Castle: The Complete First Season

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Rating: TV-PG

Starring:

Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle

Stana Katic as Detective Kate Beckett

Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers

Monet Mazur as Gina Cowell

Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Captain Roy Montgomery

Molly C. Quinn as Alexis Castle

Stephen J. Cannell as Himself

James Patterson as Himself

Jon Huertas as Detective Javier Esposito

Seamus Dever as Detective Kevin Ryan

Dan Castellaneta as Judge Markway

Tamala Jones as Dr. Lanie Parish

Keir Dullea as Jonathan Tisdale

Colby French as Detective

Brian Avers as Harrison Tisdale

Special Features:

Misdemeanors: Bloopers & Outtakes

Whodunit: The Genesis Of “Castle” — Meet The Creators Of “Castle” And Find Out Which Classic Detective Shows and Writers Inspired And Influenced Them

Write-Along With Nathan Fillion — Join The Star Of “Castle” As He Spends A Hilarious Day Tagging Along With A Real-Life Mystery Writer

“Castle’s” Godfather — Meet Frequent “Castle” Guest Star And Legendary Mystery Writer/Television Producer Stephen J. Cannell

Audio Commentaries

Other Info:

Widescreen (1.78:1)

Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Spanish and French Subtitles

Running Time: 430 Minutes

The Details:

The following is the official description of the series:

“Get on the beat with a new hit drama. Loaded with provocative banter and a talented cast “too appealing to resist,” says Glenn Garvin of the Miami Herald, ‘Castle: The Complete First Season’ is can’t-miss entertainment.

Rick Castle is a world-famous crime novelist whose stories come to life when a copycat killer follows his literary blueprint. Enlisted to help the NYPD stay a step ahead of the murderer, Castle realizes working with the police can also supply him with a slew of ideas for his next book. The relationship gets a little more complicated — and a whole lot more fun — when he is paired with the attractive Detective Beckett, who doesn’t appreciate Castle’s unorthodox style.

Experience every witty, suspense-filled moment of the original series in this 3-disc DVD collection. Packed with never-before-seen bonus features, including a behind-the-scenes peek at the cast, this addictive series is a killer on DVD! ”

“Castle: The Complete First Season” is rated TV-PG.

Mini-Review:

If you took “Moonlighting” and mixed it with “Remington Steele” and “Murder, She Wrote,” then you’d have something resembling “Castle.” It features your standard murder mystery of the week and combines it with the romantic bickering between the lead characters, Castle and Beckett. It’s a simple formula, but it works in large part due to the roguish charm of Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle. It’s pretty much the same character he plays in all of his shows, but he hasn’t worn it out yet. He keeps belting out joke after joke to Stana Katic as Detective Kate Beckett and it’s fun to watch. She’s relegated to the role of ‘straight man’ for Fillion, but she does it well. While constantly annoyed by his smugness and ego, she is forced to recognize his talents. Plus we have the added bonus that she’s a fan of his writing. Combining that attraction and revulsion to Castle makes their interaction all the more fun.

Rob Bowman, director of “The X-Files,” “Elektra,” and “Reign of Fire” helms the series and he does a good job of it. It’s unlike anything he’s done before and he proves himself adept at romantic comedy. He also managed to get great cameos by writer James Patterson, writer/producer Stephen J. Cannell, Simpsons actor Dan Castellaneta, and many others. It all comes together into an enjoyable series.

If you read murder mystery novels or if you like murder mystery TV series, then this is going to be a series you will want to check out. Fans of Nathan Fillion and “Moonlighting” will also be the target audience for this series.

You’ll find a good selection of bonus features on this DVD. Along with standard offerings like commentaries, bloopers, and ‘making of’ videos, you’ll also find a funny video entitled ” Write-Along With Nathan Fillion”. You know how actors typically follow cops around on ride-alongs to get into their roles? Fillion does that with writer/producer Stephen J. Cannell and it’s quite funny. Cannell actually gets a lot of love on this DVD as he appears in almost all the featurettes, including one devoted to him. Considering he wrote “The Rockford Files,” “The A-Team,” “The Greatest American Hero,” and a bunch of other shows, you’ve probably watched something he worked on at some point in your life.

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