DVD Review: Second Season of ABC Hit ‘Castle’ With Nathan Fillion

CHICAGO – ABC’s “Castle” has become one of the more reliable mystery shows on television; a wonderful piece of comfort food after a hard Monday at the office. With the amazing chemistry and perfect timing of stars Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic to drive it, the show went from barely-renewed to a program that feels like it will be on for years to come. Check out the second season, now on DVD, to see how a mystery series becomes a hit.

DVD Rating: 3.5/5.0

Fillion stars as Rick Castle, a charismatic writer paired with Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) for research for his mystery novels featuring a heroine based directly on her named Nikki Heat. We also follow Castle’s personal life with his mother and daughter (Susan Sullivan and Molly C. Quinn, respectively) and get to know a few other cops at the station (Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Jon Huertas, Seamus Dever), but the show revolves around the will-they-or-won’t-they chemistry between Castle and Beckett.

Fillion and Katic are simply spectacular. One wishes that the writing of the mystery-of-the-week would be a little stronger, but this is popcorn entertainment at its finest. Castle and Beckett are a classic TV pairing. The funny-and-flirtatious Castle constantly rubs the by-the-numbers Beckett the wrong way, but their “good cop, good writer” routine works to solve crimes. And it doesn’t hurt that the two actors are simply perfect together, selling both the professional and personal aspects of their characters.

And audiences have found it pretty tasty. Averaging over 10 million viewers a week for two years now and even peaking higher than 14 million are numbers strong enough to land “Castle” in the top 40 programs on television and it’s regularly-watched through other sources as well including downloads. The second season DVD includes a number of interesting bonus features but it’s disappointing that Buena Vista Home Video didn’t choose to release this program on Blu-ray. In 2010, it’s unacceptable for a show that so many people are watching in HD in its original broadcast to not be able to own it in the same quality.

Castle: The Complete Second Season was released on DVD on September 21st, 2010
Photo credit: Buena Vista Home Video

Synopsis:

“TV’s most engaging and unlikely crime-solving duo is back in the spectacular second season of ABC’s Castle. The banter flies faster than the bullets in this unique series, loaded with drama, romance and laughs.

Best-selling mystery novelist Rick Castle’s unique approach to crime solving may have won over Detective Kate Beckett, but their relationship is still on rocky ground. Relive all your favorite cases in this 5-disc DVD set. Packed with never-before-seen bonus features, including inside secrets from the set, this collection is a must-have for every Castle fan!”

Special Features:
o “On Set With Seamus & Jon”
o “On Location With Nathan”
o “Manhattan’s Most Unusual Murders”
o Deleted Scenes
o Misdemeanors: Bloopers & Outtakes

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com