Remember that old saying that familiarity breeds contempt? Doesn’t really apply to TV these days. Comfort food, when dished out properly (especially in such trying times), goes down easy and is nothing to be ashamed of.
Such is the case where a show like ABC’s kooky new comedic crime show
Castle is concerned. (It premieres tonight at 10/9c.) It couldn’t possibly take itself less seriously, and yet with some luck, it could emerge as a serious
Mentalist-style sleeper hit. For ABC, which has tried for years to establish a foothold in the procedural arena, that would be sweet music indeed.
Modest in ambition and playful in execution, Castle succeeds by conjuring fond memories of Moonlighting along with echoes of more recent fun-fests like
Psych and
Chuck. Is it a rip-off or a ripping good time? You be the judge.
For me, I’m just tickled to see Nathan Fillion, the wry star of such cult items as
Firefly and the online sensation
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, back on TV in a role that lets his mischievous gifts flourish.
As Richard Castle, a cocky best-selling crime novelist itching for new adventures, he takes great delight—as do we—in his heckling flirtation with snappish NYPD detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) as he tags along on crime scenes. He calls it research. We call it a blast.
Beckett bristles and pouts, likening Castle to “a 9-year-old on a sugar rush,” but it’s soon clear she’s a fan as well. And why not? In typical TV tradition, Castle’s an instinctive amateur sleuth, well-versed in psychopathic methodology. Seeing each case as a potential story, he uses his imagination as a tool and his charm as a weapon.
No matter that Beckett lectures him on protocol: “It’s accompany and observe, not participate and annoy.” We know that’s not going to happen. Besides, what fun would that be? In Castle, entertainment is the name of the game. And for now, it seems a game worth playing.