
Location(s)	Los Angeles New York City
Camera setup	Single camera
Running time	43 minutes
Production company(s)	ABC Studios Beacon Pictures Experimental Pictures
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Picture format	480i (SDTV) 720p (HDTV)
Original run	March 9, 2009 (2009-03-09) – present
External links
Website

Castle is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on ABC on March 9, 2009. The series is produced by Beacon Pictures and ABC Studios. On January 10, 2011, Castle was renewed for a fourth season.^[1] Season four premiered on September 19, 2011.^[2]

Premise

See also: List of Castle episodes

Castle follows Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, a famous (and rich) mystery novelist who has killed off his main character in his book series and has writer's block. He is brought in by the NYPD for questioning regarding a copy-cat murder based on one of his novels. He is intrigued by this new window into crime and murder, and uses his connections to charm his way into shadowing the captivating Detective Kate Beckett, played by Stana Katic. Castle decides to use Beckett as the model for the main character of his next book series starring "Nikki Heat". Beckett, an avid reader of Castle's books, initially disapproves of having Castle shadow her on her cases, but later warms up and recognizes Castle as a useful resource in her team's investigations-- even as the two develop a (so far unfulfilled) romantic tension. The crime-solving duo work together with Beckett as the logical and practical side and Castle with the long-shot theories. Together they make an unstoppable team.

Cast

Main article: List of Castle characters

Main Cast

• Nathan Fillion as Richard Edgar "Rick" Castle – Castle is a best-selling mystery writer. Born Richard Alexander Rodgers, he adopted the middle name Edgar in honor of Edgar Allan Poe. Castle was plagued with writer's block after killing off his popular lead character, Derrick Storm, whom he no longer found inspiring. He then found himself involved in the case of a copy-cat killer recreating murder scenes from his novels, investigated by NYPD Detective Kate Beckett. Castle discovers a new source of inspiration in her and soon begins shadowing her investigations, affording him the opportunity to use his knowledge and skills to help solve murders. Rick told Kate that he had fallen in love with her but she claimed she didn't remember anything from the shooting.^[3]
• Stana Katic as Detective Kate Beckett – Beckett, a homicide detective with the NYPD, is a first-class investigator who has gained a reputation for being intrigued by unusual cases. She joined the force after her mother was murdered in an unsolved case.^[4] After meeting Beckett, Castle is inspired to begin a new series of novels about a female NYPD detective named Nikki Heat, clearly based on Beckett. Kate remembered that Rick told her he loved her but hasn't said anything.
• Jon Huertas as Detective Javier Esposito – Esposito works in the homicide division as part of Beckett's team. He is always ready with a sardonic comment to keep Beckett on her toes and enjoys the way Castle riles her up. He and Kevin Ryan are close friends, even though they constantly argue about obscure facts.^[5]
• Seamus Dever as Detective Kevin Ryan – Ryan also works as part of Beckett's team. He and Esposito regularly tease Beckett, but they are also protective of her and ultimately treat her like one of the guys.^[6] The character was a late addition to the show as the original presentation pilot was only 37 minutes long. ^[7] Ryan is recently engaged to Jenny O'Malley.
• Tamala Jones as Dr. Lanie Parish – Parish, a medical examiner with an upbeat outlook, is also a friend of Beckett's, one of the few people Beckett can talk to easily and without reservation. Parish notices the personal connection between Beckett and Castle and urges her to act on it.^[8] In the third season, Lanie and Esposito began a relationship they believed was covert, though every other main character was aware of it.
• Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Captain Roy Montgomery (Season 1–3) – Montgomery, Beckett's boss, appreciates her determination and diligence but maintains a close watch to make sure the investigations go smoothly. He is amused by how much Castle annoys Beckett but also appreciates how effectively the two work together. He is killed after staging a trap to capture a hired killer involved in the conspiracy that killed Beckett's mother.^[9]
• Molly C. Quinn as Alexis Castle – Alexis, Castle's teenage daughter by his first wife Meredith, is unusually intelligent for her age, and is often more mature and responsible than her father. She is very bright and enjoys school. A running gag in the series has her begging Castle to force her to study and do her homework instead of 'fun' activities like parties and overnight trips. Her social and interpersonal issues often parallel some aspect of the case Castle and Beckett are investigating, and Castle sometimes asks her opinion on a killer's motivation.^[10]
• Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers – Rodgers, an actress on and off Broadway, is Castle's mother and lives with him and Alexis. She helps her son through the difficulties of raising a teenage girl (even one as mature as Alexis) but also has an active social life of her own. She lives with Castle partly because a previous husband absconded with all her savings.^[11]
• Penny Johnson Jerald as Captain Victoria Gates (Season 4) – Captain Montgomery's replacement. Formerly with Internal Affairs, Captain Gates (known to some as "Iron Gates") is more interested in career advancement, and takes a dimmer view than her predecessor of the Beckett-Castle dynamic.^[12]

Recurring Characters

• Arye Gross as Dr. Sidney Perlmutter – A medical examiner who assists on some of Beckett's cases.
• Juliana Dever as Jenny O'Malley – Ryan's fiancee.
• Michael Trucco as Detective Tom Demming – A handsome robbery detective with whom Beckett briefly becomes involved.
• Monet Mazur as Gina Cowell – Castle's publisher and second ex-wife.
• Victor Webster as Dr. Josh Davidson – Beckett's mysterious motorcycle-riding, cardiac surgeon ex-boyfriend.
• Ken Baumann as Ashley – Alexis' steady boyfriend throughout season 3. Alexis recently broke up with Ashley after her father and grandmother were involved in a hostage situation.
• Michael Dorn as Dr. Carver Burke – Beckett's psychiatrist (season 4).

Real-life writers Stephen J. Cannell, James Patterson, Dennis Lehane, and Michael Connelly appear as themselves during periodic games of poker at Castle's apartment. Typically, they discuss Castle and Beckett's current case and tease Castle about his involvement with Beckett. On September 30, 2010 author Stephen J. Cannell died in real life. The characters keep an empty chair at the poker table in his honor, stating they will do so for a year.

Broadcast history

Castle premiered as a mid-season replacement on ABC on March 9, 2009. ABC renewed Castle for a second season with an initial order of 13 episodes; ABC later extended the order to 22, then 24 episodes.^[13][14] The second season premiered on Monday, September 21, 2009.^[15] In March 2010, ABC renewed Castle for a third, 22 episode season, which began on September 20, 2010.^[16] On November 11, 2010, ABC extended the episode order to 24.^[17] On January 10, 2011, ABC announced Castle had been renewed for a fourth season for 22 episodes.^[18] The season four premiere aired on Monday, September 19, 2011 at 10PM on ABC.

US Nielsen ratings

Season	Episodes	Premiere	Finale	Rank	Viewers (million)
1	10	02009-03-09 March 9, 2009	02009-05-11 May 11, 2009	#35[19]	10.32[19]
2	24	02009-09-21 September 21, 2009	02010-05-17 May 17, 2010	#30[20]	10.25[20]
3	24	02010-09-20 September 20, 2010	02011-05-16 May 16, 2011[21]	#30[22]	11.44[23]
4	TBA	02011-09-19 September 19, 2011	02012-05 May 2012	N/A	N/A

The Season 2 episode "Boom!" (the finale of a two-part episode featuring Dana Delany) not only attracted the highest audience of the show's run (14.5 million viewers), but was the highest rated show on ABC in its time slot in 14 years.^[16]

DVD releases

DVD Name	Region 1 release date	Region 2 release date	Region 4 release date	Ep #	Discs	Additional information
Season 1	September 22, 2009[24]	May 6, 2010 (German)[25] November 21, 2011 (UK - English)[26]	March 10, 2010[27]	10	3	Misdemeanors: Bloopers & Outtakes, Whodunit: The Genesis of Castle, Castle's Godfather, exclusive audio commentaries and Write-Along with Nathan Fillion
Season 2	September 21, 2010[28]	March 24, 2011 (German)[29]	December 1, 2010[30]	24	5	ABC Starter Kit, On Set with Seamus and Jon, On Location with Nathan, Manhattan's Most Unusual Murders, Misdemeanors: Bloopers & Outtakes, deleted scenes and music videos
Season 3	September 20, 2011[31]	TBA	October 12, 2011[32]	24	5	Deleted Scenes And Bloopers, Murder They Wrote, CASTLE Goes Hollywood, Murder Board 101, Cast And Crew Commentary, Music Video -- "Get On The Floor"

Syndication

In June 2011, TNT acquired exclusive cable rights from Disney-ABC Domestic Television to air the first two seasons of Castle beginning in the summer of 2012.^[33] In advance of the series' fourth season, TNT broadcast an eight-hour marathon of episodes on September 15, 2011, including five from season 3.^[34]

Tie-in works

In the series, Castle writes a novel titled Heat Wave. As a tie-in, ABC has released that novel as a real book (ISBN 978-1-4013-2382-0) with "Richard Castle" as the author. It is entirely in character from the dedication to the acknowledgments, although the latter references the principal cast and the show's creators by name.^[35] ABC released the first half of the novel in weekly increments on their website.^[36] The complete novel was published in September 2009 as a hardcover, debuting at #26 on the New York Times Best Seller list.^[37] In its fourth week on the list, Heat Wave broke into the top 10 at #6.^[38] Heat Wave was released in paperback (ISBN 978-1-4013-1040-0) on July 27, 2010 and debuted at #34 on the New York Times bestseller Paperback Mass-Market list.^[39]

Naked Heat (ISBN 978-1-4013-2402-5), the sequel to Heat Wave, was released on September 28, 2010.^[40] Naked Heat debuted at #7 on the New York Times Best Seller list.^[41] As they did with Heat Wave, ABC released a series of the early chapters online as a promotional tool.^[42]

A third novel, titled Heat Rises (ISBN 978-1-4013-2443-8), was released on September 20, 2011.^[43] It debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list on October 9, 2011 ^[44][45].

The season three finale introduced a graphic novel based on Castle's previous novel character, Derrick Storm. Castle: Richard Castle's Deadly Storm was published by Marvel Comics on September 28, 2011.^[46] It debuted at #3 on the New York Times bestseller list on October 16, 2011 ^[47].

References

1. ^ "'Modern Family,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Castle,' get early pickups; so do 3 other shows". Zap2It. http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/01/modern-family-greys-anatomy-castle-get-early-pickups-so-do-3-other-shows.html. Retrieved January 10, 2011. 
2. ^ "Episode Listings for Castle at The Futon Critic - thefutoncritic.com". http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/castle/listings. Retrieved 21 September 2011. 
3. ^ "ABC.com – Castle – Bios : Richard Castle". ABC. http://abc.go.com/shows/castle/bio/richard-castle/179200. Retrieved July 12, 2009. 
4. ^ "ABC.com – Castle – Bios : Kate Beckett". ABC. http://abc.go.com/shows/castle/bio/kate-beckett/179201. Retrieved July 12, 2009. 
5. ^ "ABC.com – Castle – Bios : Javier Esposito". ABC. http://abc.go.com/shows/castle/bio/javier-esposito/179206. Retrieved July 12, 2009. 
6. ^ "ABC.com – Castle – Bios : Kevin Ryan". ABC. http://abc.go.com/shows/castle/bio/kevin-ryan/179207. Retrieved July 12, 2009. 
7. ^ DVD commentary to "Flowers for Your Grave"
8. ^ "ABC.com – Castle – Bios : Lanie Parish". ABC. http://abc.go.com/shows/castle/bio/lanie-parish/179205. Retrieved July 12, 2009. 
9. ^ "ABC.com – Castle – Bios : Roy Montgomery". ABC. http://abc.go.com/shows/castle/bio/roy-montgomery/179204. Retrieved July 12, 2009. 
10. ^ "ABC.com – Castle – Bios : Alexis Castle". ABC. http://abc.go.com/shows/castle/bio/alexis-castle/179203. Retrieved July 12, 2009. 
11. ^ "ABC.com – Castle – Bios : Martha Rodgers". ABC. http://abc.go.com/shows/castle/bio/martha-rodgers/179202. Retrieved July 12, 2009. 
12. ^ Bryant, Adam (July 13, 2011). "Castle Exclusive: Meet Castle and Beckett's New Captain!". TVGuide.com. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Castle-New-Captain-Penny-Johnson-1035235.aspx. Retrieved July 13, 2011. 
13. ^ Schneider, Michael (October 20, 2009). "ABC gives full-season order to 'Castle'". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118010177.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&ref=bd_tv. Retrieved December 2, 2009. 
14. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (May 15, 2009). "ABC's pilot pickup spree". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118003771.html?categoryid=14&cs=1. 
15. ^ Mitovich, Matt (June 9, 2009). "ABC Announces Fall Premiere Dates for 19 Shows". TVGuide.com. http://www.tvguide.com/News/FallTV-ABC-Premieres-1006734.aspx. Retrieved June 9, 2009. 
16. ^ ^{a b} Ausiello, Michael (March 30, 2010). "ABC renews 'Castle'". EW.com. http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/03/30/abc-renews-castle/. 
17. ^ "zap2it.com". http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/11/11/abc-orders-two-more-episodes-of-castle/71807. 
18. ^ "ABC and ABC Family renew Pretty Little Liars, Castle, Secret Life and more". http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/news/article_1610769.php/ABC-and-ABC-Family-renew-Pretty-Little-Liars-Castle-Secret-Life-and-more. 
19. ^ ^{a b} "ABC Medianet – Daily Press Release". ABC Medianet. May 27, 2009. http://www.abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=052709_07. Retrieved July 12, 2009. 
20. ^ ^{a b} Gorman, Bill (June 16, 2010). "Final 2009–10 Broadcast Primetime Show Average Viewership". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/06/16/final-2009-10-broadcast-primetime-show-average-viewership/54336. Retrieved June 18, 2010. 
21. ^ ABC Finale Dates. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
22. ^ Gorman, Bill. "2010-11 Season Broadcast Primetime Show Averages". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/06/01/2010-11-season-broadcast-primetime-show-viewership-averages/94407/. Retrieved 5 September 2011. 
23. ^ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/06/01/2010-11-season-broadcast-primetime-show-viewership-averages/94407/
24. ^ Lambert, David (March 13, 2009). "Castle – The Newly-Debuted (This Week!) Nathan Fillion Series Gets a DVD Release Date **UPDATE: Artwork, Extras**". TVShowsOnDVD.com. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Castle-Season-1/11487. Retrieved December 2, 2009. 
25. ^ "Castle - Die komplette erste Staffel (3 Discs)". Amazon.de. http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00377ISA2/. Retrieved May 7, 2010. 
26. ^ "Castle - Season 1 [DVD"]. Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005MNP6J0/. Retrieved November 4, 2011. 
27. ^ "Castle S01". Jbhifionline.com.au. http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/dvd/dvd-genres/horror-thriller/castle-season-1/479657. Retrieved 2010-06-03. 
28. ^ "Castle: ABC TV Series starring Nathan Fillion & Stana Katic » Store". Castletv.net. http://castletv.net/store. Retrieved May 24, 2010. 
29. ^ {{cite web|url=http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004EHVMNY
30. ^ "Castle - The Complete 2nd Season (6 Disc Set) @ EzyDVD". Ezydvd.com.au. http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/816266. Retrieved 2010-10-24. 
31. ^ "Castle: The Complete Third Season: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003L77FYS. Retrieved May 23, 2011. 
32. ^ "Castle - The Complete 3rd Season (6 Disc Set)". http://www.ezydvd.com.au/DVD/castle-the-complete-3rd-season-6-disc-set/dp/820941. 
33. ^ "TNT Acquires Hit Crime Drama "Castle"". The Futon Critic. June 8, 2011. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2011/06/08/tnt-acquires-hit-crime-drama-castle-243113/20110608tnt01/. 
34. ^ Gorman, Bill (September 12, 2011). "TNT to Present Marathon of 'Castle' Episodes as Hit Crime-Drama Gears Up to Launch Fourth Season on ABC". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/09/12/tnt-to-present-marathon-of-castle-episodes-as-hit-crime-drama-gears-up-to-launch-fourth-season-on-abc/103316/. 
35. ^ Hibberd, James (June 30, 2009). "'Castle' book to promote series". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i1a1890f91e4cda9a7f03fbb964d64313. Retrieved January 6, 2010. ^{[dead link]}
36. ^ "ABC.com – Castle – Castle Novel". ABC. http://abc.go.com/shows/castle/castle-novel. Retrieved December 2, 2009. ^{[dead link]}
37. ^ Cowles, Gregory (October 9, 2009). "Hardcover Fiction – List – NYTimes.com". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/books/bestseller/besthardfiction.html. Retrieved December 2, 2009. 
38. ^ Schuessler, Jennifer (October 30, 2009). "Hardcover Fiction – List – NYTimes.com". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/books/bestseller/besthardfiction.html. Retrieved December 2, 2009. 
39. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/books/bestseller/bestpapermassfiction.html NY Times Bestseller Paperback Mass-Market #34
40. ^ Ausiello, Michael (March 17, 2010). "'Castle' scoop: Romance for Castle and Beckett? | Ausiello | EW.com". Ausiellofiles.ew.com. http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/03/17/castle-scoop-romance-castle-and-beckett/. Retrieved May 24, 2010. 
41. ^ Schuessler, Jennifer. "Hardcover". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/books/bestseller/besthardfiction.html. 
42. ^ "ABC.com – Castle – Naked Heat". Abc.go.com. http://abc.go.com/shows/castle/naked-heat. Retrieved May 24, 2010. ^{[dead link]}
43. ^ http://www.tvguide.com/News/Castle-ABC-Website-1031695.aspx
44. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2011-10-09/hardcover-fiction/list.html
45. ^ http://tv.yahoo.com/news/castle-heat-rises-york-times-best-seller-195200005.html
46. ^ http://www.majorspoilers.com/castle-television-show-gets-graphic-novel-treatment
47. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2011-10-16/hardcover-graphic-books/list.html

External links

• Official website
• Castle at the Internet Movie Database
• Castle at TV.com