Castle: The Complete First Season

In this Murder, She Wrote-esque cop drama, Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion, Firefly) tags along with Detective Beckett (Stana Katic) to research his next mystery novel, and, of course, helps solve murders along the way. Fillion eats up his role, and Katic balances him nicely by bringing depth to her character’s backstory: a move that elevates the series from the “murder a week” formula. The love-hate relationship between Castle and Beckett, her ability to put him in his place, and Fillion’s one-liners keep us turning the metaphorical pages. Fans of Fillion’s Captain Hammer (or Captain Tightpants) from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog will appreciate the heart-of-gold machismo he continues to embody, but the best part of the series isn’t contained in the DVDs. ABC has expanded the story to involve multiple media and the result is effective and fun. You can follow Richard Castle on Twitter (WriteRCastle) and the novel, Heat Wave, which Castle is writing throughout the first season, is now available at your local bookstore. These additions to the Castle universe give us a deeper view of the characters and create an intriguing mix of reality television voyeurism and escapist fun. Now if only Castle were as sexy as Jessica Fletcher.