As it is the season for trial pilots, how long do you think it will be before any network floats a Castle type show? Even more than plot, one that would have the "magic" that existed in the early stories between Katic and Fillion and the cast as a whole? I think ABC is trying with CATCH, but the leads do not have it and a new one by CBS is yet to air. And a gain a thanks for "In Death"!
Oh, every season there is a pilot that’s got the same procedural with a couple that are meant to spend a few seasons doing the “will they/won’t they” dance. They don’t always get picked up, but that type of show has been a staple on television for decades. Castle had a niche in the genre because it was a show that never really took itself too seriously and was really more of a dramedy than a straight-up drama like most crime shows, even those with a romantic slant for the leading couple.
Can you easily replicate Castle’s magic? No, because so much of that relies on the spark of chemistry between Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion as Kate Beckett and Richard Castle. That type of instant chemistry really is lightning in a bottle, as is the rapid fire way which they connect through the writing and direction in the pilot. You can make a lot of arguments for poor decisions in writing and directing for Castle further on in its eight-season run, but Flowers For Your Grave is pitch-perfect in introducing the characters, the world in which they live, and the overall tone of the show.
I’ve never seen The Catch (though a good friend is constantly telling me to watch it, and I’ve promised her that I will eventually), but its development is definitely to try and capture the Castle-type audience, not to mention those who gravitate towards anything Shonda Rhimes stamps her name on. Procedurals are a hot commodity in television right now, just look at the success of the NCIS and Chicago franchises on NBC and CBS. Lucifer is a pretty solid performer for Fox, it was renewed for season three yesterday, and NBC has the stalwart Law & Order: SVU that’s still carrying on with no end in sight.
The point is that procedurals are always going to be a draw for audiences. Some take off while others (Forever is one) stall, and there’s not generally a rhyme or reason for it. These types of shows get pitched every single pilot season, and ABC picked up several over the lifespan of Castle. A couple even made it to air, but none of them drummed up the numbers that the network needed (basically, they weren’t performing like the procedural ABC already had, which was what the network wanted) and they were cut. But now, without Castle holding down the fort, you’ll definitely see ABC try to recapture that type of show and that fanbase.
A prime example is Deception, which features a magician teaming up with the FBI to solve crimes. It’s got a male-female pairing as the leads, and it’s from one of the guys who created Chuck so I would expect that it’s going to have a dramedy type feel. ABC also has a female buddy cop comedy from Elizabeth Banks in the pipeline and, yes, there are a few more out there that fit the Castle mold, including the James Patterson CBS pilot.
