Spoilers, Speculation & All Things Media!

[madmaverick]

Watched the most recent episode of Private Eyes, and guess who showed up?  A Doctors Without Borders doctor love interest.  You can really tell the writers did their homework on Castle. ;)   Guy's good looking, a little too perfect and less douchey than Josh, but that could be my subjectivity talking.  It was one of those episodes that always happens in this kind of a show where other love interests come into play.  Sometimes it does feel too much like been there, done that, when they hit the tropes hard, but originality may be hard to come by in this genre of a TV show.   After all, isn't Marlowe himself trying to pull off another version of Castle? ;)

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, madmaverick said:

Watched the most recent episode of Private Eyes, and guess who showed up?  A Doctors Without Borders doctor love interest.  You can really tell the writers did their homework on Castle. ;)   Guy's good looking, a little too perfect and less douchey than Josh, but that could be my subjectivity talking.  It was one of those episodes that always happens in this kind of a show where other love interests come into play.  Sometimes it does feel too much like been there, done that, when they hit the tropes hard, but originality may be hard to come by in this genre of a TV show.   After all, isn't Marlowe himself trying to pull off another version of Castle? ;)

It's tried and true in this genre! :-)

Maddie had Sam come between her and David, Laura had Tony <vomit> come between her and Steele, and Brennan had to deal with Hannah just as Booth had to deal with Sully.

Wow, writing that all out, the third wheel really is a hee-yuge cliché!

[WendyCR72]

By the way, if anyone wishes to discuss Private Eyes, it has its own forum here.

[marina to]

Funny, I watch Private Eyes and I didn't see any parallels to Castle at all. For starters, there isn't always a murder. Second of all, she's a PI, not a cop. Third, there isn't any overarching deep tragedy that takes over the show. I find it all refreshing. It's as much Remington Steele as Castle.

Edited July 21, 2017 by marina to

[madmaverick]

On 7/21/2017 at 10:54 AM, marina to said:

Funny, I watch Private Eyes and I didn't see any parallels to Castle at all. For starters, there isn't always a murder. Second of all, she's a PI, not a cop. Third, there isn't any overarching deep tragedy that takes over the show. I find it all refreshing. It's as much Remington Steele as Castle.

Never watched Remington Steele so I can't compare directly, though I would imagine Castle as well as Private Eyes are successors to that show and Moonlighting.  Maybe because I watched Castle for so long, the similarities stick out to me.  Like the recent plots of the daughter wanting a semester abroad and Dad having a meltdown, and wrong body in a coffin, Castle did those too.   Good that it's refreshing for you.

I feel like it's only a matter of time before the mysterious, tragic death of a parent storyline resurfaces on this show too.

[WendyCR72]

Good news: Castle seems to be returning to TNT's schedule.

Bad news: It is airing from 2:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. on Friday morning (as of 08/04/2017) and 3:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. on Saturday morning (as of 08/05/2017). Unsure if it is just spackle or if this a more permanent thing. Future listings will tell the tale.

[andromeda331]

That's good news and bad news.

[TWP]

On 7/20/2017 at 7:54 PM, marina to said:

Funny, I watch Private Eyes and I didn't see any parallels to Castle at all. For starters, there isn't always a murder. Second of all, she's a PI, not a cop. Third, there isn't any overarching deep tragedy that takes over the show. I find it all refreshing. It's as much Remington Steele as Castle.

I, for one, would appreciate a variety of cases, and the lack of overarching deep tragedy.  A well-designed tragedy would be good as a short arc, but only as a short-term piece.  I can't wait to see it.  In the fall, in the fall.

Edited July 24, 2017 by TWP

[TWP]

In my area, TNT is airing one hour on Thursdays  in addition to the two hours on Friday and an hour on Saturday, plus TNT is airing both Friday and Saturday shows on XFinity TVGo.  In addition, the ABC affiliate is airing episodes on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday.  The only night that doesn't get an airing is Wednesday.  All of these airings are in the middle of the night, as you said, Wendy.  I don't consider the timeframes unexpected, but the new TNT airings explain why Castle isn't on Hulu.  TNT apparently owns exclusive rights and probably will for awhile.  This is all good for me, since I record the shows and watch when I feel like it.

[WendyCR72]

On 7/23/2017 at 11:29 PM, TWP said:

TNT apparently owns exclusive rights and probably will for awhile

I don't think this is so, though. MyNetwork in my area also shows the show on Saturday nights. If TNT was truly exclusive, I don't think there would even be local syndication if it was as you describe: TNT would be the only network if exclusive, I'd think.

Unless local and national syndication are considered two different animals.  :-)

[TWP]

4 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

I don't think this is so, though. MyNetwork in my area also shows the show on Saturday nights. If TNT was truly exclusive, I don't think there would even be local syndication if it was as you describe: TNT would be the only network if exclusive, I'd think.

Unless local and national syndication are considered two different animals.  :-)

That could be.  I'm just glad it hasn't disappeared from TV yet :-).

[WendyCR72]

And Nathan Fillion is officially back at ABC with a new dramedy: The Rookie, which has a straight to series order.

Where he will play...a cop.

Alexi Hawley is involved as show runner and co-EP...along with Fillion, who will share EP duties.

[westwingfan]

9 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

And Nathan Fillion is officially back at ABC with a new dramedy: The Rookie, which has a straight to series order.

Where he will play...a cop.

Alexi Hawley is involved as show runner and co-EP...along with Fillion, who will share EP duties.

Not exactly "fresh" and "versatile" then. LOL

No mention of a  female lead, so he's not making that mistake again.

[BellyLaughter]

31 minutes ago, westwingfan said:

Not exactly "fresh" and "versatile" then. LOL

No mention of a  female lead, so he's not making that mistake again.

EP title will probably help ensure that!! 

Edited October 27, 2017 by BellyLaughter

[TWP]

11 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

And Nathan Fillion is officially back at ABC with a new dramedy: The Rookie, which has a straight to series order.

Where he will play...a cop.

Alexi Hawley is involved as show runner and co-EP...along with Fillion, who will share EP duties.

Can you open up or request a topic for the new show so I can escape the petty fan wars that have found their way over here once again?  Thanks.

[madmaverick]

Gosh, the pettiness and the hate. For freaking years.  The poison in the fandom that sullies fandom.  Some people really need to get over themselves, stop obsessing about people they claim not to care for, and remember they don't know any of them or first hand about absolutely anything.  Enjoy the shows and the actors that you do. There are plenty to choose from out there.  Why waste your life on hate?  Why pollute others' fun with your hate?   Sorry, that needed to be vented.

I'd like to discuss Absentia or The Rookie in time, but I really need to escape petty, hateful fans, and I bet I'm not the only one who's sick of them.

As for the news, I'll say it's somewhat surprising to me.  Didn't see another entry into the cop genre from Nathan coming nor a reunion with Hawley.   I was hoping for something other than network procedural, but at the same time the premise isn't without potential if done well. I, for one, could do with some light hearted TV in these times. 

And given that not even an episode has aired, it's far too soon to draw any conclusions about the show yet. Not that the utter lack of facts has stopped people from jumping to predetermined prejudiced conclusions in the past!  I like to see things for myself before I judge anything. 

[TWP]

3 hours ago, madmaverick said:

Gosh, the pettiness and the hate. For freaking years.  The poison in the fandom that sullies fandom.  Some people really need to get over themselves, stop obsessing about people they claim not to care for, and remember they don't know any of them or first hand about absolutely anything.  Enjoy the shows and the actors that you do. There are plenty to choose from out there.  Why waste your life on hate?  Why pollute others' fun with your hate?   Sorry, that needed to be vented.

I'd like to discuss Absentia or The Rookie in time, but I really need to escape petty, hateful fans, and I bet I'm not the only one who's sick of them.

As for the news, I'll say it's somewhat surprising to me.  Didn't see another entry into the cop genre from Nathan coming nor a reunion with Hawley.   I was hoping for something other than network procedural, but at the same time the premise isn't without potential if done well. I, for one, could do with some light hearted TV in these times. 

And given that not even an episode has aired, it's far too soon to draw any conclusions about the show yet. Not that the utter lack of facts has stopped people from jumping to predetermined prejudiced conclusions in the past!  I like to see things for myself before I judge anything. 

I also feel somewhat disappointed that Nathan is doing a cop show again with Slither, Castle and now The Rookie. And Hawley doesn't interest me.   I'd prefer something else, although I'm really uncertain what that something would be.  But yes, anything light is welcoming.  All I want is to be entertained and to stay as far away from any BTS issues as possible.

[madmaverick]

21 minutes ago, TWP said:

I also feel somewhat disappointed that Nathan is doing a cop show again with Slither, Castle and now The Rookie. And Hawley doesn't interest me.   I'd prefer something else, although I'm really uncertain what that something would be.  But yes, anything light is welcoming.  All I want is to be entertained and to stay as far away from any BTS issues as possible.

I'd prefer it if someone like Rob Hanning was doing the writing, or Hawley's brother who seems to be the more successful and interesting writer.  It's not that I don't have a soft spot for light hearted dramedy otherwise I wouldn't be a fan of Castle, and I am missing a show like that, but I would have liked to see Nathan do more realism dramedy cable style or subversive comedy, something less network traditional, I guess.  But I actually do enjoy some of the ABC dramedies with a good dose of character and heart, so I'm hoping this show will be in that vein.  Funny how both Nathan and Stana's next projects ended up being law enforcement related. I wouldn't have guessed that or maybe I underestimated the number of roles in cop shows on offer.  I am hoping The Rookie will only have a dozen episodes a season or be a half hour show.  Nathan's looked much better physically since ending his Castle schedule, and I'd like to see a ruggedly handsome Rookie.   And I'd like to see him do other stuff in addition to network TV.    But it's way too soon to tell how this show will end up.  Some shows with big stars don't take off every season.  The writing is key.   All I want is to be entertained too, and a drama free, fun filled fandom.

 

OT, but to other Castle lovers, I highly recommend the new BBC series Strike which just aired in the UK and will be airing on Cinemax in the US next year.  I think I've found my new detective duo love post Castle!  It's a very different show to Castle, with British sensibilities, and they are a very different pairing to Caskett, but they are the first pair I've seen post Castle to have exhibited a huge amount of chemistry.  They did great with the casting there too.  And it helps that the series is adapted from very solid source material, the Robert Galbraith books by JK Rowling of Harry Potter fame.  So, if you like detective mystery shows, and you like a good WT/WT, then I highly recommend both the novels and the TV show to Castle fans. 

[WendyCR72]

20 minutes ago, madmaverick said:

I am hoping The Rookie will only have a dozen episodes a season or be a half hour show. 

As it is ABC, no way will that happen. And - just based on the premise - it sounds like another hour-long deal. The shorter network shows only seem to happen if the star is at Viola Davis levels (hence her ABC show only having that limited number; I think it was a condition of her signing on), a summer series, or both. Beyond that, I'm guessing this is another "traditional" show, a la 22 episodes or so.

If I'm wrong, great!

I do wonder what persuaded Nathan Fillion to sign on. Working with Hawley again? Just seemed like everyone was tired at the end of Castle and I figured he'd want a break from the Network TV grind. But maybe the money is that good.  :-)

[WendyCR72]

6 hours ago, TWP said:

Can you open up or request a topic for the new show so I can escape the petty fan wars that have found their way over here once again?  Thanks.

It's pending - with yours truly as the mod. Again.

[madmaverick]

3 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

As it is ABC, no way will that happen. And - just based on the premise - it sounds like another hour-long deal. The shorter network shows only seem to happen if the star is at Viola Davis levels (hence her ABC show only having that limited number; I think it was a condition of her signing on), a summer series, or both. Beyond that, I'm guessing this is another "traditional" show, a la 22 episodes or so.

If I'm wrong, great!

I do wonder what persuaded Nathan Fillion to sign on. Working with Hawley again? Just seemed like everyone was tired at the end of Castle and I figured he'd want a break from the Network TV grind. But maybe the money is that good.  :-)

I found it odd they didn't mention the duration of the show in the media articles, but perhaps the hour long format was a given from its description as a crime drama series, albeit it a light hearted one.  I wouldn't mind at all if this were a summer series or a short ordered network show.  I think very few writer teams, if any, can really write a 22 episode season well, just because of the grind of it., and certainly not sustain a good quality for many seasons of that duration.  Not just the actors, but if I were a procedural writer, I'd be exhausted after years of crime procedurals.  But perhaps it's a case of writing what you know.  Milmar's new show if/when it gets off the ground seems to be another version of Castle.  Even though The Rookie sounds like a role that Nathan would be very comfortable in, it's probably one of the last things I would have guessed at him doing as his next possibly long term commitment post Castle.  With so many different genres of TV out there now, I'd hoped for something very different.  But, in a way, it might be fun to see a sort of alt Castle.   I think there might even be fanfic with this premise.  I laughed at a comment on twitter which said he could finally wear a real police vest now, heh.   I do wonder if he and Stana had to sign 7 year contracts for their new series projects.   Although it's unlikely any show would last that long, I wouldn't have thought them keen to sign on for another one of those so soon after Castle, but maybe that's just the way it has to be in their industry.

 

Cool that you'll be the mod again.  I've missed this discussion space.

[TWP]

19 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

It's pending - with yours truly as the mod. Again.

Couldn't wish for more.  Thank you, Wendy.

[KaveDweller]

4 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

I do wonder what persuaded Nathan Fillion to sign on. Working with Hawley again? Just seemed like everyone was tired at the end of Castle and I figured he'd want a break from the Network TV grind. But maybe the money is that good.  :-)

Money talks, that's for sure.

It seemed like ABC/Nathan had both been willing to keep work with each other in a Stana-less Castle, so it's not too shocking that they would come up with a series where they could do something very similar to that. I'm not usually big on cop shows (Castle was an exception for me), so I'll have to see if there's anything appealing about this once more details come out. 

[WendyCR72]

Not much different than sister site TV Line's article, but this Deadline article goes into a bit more detail about the show's backing, etc., if anyone's interested in that stuff.

[TWP]

22 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

As it is ABC, no way will that happen. And - just based on the premise - it sounds like another hour-long deal. The shorter network shows only seem to happen if the star is at Viola Davis levels (hence her ABC show only having that limited number; I think it was a condition of her signing on), a summer series, or both. Beyond that, I'm guessing this is another "traditional" show, a la 22 episodes or so.

If I'm wrong, great!

I do wonder what persuaded Nathan Fillion to sign on. Working with Hawley again? Just seemed like everyone was tired at the end of Castle and I figured he'd want a break from the Network TV grind. But maybe the money is that good.  :-)

I don't know.  The competition for viewership is from orgs like Netflix that offer the 10-12-episode gigs, so maybe that is a model ABC would adopt, at least experimentally.

But yeah, why is Nathan signing?  I'll bet money.  And if you were a Castle cast member and someone said, we'll pay you nearly what you were making when you left Castle and you can sleep in your own bed every night, have some creative control, not have to constantly look for work,  and be set for life by many standards, would you take it? OMG, I would.  

If it survives 3 seasons, it's a winner in this TV environment.

[TWP]

Slightly off-topic: I saw the teaser for what looked like a new Fox COP show with  Connie Britton! And I thought ohhh, nooo, direct competition with The Rookie!  It's the Bones/Castle competition all over again ;-).  But Connie's show is called 9-1-1, so I'm hoping it will have more to do with paramedics and less with subject matter that The Rookie will cover.  Here's a trailer:  http://ew.com/tv/2017/10/28/9-1-1-trailer-ryan-murphy-connie-britton/

Procedurals are alive and well and recruiting good talent.  Love Connie.

[BlakesMomma]

On 10/27/2017 at 7:45 AM, TWP said:

Can you open up or request a topic for the new show so I can escape the petty fan wars that have found their way over here once again?  Thanks.

Yes please!  I'm so sick of people who can't seem to move on with their lives, and seem to live day to day to tear apart the one that isn't their favorite.  

On 10/27/2017 at 2:08 PM, WendyCR72 said:

It's pending - with yours truly as the mod. Again.

Thank you Wendy!  Looking forward to it! Please post a link here when it becomes active. 

[WendyCR72]

The forum for The Rookie is now up!

[WendyCR72]

And the US home for Absentia is officially...Amazon.

[madmaverick]

And Milmar's new show has finally landed....at ABC.

Is it just me or does it feel like everyone is doing another version of what they were doing on Castle?  Stana plays another 'badass' law enforcement agent, Nathan plays cop, MilMar do Castle 2.0.  If I were coming off a 10 year project, the last thing I would want to do would be to do more of the same, or possibly anything that resembled what I was doing previously, if I were a creative.  But I'm not a creative, so who knows?  Maybe they have their constraints... actors can suffer from typecasting, but as writers, basically pitching a photocopy of your own show?   There's even irony in the name.  Take Two? ;)  It's a take two of Castle, all right.  It could be a Castle fanfic AU . ;)  What's next, recycling lines and cases from Castle?  Maybe it's a case of 'write what you know', or write what you know will bring the $$$, but to me it highlights their creative limitations.   I admire writers who can jump from genre to genre and write them just as well.  

Quote

Described as an upbeat procedural, Take Two, written by Marlowe and Miller, stars Bilson as Ella, the former star of a hit cop series who’s fresh-out-of-rehab following a bender of epic proportion. Desperate to restart her career, she talks her way into shadowing rough-and-tumble private investigator Eddie (Cibrian) as research for a potential comeback role. Though lonewolf Eddie resents the babysitting gig, high-spirited Ella proves herself to be surprisingly valuable, drawing on her acting skills and 200 episodes of playing a detective. When the press touts Ella’s role in solving a high-profile case, Eddie finds his phone ringing off the hook with new clients looking to hire the pair.

And I feel like this actor character believing they can do their role in real life premise has been done before, too.  The Grinder?  Nathan's guest spot on Brooklyn Nine Nine?  Etc.?  

I know of these actors but have never watched their work.   The show may make it or break it on their chemistry as with a lot of these shows, as well as the writing of course.

Some shows you don't quite know what to expect, but here, I can already imagine the characters based on the blurb, because it's all been done before.

I'll check it out out of simple curiosity, but unless lighting strikes twice, I doubt it'll become Castle 2.0 for me and I don't know if I would want to watch a Marlowe show that lasts for a prolonged amount of time.  Never say never though. ;)  

ABC seems to be high on these light hearted procedurals.  The Rookie, Take Two, and The French Detective,  already make three and the latter may be the most interesting of them all to me.   Adapted from James Patterson's books though it's Dujardin's casting that has me more intrigued.  I can't help but think it's quite a move for a Best Actor Oscar winner to move on to a light hearted procedural on ABC!

[TWP]

The new breakout of Katic, Fillion and Marlowe projects reads like a divorce settlement :-).   Or a bomb was planted under Castle 1.0 and the three projects are the fallout.  Add Jon and Seamus' music video as the extraneous pieces, ha.

I think the Take Two casting is somewhat weak, honestly.  I'm hoping this doesn't mean it will be extremely soapy. 

I WILL watch the ABC shows, at least for a couple of episodes.  I wonder if they'll be on the same night, ha-ha.  Call it "Castle 2.0 Monday".

Stana's show unfortunately doesn't interest me.  From what I've heard, it's extremely dark.   If I want dark, I can watch the news.  Amazon Prime is probably the best place for it, since it reallly was intended for streaming.

The French Detective looks interesting.

Edited November 17, 2017 by TWP

[KaveDweller]

4 hours ago, madmaverick said:

And Milmar's new show has finally landed....at ABC.

Is it just me or does it feel like everyone is doing another version of what they were doing on Castle?  Stana plays another 'badass' law enforcement agent, Nathan plays cop, MilMar do Castle 2.0.  If I were coming off a 10 year project, the last thing I would want to do would be to do more of the same, or possibly anything that resembled what I was doing previously, if I were a creative.  But I'm not a creative, so who knows? 

Evidently MilMar aren't creatives either. They just keep recycling the same idea. I remember when the idea for this show first came out and it seemed like a copy of Castle. But these two always seemed a bit lazy when it came to writing, so I guess they are going with what they know works? Or maybe they feel like their true vision for Castle never got realized because of actors or network interference or whatever. So they want to try again to make what they consider a better version.

I wasn't going to watch another MilMar show, but Rachel Bilson is very charming, I can see her doing well in this kind of thing. I don't know the guy they cast though.

[TWP]

Wendy, are you planning on moderating the Take Two board? 

Edited November 17, 2017 by TWP

[WendyCR72]

13 minutes ago, TWP said:

Wendy, are you planning on moderating the Take Two board? 

I don't think a forum has even been requested as of yet. If anyone wants to, this is the forum to do so. (You must have three thread titles, at minimum.)

[madmaverick]

7 hours ago, TWP said:

The new breakout of Katic, Fillion and Marlowe projects reads like a divorce settlement :-).   Or a bomb was planted under Castle 1.0 and the three projects are the fallout.  Add Jon and Seamus' music video as the extraneous pieces, ha.

I think the Take Two casting is somewhat weak, honestly.  I'm hoping this doesn't mean it will be extremely soapy. 

I WILL watch the ABC shows, at least for a couple of episodes.  I wonder if they'll be on the same night, ha-ha.  Call it "Castle 2.0 Monday".

Stana's show unfortunately doesn't interest me.  From what I've heard, it's extremely dark.   If I want dark, I can watch the news.  Amazon Prime is probably the best place for it, since it reallly was intended for streaming.

The French Detective looks interesting.

I felt like I was watching an outtake from Rysposito's music act in the ShayJean (really?) music video. Complete with Ryan's green juice from that episode where he was getting the cleanse, heh.  It was all way too meta. 

I find the Take Two (I suppose Milmar think they are being clever with that title, but beware of the retread headlines. ;)) premise to be weaker than the casting, which I'm meh on anyway, but you can never tell until you see them onscreen.  It all just sounds so predictable.  (Maybe they'll even recycle that line from Castle pilot where Castle yawns on about fans' predictability before Beckett shows up. ;))  I am going to guess they are going to go full on with the sexual tension in the first ep then pull back on it and drag it out for seasons if they last that long.   Same old tricks, you know. ;)  I am also going to guess the male lead will get barechested in the pilot.  Does that qualify as soapy?

Between all these light hearted crime procedurals, (and I think there's another one with Tony Danaz/Josh Groban (huh?) playing father/son cop duo as well, which could be fun or a complete disaster),  I don't know if they're en vogue again or never went out of fashion.

 

7 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Evidently MilMar aren't creatives either. They just keep recycling the same idea. I remember when the idea for this show first came out and it seemed like a copy of Castle. But these two always seemed a bit lazy when it came to writing, so I guess they are going with what they know works? Or maybe they feel like their true vision for Castle never got realized because of actors or network interference or whatever. So they want to try again to make what they consider a better version.

I wasn't going to watch another MilMar show, but Rachel Bilson is very charming, I can see her doing well in this kind of thing. I don't know the guy they cast though.

I would be embarrassed to pitch the exact same copy of a [project] that I did to my boss, with minor adjustments.  Or maybe TV execs just laugh all together as they figure out how to alternate the formula just slightly to create another hit and millions for themselves.   And they took 2 years (or more?) to create/sell this copy of a show?  Why didn't ABC bite before?  I seem to remember Milmar's other development ideas while they were still with ABC were all versions of Castle or Derek Storm.   But none of those landed with ABC at that time.  I think Milmar definitely got lazy with the writing as Castle went on.  The drying of their creative juices showed. 

I wasn't inclined to watch another Milmar show either for any protracted period, but I feel like we almost should watch just to have a drinking game to see how much they recycle from Castle! 

[gaucho91]

On 7/23/2017 at 10:24 PM, WendyCR72 said:

Good news: Castle seems to be returning to TNT's schedule.

Bad news: It is airing from 2:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. on Friday morning (as of 08/04/2017) and 3:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. on Saturday morning (as of 08/05/2017). Unsure if it is just spackle or if this a more permanent thing. Future listings will tell the tale.

The episodes are available on the TNT app  as well.  I watch on my Roku.

[TWP]

6 hours ago, madmaverick said:

I felt like I was watching an outtake from Rysposito's music act in the ShayJean (really?) music video. Complete with Ryan's green juice from that episode where he was getting the cleanse, heh.  It was all way too meta. 

I find the Take Two (I suppose Milmar think they are being clever with that title, but beware of the retread headlines. ;)) premise to be weaker than the casting, which I'm meh on anyway, but you can never tell until you see them onscreen.  It all just sounds so predictable.  (Maybe they'll even recycle that line from Castle pilot where Castle yawns on about fans' predictability before Beckett shows up. ;))  I am going to guess they are going to go full on with the sexual tension in the first ep then pull back on it and drag it out for seasons if they last that long.   Same old tricks, you know. ;)  I am also going to guess the male lead will get barechested in the pilot.  Does that qualify as soapy?

Between all these light hearted crime procedurals, (and I think there's another one with Tony Danaz/Josh Groban (huh?) playing father/son cop duo as well, which could be fun or a complete disaster),  I don't know if they're en vogue again or never went out of fashion.

 

ShayJean (really! so clever, ha-ha, just kidding) is the Castle spinoff from hell but that is by design, I think.  These guys have a great sense of humor.  I will love them eternally.

We'll all need to DVR Take Two's first episode so we can simultaneous PTV it  and drink together.  Luckily, no matter where we are it will be 5:00pm somewhere among us!

Do we want a betting pool too? ;-).  one bet for when each Castle parallel appears?

I am hoping a little that the two leads won't be love interests.  It makes the fandom too passionate.  Of course, my hopes will be shattered on the first day.

 

Quote

 

I would be embarrassed to pitch the exact same copy of a [project] that I did to my boss, with minor adjustments.  Or maybe TV execs just laugh all together as they figure out how to alternate the formula just slightly to create another hit and millions for themselves.   And they took 2 years (or more?) to create/sell this copy of a show?  Why didn't ABC bite before?  I seem to remember Milmar's other development ideas while they were still with ABC were all versions of Castle or Derek Storm.   But none of those landed with ABC at that time.  I think Milmar definitely got lazy with the writing as Castle went on.  The drying of their creative juices showed. 

I wasn't inclined to watch another Milmar show either for any protracted period, but I feel like we almost should watch just to have a drinking game to see how much they recycle from Castle! 

Their boardroom strategy is probably some semblance of "how can we recycle the same goods for the cheapest price possible and still fool the minions" and of course it's all richly laced with uproarious laughter at what fools we are.   Their strategy has paid dividends for years,  Who know?  They may even have drinking games around when they'll really piss off the power fans!.  As you can tell, I don't take TV "creative processes" seriously. 

`Speaking of processes, maybe if we're lucky, their new and less jaded fans will be subjected to a version of "respect the process," to which I will say "drink!".

But honestly, I think MilMar got lucky last time.  I'll be surprised if this new series survives long enough to relive the more nightmarish qualities of Castle showrunner-fandom interactions.  I hope I'm wrong.

[TWP]

13 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

I don't think a forum has even been requested as of yet. If anyone wants to, this is the forum to do so. (You must have three thread titles, at minimum.)

Someone put in the request.  I requested that maybe you'd be moderator :-).  

[madmaverick]

3 hours ago, TWP said:

I am hoping a little that the two leads won't be love interests.  It makes the fandom too passionate.  Of course, my hopes will be shattered on the first day.

Ha. I doubt Milmar would know what to do with their show if they didn't have the WT/WT to string fans along.  Dazzle audiences with more linchpin save the world conspiracies? ;)

I really hope they don't give either character a tragic past complete with dead spouse/parent.  That Canadian show Private Eyes ripped off Castle so much,  maybe now Take Two (I keep wanting to type Castle 2.0) will rip off that P.I. show.

 

3 hours ago, TWP said:

Their boardroom strategy is probably some semblance of "how can we recycle the same goods for the cheapest price possible and still fool the minions" and of course it's all richly laced with uproarious laughter at what fools we are.   Their strategy has paid dividends for years,  Who know?  They may even have drinking games around when they'll really piss off the power fans!.  As you can tell, I don't take TV "creative processes" seriously. 

With so many reboots happening these days, we can only wonder if those creatives have run out of new ideas.  The networks seem to be turning more to the same old same old, but it's nice to see some more distinctive and different voices popping up on cable/streaming in shows especially that are not crime dramas/procedurals but more slice of life shows about the human condition.

3 hours ago, TWP said:

But honestly, I think MilMar got lucky last time.  I'll be surprised if this new series survives long enough to relive the more nightmarish qualities of Castle showrunner-fandom interactions.  I hope I'm wrong.

How soon before they get annoyed by passionate Castle fans following them to Take Two telling them, hey didn't you do this line or this case on Castle already?  Retreads invite comparisons as well as possibly a built in audience.  It's a double edged sword.

I laughed at the Variety announcement for Take Two which came right out and said it was essentially a gender swapped version of Castle.  Might as well not be subtle about it; maybe Milmar are embracing the Castle 2.0 branding.  It was a success for them, so why not?  Is the Bones creator also doing Bones 2.0?  

Milmar can invite Stana who's always been their pet to guest on Take Two during sweeps.  She'll play a Jordan Shaw-esque character this time, a NYPD cop who isn't pleased with 2 P.I.'s messing with her case.  Bring on the meta again.

[madmaverick]

Interview with Tom Straw, the real author of the Richard Castle books.  I think he's been outed for a while but this is the first I've read of him discussing writing the RC books.  Does retiring his nom de plume mean there won't be any more RC books?  I haven't read the last one yet, so don't know if it has a definitive ending for Heat and Rook.  I've felt the books got better as they went on and that Straw often paid more attention to characterization, continuity and tiny details on the show that were reflected in the novels.

Quote

To wit: the TV show was loaded for seasons with “will-they-won’t-they?” I had my characters, Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook, sleep together in the first novel. And Andrew championed that because after “will they-won’t they?” comes “now what?” In book length, I was able to explore those juicy complications that arise when romantic partners find themselves in professional conflict.

Ha, Marlowe championed that because he wasn't very good at writing the "now what" himself despite all the times he said there was plenty of story to tell after getting a couple together.  The post WT/WT stories he told about Caskett, the weird angsty arcs, sure weren't too satisfactory to me, and he failed to explore much interesting relationship conflict, that wasn't inorganic angsty melodrama at season's end.  And he skipped over the whole journey of discovery of each others as a couple that I would have loved to see for Caskett.

 

Quote

 

Writing Buzz Killer under my own name did free me from servicing source material, but I was surprised at how I ended up approaching the story and characters in much the same way as my Richard Castle books. Ultimately, I suppose it’s about serving the readers, not a show.

 

It will be interesting to see how his new novel resembles his RC books.  Just as how Milmar's new show resembles their old show.   Is it very hard to write something fresh and original these days?  Even if it's not fresh and original, there still has to be something there to draw people in.   Some do crave the familiar.

[WendyCR72]

7 hours ago, TWP said:

Someone put in the request.  I requested that maybe you'd be moderator :-).  

Ah, but as the board leader has said, not how it works.  But I'm flattered. That said, the other mods are all awesome, so there won't be any issues, anyway. Just basic respect and all will work out as it should.

[TWP]

3 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Ah, but as the board leader has said, not how it works.  But I'm flattered. That said, the other mods are all awesome, so there won't be any issues, anyway. Just basic respect and all will work out as it should.

I had no idea who that was.  Yes, with only a few exceptions, they are.

[tvlover29]

On 11/16/2017 at 3:42 PM, TWP said:

The new breakout of Katic, Fillion and Marlowe projects reads like a divorce settlement :-).   Or a bomb was planted under Castle 1.0 and the three projects are the fallout.  Add Jon and Seamus' music video as the extraneous pieces, ha.

I think the Take Two casting is somewhat weak, honestly.  I'm hoping this doesn't mean it will be extremely soapy. 

I WILL watch the ABC shows, at least for a couple of episodes.  I wonder if they'll be on the same night, ha-ha.  Call it "Castle 2.0 Monday".

Stana's show unfortunately doesn't interest me.  From what I've heard, it's extremely dark.   If I want dark, I can watch the news.  Amazon Prime is probably the best place for it, since it reallly was intended for streaming.

The French Detective looks interesting.

Ha! Too true.

Take Two is a total reboot and if you wonder why network tv is dying vs. the streaming services? Well, this may be an example. No creativity. And i'm all for light-hearted, but this is too copy-cat, and I can't stand Eddie Cibrian, so I won't check it out.

I thought Nathan would challenge himself with something different, but clearly he wanted a genre he was familiar with and wanted to work with someone he was familiar with. I would have watched if Hawley weren't writing, but I don't like his writing. He ruined The Following for me, and don't get me started on Season 8. If only a different writer were writing this, it could have decent, fun potential. But I can't wait to see which supporting females are cast! LOL

I've seen Absentia and it is not at all Castle and she is not at all Beckett IMHO, so ironically it's the furthest departure of them all. But as someone above said, it is extremely dark, so although i'm happy that Amazon picked it up here, I think it will have very limited appeal due to the subject matter and very dark tone. Which is too bad because she is VERY good in it; much better than I thought she would be. So it will go a Season 2 and be done, I think, unless they really lighten it up and add some different supporting cast.

All around, though, it's good to see the main Castle team back in action! 

[TWP]

41 minutes ago, tvlover29 said:

Ha! Too true.

Take Two is a total reboot and if you wonder why network tv is dying vs. the streaming services? Well, this may be an example. No creativity. And i'm all for light-hearted, but this is too copy-cat, and I can't stand Eddie Cibrian, so I won't check it out.

I thought Nathan would challenge himself with something different, but clearly he wanted a genre he was familiar with and wanted to work with someone he was familiar with. I would have watched if Hawley weren't writing, but I don't like his writing. He ruined The Following for me, and don't get me started on Season 8. If only a different writer were writing this, it could have decent, fun potential. But I can't wait to see which supporting females are cast! LOL

I've seen Absentia and it is not at all Castle and she is not at all Beckett IMHO, so ironically it's the furthest departure of them all. But as someone above said, it is extremely dark, so although i'm happy that Amazon picked it up here, I think it will have very limited appeal due to the subject matter and very dark tone. Which is too bad because she is VERY good in it; much better than I thought she would be. So it will go a Season 2 and be done, I think, unless they really lighten it up and add some different supporting cast.

All around, though, it's good to see the main Castle team back in action! 

I think Nathan took a look at the landscape and at his aging face and thought, "I'm going for the money push".  I think he realizes that his future after The Rookie will be in keeping memories of Firefly (which is still doing amazingly well) alive.  

I do think you can still find creative broadcast and cable TV.  I think that broadcast TV is going downhill in viewership because of peak TV, too much dilution of choices, not because it's less creative than streaming.  Some of the choices on streaming are great, while others are at least as awful, if not even moreso than broadcast and cable TV.  I can barely get through an episode of some of the streaming shows, just like on broadcast TV!

I wonder what non-Castle fans would think of Stana's performance on Absentia.  I'm sure she's good, but there's something about familiarity that sometimes projects qualities outsiders might not see.

[TWP]

I was reading old Castle reviews on IMDB and someone suggested that Castle was part of ABC's "green" movement, because they were **recycling** old plots, ala Moonlighting, etc.  

I chuckled.

So what would we call Take Two as a redo of Castle?  Green extreme?  Tesla for TV?  Suggestions?.

[WendyCR72]

Well, that would be a looooooong list, wouldn't it? I know the direct comparisons for Take Two, Castle, and even The Rookie may be obvious since they all have PTB from Castle. But then, Castle was a copy of Bones which copied Moonlighting, which copied Scarecrow and Mrs. King, which copied Remington Steele - all the WT/WT shows of the day! (Hence not including Hart To Hart or the even-older MacMillan and Wife as the latter two were already together/married.)

Originality is as rare as a diamond!

[CheshireCat]

1 hour ago, WendyCR72 said:

Well, that would be a looooooong list, wouldn't it? I know the direct comparisons for Take Two, Castle, and even The Rookie may be obvious since they all have PTB from Castle. But then, Castle was a copy of Bones which copied Moonlighting, which copied Scarecrow and Mrs. King, which copied Remington Steele - all the WT/WT shows of the day! (Hence not including Hart To Hart or the even-older MacMillan and Wife as the latter two were already together/married.)

Originality is as rare as a diamond!

I don't remember exactly how it went but I read an article a while ago about the inability to be original these days because everything has been done in one way or another. I guess, you can only put your personal twist on things.

If you ask me, I'd never consider Castle a copy of Bones, for example. Yes, there are similar elements but the characters and their backgrounds and their relationships are entirely different which, in turn, makes the dynamic different. There are also Martha and Alexis who gave Castle a family touch from the get-go.

Take Two and Castle do sound very similar though. Even the female lead looks a lot like Beckett. But since Stana Katic could have played a model/slash movie star instead of a cop and they are now needing a movie star/model for the role, it is not that surprising. Still, they probably could have found a different type of actress. Anyway, I'll probably still check it out. It sounds like fun and light-hearted TV and along with well-written/compelling characters, that's what I'm usually looking for in a TV show. And if the characters are as well-rounded as the Castle characters were, I don't think I'll be disappointed.

As for The Rookie, the jury's still out.

[TWP]

6 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Well, that would be a looooooong list, wouldn't it? I know the direct comparisons for Take Two, Castle, and even The Rookie may be obvious since they all have PTB from Castle. But then, Castle was a copy of Bones which copied Moonlighting, which copied Scarecrow and Mrs. King, which copied Remington Steele - all the WT/WT shows of the day! (Hence not including Hart To Hart or the even-older MacMillan and Wife as the latter two were already together/married.)

Originality is as rare as a diamond!

Oh I know.  TV his highly derivative and so the criticism that one show is copying another is comical....although actually, one showrunner copying his own concept and even calling it "Take Two" might be a new scenario for the books. I loved all of those shows., BTW.  They prove for me, at least, that the formula for good TV is more about the casting than the plot.

I was just laughing about a viewer/reviewer calling the recycling of plots, TV's "green" strategy.  I love dry humor.

Edited November 20, 2017 by TWP

[WendyCR72]

As some here have asked about it, the forum for Take Two is now up.

[WendyCR72]

Stana Katic finally breaks her silence (but says nothing truly specific) about her firing from Castle. A.K.A. TV Line needs more clickbait.