Spoilers, Speculation & All Things Media!

[chraume]

1 hour ago, KaveDweller said:

True, but in past seasons Beckett had just as much or more airtime than Castle and Stana was earning less then. It probably balances out over the eight seasons.

That's a great point. Especially somewhere around the S6 mark, I believe that Beckett carried a good majority of the eps, so I don't particularly take issue with them earning the same amount for a final year where Katic had (in all likelihood) asked for reduced screentime. Seems to have been pretty fair overall.

1 hour ago, KaveDweller said:

Yeah, as much as I give the writers a hard time, I will acknowledge that writing a TV series is a really hard job. They can't do anything they want like fan fiction writers can. There is also the network and budgets to deal with. I think one reason I like fan fiction with Castle is because I thought the show was really best at having small moments with the characters. Only, they hardly ever did any of them because of the COTW. Fanfiction can explore those small moments in more depth.

Agreed! Especially in later seasons, those small moments were what kept me watching among some lackluster cases. Fanfic was kind of made for a show like Castle, where we only get like five minutes of those small moments and fans can leave the ep and come up with a thousand creative ways to expand on those moments. 

Edited October 4, 2016 by chraume

[femmefan1946]

Here's something about The Hair that we all love to hate on Beckett (and every other friggin actress on TV).

[S55]

Seems everyone is writing about salaries these days. ;) Here's the latest one from Variety.

Stars’ Soaring Salaries Rattle TV Business

Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel were compensated very well for the "Gilmore Girls" reboot at Netflix. I keep reading about how much money Netflix has to spend on TV, and this article certainly proves that. If I were anywhere else, even someplace like HBO, I'd be sweating those deals a little. 

[topanga]

19 hours ago, femmefan1946 said:

Here's something about The Hair that we all love to hate on Beckett (and every other friggin actress on TV).

And don't most women wear weaves/hair extensions, which would add to the sameness of the styles? 

I'm not sure what the prevalence is among white, Latina, and Asian actress, but among black actresses, the figure approaches 100%

[madmaverick]

On 10/4/2016 at 6:15 AM, Sonik Tooth said:

Fat chance. As long as he likes what he’s doing/ is having fun, and as long as people respond positively about it, they won’t leave their bubble of moral uproar. It’s just too good a feeling to stop.  Those infected by the zeitgeist of self-righteous zealousness will just adjust and expand the narrative. They’ll keep going as long as there is an echo chamber (which isn’t really hard to find on the internet/social media).

You nailed those people.  And great zinger (to keep the Zs going :P) with the zeitgeist of self-righteous zealousness.  Very accurate description.  I do wonder about people resorting to nasty behaviour on the internet to feel some kind of misguided self esteem boost, some kind of 'power', when there are a million other ways to engage positively, and have actual fun and enjoyment on the internet, and elsewhere.  Unfortunately, trolls and negativity seem abundant in every sphere of the internet, every comment space.  In arguably more vicious ways than they would dare in real life.

On 10/4/2016 at 6:15 AM, Sonik Tooth said:

I won’t argue about the quality of the output from Castle writers as it seems to vary depending on theme, tone and – well - dialogue of an episode. And to each his/ her own. But with fanfic writers (and I might or might not be wrong as I haven’t read that many fanfics) for starters the ratio/ structure is mostly completely off. It’s not so much about the case of the week but a personal journey/ something personal/ something relationshippy. It’s not about all characters, it’s only an outtake prolonged or changed of something that has happened. It doesn’t really reflect what the series is about week after week. And of course they don’t actually write a script that also comes with certain restrictions as time and structure. It’s not anti-fanfic and I’m not diminishing any writing talent (as I myself have none) but they are taking a vast amount of liberties in story-telling and character descriptions as far as I have seen.

It was half in jest when I suggested that the most talented writers give television writing a try.  I do recognise that writing a 1 hour crime procedural is very different from writing fanfiction, absolutely so, with different challenges and constraints.  But if I were just to look at say, dialogue, and the small, intimate character moments and bits that make us love them, in a vacuum, I would say that the best fanfic writers have proven capable of doing a good job of writing them.  Translating that to an actual episode would be another challenge altogether, but at least they more often than not got the kernel right imo.  Of course I would have loved a Castle ep that was basically one long fanfic :P without the COTW, but there's no guarantee that would have been executed well either without a strong script.

19 hours ago, S55 said:

Seems everyone is writing about salaries these days. ;) Here's the latest one from Variety.

Stars’ Soaring Salaries Rattle TV Business

Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel were compensated very well for the "Gilmore Girls" reboot at Netflix. I keep reading about how much money Netflix has to spend on TV, and this article certainly proves that. If I were anywhere else, even someplace like HBO, I'd be sweating those deals a little. 

With that kind of money, it's no surprise there's a reboot, though GG might lend itself better to that than other shows.  I was surprised they brought back Prison Break (stopped watching after S1 or 2 and thought everyone died by the end?), but again, with that kind of paycheck, no wonder all parties agreed to a resurrection. ;)  Castle doesn't have the pop culture cachet of GG, but who knows, maybe down the line, if there's the hunger for that content and those paychecks, never say never.  Sometimes I wonder if there's a drought of new ideas with all the reboots and revivals going on.  But then you see lots of original storytelling on cable and streaming.  It's the age of peak TV and the jury's out on whether companies like Netflix can sustain the high levels of $$$ they are paying to generate original content, and sustain the quality of that content when so much is being produced.  

Variety's salary list.  Castle actors don't feature but maybe they are just looking at shows being broadcast this season.  I could be wrong but I am guessing they made around $200,000-$300,000 mark/episode, which I would consider very decent given Castle's ratings and their name recognition and resume compared to others on the list.

I've watched both the ABC pilots Conviction and Notorious, which are basically their Castle replacements, and I have to say both were pretty awful.  Locksat level awful lol.  No comparison to quality non network shows at all, and I'd even say parts of S8 or a hypothetical 9 Castle would be better quality.  The Castle pilot was definitely much better in comparison.  If these two new hour long dramas were the ones ABC decided to go with, I can't imagine how the ones they didn't order to series were like.  I've read that these shows are like Scandal/Shonda lite, but since I don't watch that show I can't say whether they might appeal to those audiences.  They just didn't appeal to me.  

There was one laughable scene in the Conviction pilot among many that was so cringeworthy.  The female lead actually stripped down and changed her clothes in a conference room in front of her colleagues, no doubt to showcase her 'badass' 'devil may care' quality.  Cringe.  A lawyer no less, and we'll probably find out she was an aspiring Chief Justice down the line since she graduated top of her class at Harvard Law.  Yet she has Demons, of course.  Demons! ;)   

I see some Castle fans cheering on Conviction's low ratings that were below Castle's, but hey, weren't they cheering for Castle to be cancelled as well? ;)

[break21]

I've been wondering if ABC is regretting their decision not give Castle P.I. a chance.  Couldn't do much worse.

[KaveDweller]

30 minutes ago, break21 said:

I've been wondering if ABC is regretting their decision not give Castle P.I. a chance.  Couldn't do much worse.

Yeah, but they probably aren't paying Haley Atwood $12 million.

I agree Conviction was pretty awful, but I actually liked Notorious. It's fluff, but that can be fun sometimes.  But ABC's big win for new shows seems to be Designated Survivor. It's funny how ABC, CBS, and NBC are all airing promos for one of their shows being the "biggest hit of the season." 

[WendyCR72]

The thing is, I think ABC would be struggling even if a potential S9 of Castle happened since one of the leads was gone, and the viewers were mad as hell about it. And, to be honest, even if it managed to stay at 1.0, its best years were in the rear-view mirror and it would have only stalled ABC having to find something new, anyway, for likely next season.

Can't say if any of the new shows are good or bad as the only new show I have gotten into is Lethal Weapon (based on the movie franchise of the same name) on Fox, but it still feels like a lateral move, rather than upward or downward, as far as the ratings go.

[KaveDweller]

11 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

The thing is, I think ABC would be struggling even if a potential S9 of Castle happened since one of the leads was gone, and the viewers were mad as hell about it. And, to be honest, even if it managed to stay at 1.0, its best years were in the rear-view mirror and it would have only stalled ABC having to find something new, anyway, for likely next season.

Can't say if any of the new shows are good or bad as the only new show I have gotten into is Lethal Weapon (based on the movie franchise of the same name) on Fox, but it still feels like a lateral move, rather than upward or downward, as far as the ratings go.

Yeah, most shows are down from last year and that is without getting rid of a co-lead. It was probably the right move for ABC. Honestly, they probably should have done it a year earlier.

[break21]

9 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

The thing is, I think ABC would be struggling even if a potential S9 of Castle happened since one of the leads was gone, and the viewers were mad as hell about it. And, to be honest, even if it managed to stay at 1.0, its best years were in the rear-view mirror and it would have only stalled ABC having to find something new, anyway, for likely next season.

Can't say if any of the new shows are good or bad as the only new show I have gotten into is Lethal Weapon (based on the movie franchise of the same name) on Fox, but it still feels like a lateral move, rather than upward or downward, as far as the ratings go.

I think if they re-vamped it the right way it might have had a chance.  Bring in another popular co-lead for NF (Dana Delaney-ish), do a time-jump and see what happens.  If nothing else they get more episodes to syndicate.  I know certain fans were upset about SK being let go, but not everyone was and most viewers weren't even aware it happened.

[femmefan1946]

Back to Hollywood Hair:

I saw something from Laverne Cox about that earlier today, perhaps a clickbait story on actresses without makeup, (Basically they look fine, as do we all.)

I recall my shock when at the end of a cop drama, many years ago. when the bad guy, a black female cop, pulled off her wig in her jail cell. (Look, I'm Canadian. I don't have more than half a dozen black friends.) It was a very touching moment, exposing her total defeat.

And the actor who plays Khaleesha on GoT, wears a wig. She is a natural brunette. It's part of costuming.

I loved Hayley Atwell as Agent Carter and was disappointed that she went with something more mainstream (My Agent Carter cosplay got decent reviews at the last SF con I attended.)

DH and I both like Designated Survivor. He'd like Keifer Sutherland to enunciate better. I heard his grandfather speak a few times and he could preach!

Right now, my creative writing class is studying Jon Huertas' new gig This Is Us as a model for plotting and rhythm. I like the story so far but I have no idea what the prof is telling us to look for.

Edited October 7, 2016 by femmefan1946
I missed a page of later comments.

[femmefan1946]

I added a lot of pictures from Nathan's trip to Russia to my Nathan Fillion because.... Pinterest Board.

https://www.pinterest.com/femmefan1946/

[TWP]

On Thursday, October 06, 2016 at 5:06 AM, break21 said:

I think if they re-vamped it the right way it might have had a chance.  Bring in another popular co-lead for NF (Dana Delaney-ish), do a time-jump and see what happens.  If nothing else they get more episodes to syndicate.  I know certain fans were upset about SK being let go, but not everyone was and most viewers weren't even aware it happened.

And maybe they decided to try the new shows, figuring if people see how awful the new shows are maybe they would appreciate a Stana-less Castle reboot or something else with Nathan around. I think he's going to be haunting the ABC hallways for quite some time. He seems to be their guy.

I know I'm a cynic, but I can't help but wonder if Dungey's sister's involvement tipped the scale toward Conviction. It may also be the reason the network will be slow to pull it, even with piss-poor ratings. Inevitably, they'll have to do it, though.

[Gant]

Quote

I know I'm a cynic, but I can't help but wonder if Dungey's sister's involvement tipped the scale toward Conviction. It may also be the reason the network will be slow to pull it, even with piss-poor ratings. Inevitably, they'll have to do it, though.

Isn't Dungey's sister in the new season of Con man as well? I seem to remember a mention of that somewhere.

I have no clue why I brought this up or what this is supposed to mean if anything. I may be a cynic, but of a directionless, bumbling variety apparently.

[WendyCR72]

I really don't think it was about Merrin Dungey. I think it was about keeping Hayley Atwell at ABC.

[BlakesMomma]

18 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

I really don't think it was about Merrin Dungey. I think it was about keeping Hayley Atwell at ABC.

Well it's looking like they're going to have to find something else again for Atwell if that was their goal since Conviction may be the first show cancelled this fall with fractional ratings right out of the gate.  

[madmaverick]

I was amused at these pics 1 2 of Nathan and Michael Trucco out riding motorcycles together, and Dr Motorcycle Boy (Victor Webster)'s response: wtf?!  Did he miss out on an invite this time to the Beckett's men reunion? :P

Nice that they are friends in real life.  I am not sure the guys would get along so well in a Castle universe reunion.  Comedic potential maybe.

And now to some fanfic of Caskett road tripping cross country on motorcycles. :P

[KaveDweller]

22 hours ago, madmaverick said:

And now to some fanfic of Caskett road tripping cross country on motorcycles. :P

Is there some good ones? I never was able to find any on this plot line.

[madmaverick]

This one was linked to from the castlefanfics tumblr recently.   There should be a few more but I can't recall any off the top of my head.  You can ask that tumblr and also check if they have any lists on the subject.

Honestly, I just think of poor sore butts when I think of cross country road tripping on a bike. :P

[KaveDweller]

36 minutes ago, madmaverick said:

Honestly, I just think of poor sore butts when I think of cross country road tripping on a bike. :P

Ha, same here. I can't think of a less appealing vacation than going cross country on motorcycles. But I also wouldn't want to chase down killers for a living. I clearly have very different tastes than Castle and Beckett.

[madmaverick]

I've cycled on vacation for whole days and really enjoyed that, but yeah, the butt got a bit sore.  Maybe you stop feeling it after doing it for a while?  Good way to develop an appetite and then indulge on holiday.

There's also a fanfic I remember enjoying quite a while ago where Caskett go backpacking on honeymoon because Beckett wanted something rustic and no frills.  

I think being a profiler or working for something like The Innocence Project would be quite interesting jobs.  Involving a lot of paperwork!

I would have loved finding out more about Caskett's tastes on various things, from literature to food to bucket lists.  Filling in the small gaps with the characters is always fun.  Fanfic does that.

Nathan talks about Modern Family, Castle etc.  It's the New York Post so I don't expect too much, but I don't think Richard Castle was jerky except perhaps sometimes at the very beginning.  Nathan's next Modern Family episode will air in November.  I agree that kind of character has become a niche for him since Capt. Hammer, and while he does it well, I'd like to see him jump out of it.

[WendyCR72]

TV Line just cannot quit Castle!

[madmaverick]

Castle is a money maker for TV Line so they'll never give it up. ;)

And those haters can't quit the TV Line comment section either. ;)

Beggars belief, but both parties will probably be at it for years.

[madmaverick]

OT but lol at ABC's Body of Proof twitter account (still active :0) tweeting people to watch Conviction, which had Dana Delany going huh?  Castle ABC account did the same thing earlier.  Is ABC telling all their show accounts to tell people to watch Conviction?   Probably still won't save it. ;)  Not sure they ever used other shows' social media accounts to tell people to watch Castle.

[S55]

5 hours ago, madmaverick said:

OT but lol at ABC's Body of Proof twitter account (still active :0) tweeting people to watch Conviction, which had Dana Delany going huh?  Castle ABC account did the same thing earlier.  Is ABC telling all their show accounts to tell people to watch Conviction?   Probably still won't save it. ;)  Not sure they ever used other shows' social media accounts to tell people to watch Castle.

I understand why they do it, but that annoyed the sh*t out of me when the Castle Twitter account did it for Forever the season it was on. Now to use accounts for canceled shows to promote a current one? WTF? 

[madmaverick]

On 10/17/2016 at 0:25 PM, WendyCR72 said:

TV Line just cannot quit Castle!

Another day, another Castle headline from TV Line.  Next up, any guest star who ever starred on Castle with a tenuous link to the show is going to get a Castle headline. ;) Not going to link the article.  Basically, David Amann has been appointed showrunner for some The Blacklist spinoff.  Geez, are they spinning off every procedural nowadays? ;)  Never watched The Blacklist so doubt I'll watch, but had no idea Famke Janssen was doing network TV.

And I think Hawley is doing a remake of a Korean lawyer series on one of the networks.  Another procedural.  But Korean series have been massive in recent years so maybe they'll make a success of it if they don't lose too much of the original essence in translation. ;)

Of course, the crazed line up to comment in the TV Line comment section with their rants as usual.  They live for it.  No wonder TV Line obliges. ;)

[CheshireCat]

On ‎06‎.‎10‎.‎2016 at 8:06 AM, break21 said:

I think if they re-vamped it the right way it might have had a chance.  Bring in another popular co-lead for NF (Dana Delaney-ish), do a time-jump and see what happens.  If nothing else they get more episodes to syndicate.  I know certain fans were upset about SK being let go, but not everyone was and most viewers weren't even aware it happened.

I wouldn't be so sure about it. It doesn't hurt the show as much as others because the ratings are generally high, but NCIS' ratings have been dropping and, if I remember correctly, the last two have been series' lows or close to. So, since it took about two/three episodes for NCIS, the same could have happened to Castle and in addition to the viewers who wouldn't have returned because they knew about SK's exit, the show probably would have taken a ratings hit a couple of episodes in when those who didn't know about SK's exit caught on.

On a side note - it looks like Notorious could be the first cancelled show and not Conviction. ABC cut their episode order from 13 to 10 on that one.

Edited October 26, 2016 by CheshireCat

[turnitwayup]

Was watching Bad Moms and it had the most random mention of Castle. Christina Applegate's character has a meltdown in her car and mentions her dvr stop recording Castle. Lol maybe the dvr knew how awful the last season was.

[madmaverick]

16 hours ago, turnitwayup said:

Was watching Bad Moms and it had the most random mention of Castle. Christina Applegate's character has a meltdown in her car and mentions her dvr stop recording Castle. Lol maybe the dvr knew how awful the last season was.

Not surprised if it was an adlib from Applegate since she's known to be a big fan of Castle.  She and Kelly Clarkson seem to have been genuinely really into the show.  And I was somewhat bemused by Hillary saying she liked Castle heh.  Gets my vote for that. :P   Do male presidential candidates get asked about their celebrity crushes? ;) 

And has anyone read High Heat?  I know the books tend to echo the show but I was a bit wtf at the ending nevertheless...  did they have to go there?  Guess the book writer believes in a cliffhanger and drama to create interest as much as TV writers. ;)

Edited November 7, 2016 by madmaverick

[GoGiants]

On November 7, 2016 at 10:42 AM, madmaverick said:

And has anyone read High Heat?  I know the books tend to echo the show but I was a bit wtf at the ending nevertheless...  did they have to go there?  Guess the book writer believes in a cliffhanger and drama to create interest as much as TV writers. ;)

I just finished reading the whole series over the last month. Apparently I like binge reading in addition to binge watching. ;)

I was pleasantly surprised by the Heat books. I had no plans to read them but fell into them on a whim. Nothing special but they were fun reads. I enjoyed looking for the show references and the various similarities and differences between the two.

Spoiler

I was disappointed that the end scene seemed to pull lines direct from the Castle/Beckett break up scene on the show into the novel. At least write your own lame and ill planned break up for the novel. Don't copy direct from the script! I had hoped they would have passed on the break up for the books but I'm not shocked they went this route. 

I think the books have done a better job creating a more natural transition up the ranks for Nikki than the show did for Beckett. They also handled several big relationship moments better as well. So maybe there's a chance they can do this storyline a bit better than the show. To be fair to the show, a novel offers writers a very different format to explore and develop characters than procedural tv. Here's hoping a dreary and nonsensical break up doesn't consume 98% of the next book. I didn't watch Castle for super angst (and poorly plotted and developed drama!) and I don't read these novels for it either.  

 I am glad the show had the sense not develop the storyline they appear to be pursuing for Nikki's mom. However given the path S8 took, maybe it was just a matter of time before Johanna Beckett returned from the dead.

 

Couldn't get the below box to delete. Oh well.

Spoiler

 

Edited November 16, 2016 by GoGiants

[KaveDweller]

About the books:

Spoiler

They broke them up in them too? Was it for a similar reason? And if it happened at the end, does that mean they are ending the whole series with them split up, or is there another book? It makes Castle look like a bad writer if he can't write anything differently than real life. I get why they wanted show references, but it drives me crazy. 

I read that the dedication in the book was:

Quote

To K.B. For always and more.

I thought it was sweet, but then I wondered if when they wrote it for the book they were assuming there'd be a Beckett-less S9, and that this was supposed to be some message to a dead Kate.  Then I just felt depressed about it.

Edited November 17, 2016 by KaveDweller

[GoGiants]

@KaveDweller, regarding the books:

Spoiler

Yes, the book break up is for the exact same reasons as the show. Somewhat different danger than the show but the exact same abrupt "leaving because I love you so much and you'll only be safe without me" garbage. I looked up the TV break up scene and the book really did pull the break up dialogue direct from the show. Very annoying!

There are parts of the books where the references to the show are entertaining or clever. Then there are others where I cringe enough to want to quit reading. The break up was one of those moments. I think there is fine line between referring to the show and borrowing from it versus a direct copy with different names. Sometimes the books are more successful at it than others. 

I believe there is one more book planned. No idea if it's the end of the series but it seems like a good time to stop. I didn't like the end of the most recent book or where it appears to be headed, so I'd be glad to see them end. 

 

5 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I thought it was sweet, but then I wondered if when they wrote it for the book they were assuming there'd be a Beckett-less S9, and that this was supposed to be some message to a dead Kate.  Then I just felt depressed about it.

Yikes! I hadn't thought about that but I suppose that could be true. One more reason I'm glad they cancelled before things got even worse. 

[KaveDweller]

22 hours ago, GoGiants said:

@KaveDweller, regarding the books:

Yikes! I hadn't thought about that but I suppose that could be true. One more reason I'm glad they cancelled before things got even worse. 

Sorry to put the thought in your head. I was just hoping someone would tell me it was a ridiculous theory. 

[madmaverick]

I didn't read anything much into the dedication.  Pretty vague and generic as these dedications go.  I missed the acknowledgements though!

Whatever happened on the show, I believe the books would have gone on.  Maybe Nikki would have been presumed dead but actually in CIA protection, which wouldn't have been that implausible.  Or they could have had Rook killed, for Castle the author to mirror any real life tragedy.  Or Nikki/Rook could have a happy ending regardless.

I just thought Beckett's decision at the end of the book was too sudden because they'd dangled this Johanna story throughout and it wasn't really signaled she was contemplating walking away from her marriage.  And then bam, she just made the decision, and the book ended.  I hope Rook won't get over it as easily as Castle did on the show.  Agree that the books have generally handled big relationship moments better than on the show, so fingers crossed.  I hope this will be an arc where they don't copy much from the show.  Not surprised they went there with Johanna Beckett, and yeah, wouldn't have been surprised if they'd gone there on the show too by the end.  Seems like a common trope these days.

I am still looking forward to the next book and seeing how they resolve things.  I do enjoy how Nikki and Rook's relationship is written in the book. 

[GoGiants]

2 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Sorry to put the thought in your head. I was just hoping someone would tell me it was a ridiculous theory. 

No worries. The books didn't play any role in my enjoyment of the show. But it was a sad thought to realize this book would've been published after Beckett's "death" (whether real or fake).

1 hour ago, madmaverick said:

I didn't read anything much into the dedication.  Pretty vague and generic as these dedications go.  I missed the acknowledgements though!

Whatever happened on the show, I believe the books would have gone on.  Maybe Nikki would have been presumed dead but actually in CIA protection, which wouldn't have been that implausible.  Or they could have had Rook killed, for Castle the author to mirror any real life tragedy.  Or Nikki/Rook could have a happy ending regardless.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

I just thought Beckett's decision at the end of the book was too sudden because they'd dangled this Johanna story throughout and it wasn't really signaled she was contemplating walking away from her marriage.  And then bam, she just made the decision, and the book ended.  I hope Rook won't get over it as easily as Castle did on the show.  Agree that the books have generally handled big relationship moments better than on the show, so fingers crossed.  I hope this will be an arc where they don't copy much from the show.  Not surprised they went there with Johanna Beckett, and yeah, wouldn't have been surprised if they'd gone there on the show too by the end.  Seems like a common trope these days.

 

I am still looking forward to the next book and seeing how they resolve things.  I do enjoy how Nikki and Rook's relationship is written in the book. 

I wondered why the weren't any acknowledgements. I missed them too.

I too imagine they would have found a way to keep the books going. Probably without thinking too much about it or how it tied to the show or characters. I would've found it awkward and sad to have Beckett on secret off-screen missions while she was presumed dead (wasn't that the S9 rumor?) and then keep on publishing the books with love filled dedications from Castle to Beckett. Happily i don't have to find out how that would have played out.

Spoiler

I am also looking forward to the next book. I too enjoy Heat and Rook's relationship and how it's portrayed in the books. There are definitely book moments that I wish could have happened for Castle and Beckett. I think my leftover irritation from S8 and how poorly the break up was handled had me hoping that they'd skip the break in the book. I agree with you @madmaverick, the book break up was as abrupt as the show. My hope is the book can do the storyline a bit more justice, even if it's not my favorite. 

Edited November 18, 2016 by GoGiants

[KaveDweller]

Maybe it was 

Spoiler

Abrupt in the book because it's supposed to be written by Castle, and to him it was super abrupt when Beckett left.

I'm really glad the show ended when it did with a happy ending.

[madmaverick]

Not sure if anyone still pops in here, but I saw this trailer for Russian!Castle and thought it quite amusing/weird to watch so posting it here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOhkU4XjVDk/

It all looks very, very familiar.  I hope they actually bought the rights from original Castle.

Have to say I find Nathan as Castle to be better looking, especially in S1.  Weird how they cast someone who somewhat has Molly's look as Alexis except looks way older than she did at the start of the series.  Espo is.. the bald one?  Beckett looks good but looks completely different from Stana.  The chemistry between Castle and Beckett here can make or break the series but it's hard to judge from the trailer alone.  If anyone has actually watched Russian Castle, I'd be curious to hear about it.

Hope everyone's well and finding new TV to love, or still enjoying old Castle.

[WendyCR72]

4 hours ago, madmaverick said:

Not sure if anyone still pops in here, but I saw this trailer for Russian!Castle and thought it quite amusing/weird to watch so posting it here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOhkU4XjVDk/

It all looks very, very familiar.  I hope they actually bought the rights from original Castle.

Have to say I find Nathan as Castle to be better looking, especially in S1.  Weird how they cast someone who somewhat has Molly's look as Alexis except looks way older than she did at the start of the series.  Espo is.. the bald one?  Beckett looks good but looks completely different from Stana.  The chemistry between Castle and Beckett here can make or break the series but it's hard to judge from the trailer alone.  If anyone has actually watched Russian Castle, I'd be curious to hear about it.

Hope everyone's well and finding new TV to love, or still enjoying old Castle.

Must be the new "in" thing! Well, maybe not new. But Law & Order was redone in the UK as Law & Order: UK with redone American episodes suited to British laws and Law & Order: Criminal Intent also had a French adaption called Paris Enquetes Criminelles (and the lead actor there, also coincidentally with the first name of Vincent [Vincent Perez], did an eerie facsimile of Vincent D'Onofrio's Robert Goren and his tics!) I think I also read Law & Order: SVU has a foreign adaption out there.

Apparently, Castle has joined the ranks.  :-) As with the above, it looks like the show is following the same scenes, etc. (It's how I watched an episode of the French L&O: CI version out of curiosity. Didn't understand a word, but seeing it, I knew the story and basically followed along! LOL! Although the "Eames" role in this one differed in that the first female partner left after the first season, then there was another actress/character for the rest... The original adaption - obviously - had Kathryn Erbe/Alexandra Eames from beginning to end. Wonder if this Castle will be faced with any such differences if it lasts? But hey, considering the similar look again, anyone here could watch without knowing a lick of Russian and still know what is going on!)

[WendyCR72]

11 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

I hope they actually bought the rights from original Castle.

Forgot to add, considering the footage, the show runners had to have gotten legal permission as some parts (book-signing party, for one!) was almost identical to the pilot for Castle. I don't know if it was simple courtesy or part of the deal, but for Law & Order: UK, in its opening credits, it told the title of the original American Law & Order episode it was derived from, as well as the original writers. Maybe the same will hold true here (although I'd never know as I can't read Russian!).

[KaveDweller]

It's super weird to see different actors playing out the exact same scene from the American version. Even weirder than watching shows dubbed in other languages.

And yes, they have to have gotten legal permission. Otherwise it is a blatant copyright violation and they will get themselves sued.

[WendyCR72]

Through the handy-dandy little tool called Google Translate, the Instagram post already has some differences, if just names. The show will be called Bars since the lead male character is named Alexander Bars. His mother has the name of Diana Valentinovna [say that 5 times fast!], and the Kate Beckett role has her name as the easy-to-pronounce Mary Queen, Police Major [assume this is the Russian equivalent of detective]. It mentions Bars' daughter but not her name in the press release, but I'll bet her name isn't Alexis since the other names have changed.  :-)

[madmaverick]

Nice to see the board isn't completely dead. :P  I've been re-watching some old Castle lately and it's been nice, actually.

Seamus tweeted a longer version of the trailer, I think.  And I think he knows some Russian so he probably got a kick out of Russian Castle.

They definitely seem to be trying to get the money for their buck, so to speak, and replicating a lot of the scenes from the original series.  Even down to the wardrobe, I noticed!  Russian Castle and Beckett are wearing the same colours and types of clothes in the famous pilot end scene.  Russian Martha does wear a cowboy hat, for some reason, which is new.  She does seem to be as full of flair as the original.

Bars?  Why Bars?  Sounds more chocolaty than Russian to me, but then again, I don't speak Russian!  Is it a play on Castle in any way?  Mary Queen also doesn't sound Russian at all...  Alexis' could be named Aleksandra?  Esposito and Ryan would probably have completely different names.

I guess Russian Castle means more $$ into Marlowe, ABC & co's pockets. 

[DaynaPhile]

Maybe they went with Beckett's Russian name to be a riff on chess pieces, there is a Queen. I though the trailer was like the uncanny valley of foreign tv shows. It's so very close to what we know as the real Castle and yet something is creepily off. And I think our Beckett and Castle are hotter. 

 

I'm just pining for a streaming service, any streaming service but preferably Netflix, to pick up all 8 seasons. Who do I have to bribe to make it happen?

[DaynaPhile]

On 10/16/2016 at 1:30 PM, madmaverick said:

This one was linked to from the castlefanfics tumblr recently.   

While you're there read the author's other stories. Dialogue and characterization is freaking brilliant. I may or may not have spent most of yesterday doing just that. 

[WendyCR72]

Don't know if there are/were/still Castle fans that watch Bones, but fresh off his role as the "forgotten ex" in Beckett's life, after 10 seasons [and zero mentions], Eddie McClintock returns as Brennan's ex, Sully.

[WendyCR72]

This falls under media.  :-)

Per TV Line, Jon Huertas has been upped to series regular for the upcoming season of This Is Us. Good for him!

[madmaverick]

I don't know if this falls under this thread in terms of being Media, but has anyone been watching the Canadian show Private Eyes?  Started watching that show, and could it be any more of a Castle copycat?  They should pay Marlowe & Co. some fee. ;)  The copying is blatant.  It is basically Castle, except ex hockey player following a P.I around to become P.I.s together instead of a writer and a cop.   Dead parent with some mystery behind death, check.  Single dad and precocious daughter plus grandparent, check.  Ex wife, check.  It really feels like a cheap man's Castle.  Enjoyable enough to watch for a mindless show, but it didn't capture my attention the same way Castle did.  That's mostly down to the chemistry between the leads, maybe.  It's not that they don't have it, but it's not a chemistry overdose like it was with Castle for me with Nathan and Stana.  The female lead does especially remind me of Stana, in looks and wardrobe and even demeanour as the no nonsense character.  Jason Priestly, less so Nathan, because they look so different, and also not as tall!  They don't seem to be pushing the WT/WT angle much so far, not even as a slow burn, but going for straight up procedural partnership at this point.  The crime stories, however, are quite weak.  Or maybe I just watch these sorts of shows more for the relationships than the crimes.  I like Toronto and seeing it onscreen, but the lower budget compared to a show like Castle shows onscreen, and the guest cast acting is sometimes not as good.

I remember a Russian Castle being in the works, but this Canadian show might as well be a copy of Castle.   The creators definitely watched a lot of Castle when they made this show. ;)

[TWP]

Thanks, Mad Maverick.  I really appreciate having something to try.

[WendyCR72]

Being an ignorant American (  :-)  ), I have never heard of this show, but after reading about it here, I came across where ION, that which shows procedurals galore (L&O franchise - all 3 shows, Criminal Minds, and Blue Bloods, as well as other imports from Canada such as Saving Hope and Rookie Blue) will be the US home for the show.

For the uninitiated, ION rose from the ashes that used to be the family friendly channel, PAX, that showed such shows as Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye, before the channel went under. It has been keeping afloat with Canadian fare and said procedurals for eons now.

The article is dated from this past March and doesn't specify an air date that I can see. So if others are in the US and are curious, keep your eyes peeled.

ETA: I see Private Eyes is now listed in ION's show roster on its site but no air date yet. (Shows tend to take breaks in airing until the schedule changes. If you hover over a show and notice a date and time, it means a show is currently airing or set to air soon. If not, it means, ION has the show but it is not on its current airing schedule.) It also tends to air said shows in binge fashion. As an example, a show will air from, say, 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m. the following morning. That seems to be the case for many of ION's shows.

Edited July 2, 2017 by WendyCR72

[TWP]

Thanks for the link, Wendy.  I clicked through to Private Eyes page, where it says it will air in the fall.