5 Reasons I Like Castle

It’s been well-documented that an endorsement from me means imminent cancellation, so I hesitated to even post this.

Don’t believe me? Check here, and here, and even the comments here.

Anyway, I easily turned my attention from The Bachelor to Dancing with the Stars (how could I miss it -- I was almost Cloris Leachman for Halloween), but I had no plans to stick around for Castle. After all, a two-hour dancing fiesta is not generally the lead-in for a police procedural/mystery. Plus I told you I don’t like those. I’m just not into Bones, or Psych, or Monk, or CSI, or Dexter, or The Mentalist, or Numb3rs, or Fringe, or Lie to Me (oh my!) no matter how much buzz they get.

I like shows that are easy on my eyes AND my brain, and the fact is that dead bodies don’t make for fluffy entertainment.

But, I suppose there’s an exception to every rule because I was too lazy to change the channel, so I watched Castle, ABC’s newest drama that pairs an NYPD detective with a know-it-all mystery novelist. The twist is that the detective is a big fan of the guy’s books. And she’s all buttoned up, and he’s a playboy, blah blah blah (remind you at all of David Addison and Maddie Hayes?).

But here’s the real twist: I was actually entertained! And there’s a good chance I’ll tune in again next week (assuming it still exists). Here’s why:

1) Nathan Fillion, said novelist, was pretty charming as Rick Castle. He used to be on One Life to Live, I heard he was in Firefly, and he had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it role on Desperate Housewives, but I remember him most from last year’s Dr. Horrible. And you know what? He’s pretty adorable.

2) The jury’s still out on his chemistry with Detective Kate Beckett, but that could easily be fixed with some makeup (she needs a day at the spa, or a roll in the hay -- or both). If that fails, a reassignment to Parsippany, NJ might be in order, to make room for a detective who doesn’t look like she shops in the men’s department at Kmart.

3) I am a writer at heart (or at least, I try to be), so the premise appeals to me -- a novelist who helps solve crimes by following the “story” instead of the facts. Call it Murder HE Wrote, or Angela MANsbury, I don’t care. It’s still a clever idea. And the poker buddy cameos with actual novelists James Patterson and Stephen J. Cannell were a nice touch. Would be great to see others like Patricia Cornwell, Sue Grafton, or Stephen King pop up too.

4) I’m pretty interested to learn more about the women in Castle’s life – his boozy horndog mother, his responsible teenage daughter, and his icy ex-wife (who also just happens to be his publisher).

5) It’s not REALLY about the dead bodies (although the copycat crimes staged from murder scenes in his books were pretty cool). It’s about the relationships between these characters, which is directly up my alley. And yes, I’m aware that the other shows I mentioned above have some relationship dynamic to them as well, but really, my DVR cannot handle any more commitments at this time. I've already diversified with Friday Night Lights. Don’t let me get sucked in to any more shows!

I’m definitely a little disappointed that they resolved the whole copycat thing in the 1st ep -- I was hoping they would follow a serial killer throughout the season. So, his excuse of wanting to stick around to shadow the Lady Detective for his next novel was kind of a lame way to keep the story going, but I’ll go with it.

Until my mush kicks in. And Castle gets cancelled.

Did anyone else get hooked?