Spoilers, Speculation & All Things Media!

[Nadine]

I don't know if anyone who wrote for The Following is someone that would be good for Castle. That show started out great, but then got pretty awful.

 

To be fair I don't watch The Following, but when I made the comment it was after seeing that some of the female writers who were there in the final season had worked on other procedurals, hence the possibility of them being able to fit into the Castle premise.

[McManda]

Wasn't there a rumor that Jon and Nathan did something for upfronts? Did we find out what it was and I missed it?

[verdana]

Yeah I remember there was something mentioned about Jon and Nathan but I haven't seen anything further on either tumblr or twitter where I'd expect to see it. 

[turnitwayup]

The only things I've seen from the upfronts is abc characters in Annalise's class and actors dancing to Montell Jordan.

[KaveDweller]

To be fair I don't watch The Following, but when I made the comment it was after seeing that some of the female writers who were there in the final season had worked on other procedurals, hence the possibility of them being able to fit into the Castle premise.

 

They might be able to fit in well.  I think it can be hard to judge a TV writer based only on what they've done in one show.  Most of them won't really have control over the general storyline, they are forced to follow the premise of the show and what the showrunner/network has mapped out.  You need to see what a writer does over time to really judge.

 

I was just getting in an insult about the Following because it was so easy to do.

[Julia]

And yet the writers' contracts are very specific about who gets credit. It seem as if the only place you hear that they're getting credit they don't deserve is from producers and showrunners.

[S55]

I remember TPW saying that WGA article on the Castle writers how he had an idea for a very dark Castle episode in the beginning but it was (understandably) not pursued. Now with him as a co-showrunner, I wonder if his initial darker instincts will find their way into a season 8. At least maybe in the kind of cases-of-the-week they write. 

[KaveDweller]

I remember TPW saying that WGA article on the Castle writers how he had an idea for a very dark Castle episode in the beginning but it was (understandably) not pursued. Now with him as a co-showrunner, I wonder if his initial darker instincts will find their way into a season 8. At least maybe in the kind of cases-of-the-week they write. 

 

I remember hearing that too, but I think it was the network that put a stop to the darker storyline and not Marlowe.  So that shouldn't change.

 

I do think that if a writer has many good episodes credited to them it is a sign they have talent.  Which is definitely true about TPW, at least for me, so that's a good sign.

[KaveDweller]

I never said they didn't have talent.

 

Obviously they have talent, which is subjective anyway but if they didn't have any they wouldn't be in a writer's room. 

 

I know you weren't saying that, I was agreeing with you.  I just meant that even though it is hard to tell how good a writer is based on one episode, if you look at a body of work you can get a better judgement.

 

But there are some people in this world who have no talent and somehow achieve success, so I am sure there are some TV writers who fall into that category.  I don't know what these people have to make up for no talent, but I really wish I did.

[verdana]

The cast of Castle featured in the ABC upfronts 2012 promo:

 

Never seen this before. 

Steph Hicks ‏@Sticks919  8 hrs8 hours ago

What have they done to the Writer's Room!?!? Fun times getting ready for #Castle Season 8

https://twitter.com/Sticks919/status/600553439425269760

 

Edited May 19, 2015 by verdana

[verdana]

I remember TPW saying that WGA article on the Castle writers how he had an idea for a very dark Castle episode in the beginning but it was (understandably) not pursued. Now with him as a co-showrunner, I wonder if his initial darker instincts will find their way into a season 8. At least maybe in the kind of cases-of-the-week they write.

 

I'd like to see something more grown up and "adult" in tone sometimes not sure that I need it to be a lot darker as Castle isn't that kind of show but may be the new mix of showrunners can make it work, I certainly hope so. I'd rather have them be serious than encourage even more slapstick and immaturity that much I do know. 

 

Here's what TPW said in that article:

 

Terence Paul WInter has been with the series from the beginning. He has the distinction of being the first writer with an episode thrown out by ABC - the correct decision he thinks now, because it was too dark. "It sort of became Castle: Special Victims Unit," he says. Transitioning from the Will Smith, Betsy Borns and Jada Pinkett Smith sitcom All of Us, he was astonished when Marlowe invited him back for the second season despite that failure on the first. But Winter believe's that's when the show began to find its comfortable balance between darkness and frothy comedy.

 

Edited May 19, 2015 by verdana

[madmaverick]

The cast of Castle featured in the ABC upfronts 2012 promo:

 

What a.... cheesy promo.  I would not be investing any advertising dollars based on that!  Hope they did better this year, if Castle was even featured at all.  But it would take a lot to beat that sizzling Advice from Castle promo.

 

If they've got enough budget to renovate the writers' room, there should be enough budget for a new photoshoot. ;)

 

I don't mind adult (definitely preferred to juvenile) as long as it's intelligent adult, be it comedy or drama.  I don't mind dark stuff as that is the stuff of homicides and even the 'lightest' of murder mysteries, as long as it's written well and not melodramatic crap.  I enjoy well written, darker murder mystery shows with.an edgier sense of black humour.  I feel they rarely delve much into the psyches of the murderers anymore, or even those affected by the crimes and that's why the interrogations feel so very bland most episodes.  And when their idea of a mystery = multiple interrogations, well, that's not very interesting for a TV show, is it? Poirot and Sherlock did not endure for many books on that format. ;)

 

I definitely hope TPW tries out some new things and isn't limited by Marlowe's vision, and jettisons bits of his template that have gotten incredibly tired or never worked well in the first place.

[S55]

As long as the new guys in charge steer clear from the wacky themed episodes (which I seem to remember saying last year when it was announced Amann was taking over, so...), I'll keep an open mind on anything else. I'd like to think Alexi might bring some of the darker take to the cases considering the show he just came from running. 

[verdana]

But it would take a lot to beat that sizzling Advice from Castle promo.

Aaaah that advice promo..."it's hot in here" oh yeah I'm with you on that Nathan. Pity that was the best of it, Castle and Beckett on screen has never lived up to that promise heat wise, no surprise though as it was produced by someone other than Marlowe. But dear God what a waste of such chemistry and heat! 

 

I definitely hope TPW tries out some new things and isn't limited by Marlowe's vision, and jettisons bits of his template that have gotten incredibly tired or never worked well in the first place.

 

Yeah absolutely, I know it can be tough, Marlowe was there for seven years, he's the creator, many of the writers owe much to him so they're going to want to be respectful but I hope for the long term good of the show whilst paying due respect to his ultimate vision (that we don't go all Grey's Anatomy heh) they manage to move away from some of the increasingly tired and predictable things Marlowe seemed to enjoy for "fun" which soon lost their charm (if they ever had any in the first place). 

Edited May 19, 2015 by verdana

[AntiBeeSpray]

Aaaah that advice promo..."it's hot in here" oh yeah I'm with you on that Nathan. Pity that was the best of it, Castle and Beckett on screen has never lived up to that promise heat wise, no surprise though as it was produced by someone other than Marlowe. But dear God what a waste of such chemistry and heat! 

 

Yeah absolutely, I know it can be tough, Marlowe was there for seven years, he's the creator, many of the writers owe much to him so they're going to want to be respectful but I hope for the long term good of the show whilst paying due respect to his ultimate vision (that we don't go all Grey's Anatomy heh) they manage to move away from some of the increasingly tired and predictable things Marlowe seemed to enjoy for "fun" which soon lost their charm (if they ever had any in the first place). 

 

Dang. That's a really shame :(.

 

I saw an out take for 'Always' that was really good too.  All I can say is... wow.

[verdana]

Well, according to Ausiello it's going to be a full order and no missed episodes for Katic which some had rumored might happen. 

 

♦ Stana Katic’s new one-year Castle deal has her appearing in all of Season 8’s 22 or 23 episodes. In case you were wondering.

 

Edited May 20, 2015 by verdana

[McManda]

What a.... cheesy promo.  I would not be investing any advertising dollars based on that!  Hope they did better this year, if Castle was even featured at all.  But it would take a lot to beat that sizzling Advice from Castle promo.

 

Well, those were all returning ABC shows, so it wasn't so much a promo to get ad money as it was more of a "don't forget about us!!" promo. They weren't really selling anything except a reminder that these shows still exist. I kinda liked that it was a (weird) cohesive way to sting together all the shows that they already had in their lineup.

[turnitwayup]

Never seen this before.

 

LOL. At least this yr's intro vid for ABC with various characters in Annalise's class is entertaining. My fav promos are still 15 yrs ago WB's with Crawl ('99) and Oh What A Night ('00).

[verdana]

Nominate the year's best (and worst) TV in EW's Season Finale Awards at EW.

 

It will be interesting to see if Castle gets featured and fares better than it did last season when all the various sites were giving out their end of season awards. 

Alex Gross gives some insight on how he created his painting of Stana Katic on his facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/397377712784/photos/a.10150090446622785.257198.397377712784/10153863905607785/?type=1&source=48&_rdr

[tljgator]

FYI: For those who participate in the ABC Studios panel, the Castle season survey (what did you think of this season, what do you want for next season) is up as of last night. Much like last year's very telling questions about what we thought of Castle's "new mythology" arc and when/whether we needed to see his kidnapping resolved, this year's features a prominent question about how interested we are in Beckett running for state senator and why we do or don't want to see it. (Also, the characters selected out for specific questioning this time were Martha, Lanie, Ryan, and Alexis -- make of that what you will.)

[madmaverick]

Thanks for the heads up, tljgator.  I wonder what the sample size is for these kinds of surveys.  I imagine that most respondents would have said last year that they hoped answers to Castle's kidnapping would be given asap, and yet it still turned out we didn't get any real resolution till very late into the season (probably because they hadn't thought of any!).  I hope a lid will be put onto the state senator storyline in 801 and it won't be stretched out for angst and require resolution at a later date.

 

Castle gets a mention in the Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/may/20/castle-and-the-strange-case-of-the-will-they-wont-they-detective-duos

 

The wry, fun and endearingly tongue-in-cheek American drama Castle

 

 

Yes, those are qualities I like to see on Castle.

 

And seeing partners such as Castle and Beckett getting together romantically after years of yearning glances and miscommunication is as much part of that tradition; with fans often divided over whether an eventual, loving union is a reward for all that emotional investment, or simply the moment a programme finally vaults the barracuda, so to speak.

 

 

"Vaults the barracuda", heh.  I like that one.

 

It occurred to me a few years back – in the midst of boxsetting (surely that’s a verb by now?) whatever the current seasons were of Castle, The Mentalist, Elementary and Lie To Me – that I was essentially watching the same show in quadruplicate. The wayward and gifted amateur man-sleuth, paired with the scolding, meticulous killjoyess.

Aptly described, heh.  Although that killjoy dynamic tends to die off as the partnership evolves into friendlier pastures, which is good, but at the same time, you lose a certain edge to the interaction.  And even within Castle, there are many episodes where I feel I'm watching the same show... not necessarily in a good way.

 

Castle explores the “amateur with cop” routine in some inventive ways – using crime fiction as much as cop shows as inspiration in solving cases

 

 

I would definitely like to see them use more crime fiction as inspiration in solving cases.  That could be what distinguishes it more from other crime shows by harking back to Castle's expertise and experience as a crime writer.  That could also be a way to make his character more interesting rather than resorting to wildly conceived mythologies.  I would prefer to see homages to crime fiction in the COTWs rather than any wacky, themed murders any day.  My recollections of Murder, She Wrote are very fuzzy but did Jessica Fletcher also call on her knowledge of crime fiction to solve murders?

 

The exception for this haul of TV swag is Elementary, which, despite the fears of many a Holmesian that the leading pair would end up more like Hart to Hart, has bucked notions of romance and created something that reflects what a real, meaningful and longstanding platonic friendship between a man and woman can be like: sometimes petty, sometimes profound, and often just mutually practical and enriching.

 

 

I have enjoyed Elementary and where I think it does better than Castle is that it has created deeper, more complicated and adult relationships between the characters, and not just the central duo.  The writer has described the relationship between Holmes & Watson on that show well; it is one with many facets and filled with intelligent interaction.  The kind of intelligent dialogue that I would like to see more of on Castle.  The writers there haven't had the crutch of UST and WT/WT to play with to drive the relationship so it's commendable how they've written a real and strong, if not always easy, platonic friendship between a man and a woman instead, which you don't see too many of on TV.

 

I think it could have been interesting if they had made Ryan or Esposito gay.  A gay detective storyline could have been more compelling than what either have ended up with. 

[madmaverick]

Excerpt from Driving Heat:

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/20/richard-castle-driving-heat-excerpt

 

I think the books have improved since the beginning.  The Castle writers could take a leaf out of how the Heat/Rook relationship is written in the books.  They're more passionate for sure.

 

First interview with AH on Castle?  Although it hardly qualifies as such as there's no information to give.  No mention of organic or mythology at least, thankfully. Feel free to not click on the clickbait. ;)

http://tvline.com/2015/05/20/castle-season-8-spoilers-beckett-stana-katic-contract/#more-614518

 

“At this point, we haven’t even sat down and talked about it yet,” he said. “Fundamentally, Beckett and Castle’s relationship has room to have movement in it. So for me — and I can’t speak for Terence — we’re just excited to go in there and see what the future holds

 

 

Movement to... ?  I just hope it's not babies, not just yet.

[verdana]

I read the excerpt from Driving Heat, yeah they have got better with each new outing. I love the genuine sense of fun and passion in their relationship and the fact they talk to each other properly like grown ups, I wish they would replicate that on the show. 

 

Thanks for the Amann interview madmaverick, I wasn't expecting to find out much at this early stage. I can't help smiling at Stana's statement she issued on signing up for a new season - being excited about the "future plans" for Beckett - since it seems obvious the writers have no fixed ideas as yet where they're going at least not by the sounds of that interview. Money talks. 

 

Had to chuckle at his comment that Castle without Stana "would’ve been a fundamentally different show" yeah I know and one that I wouldn't have been watching and quite a few other fans would have probably decided to give that version a miss I suspect. No wonder Hawley is breathing a huge sigh of relief although I would have loved to have known what was their plan B? 

 

Good to see no mention of a mythology looming although I see AH is quoting the old Marlowe chestnut about "a lot of great stories to be told", I do agree with him on that and hope that instead of talking about it constantly as his predecessor used to do he puts them on screen where they belong.  

 

I just hope it's not babies, not just yet.

 

With you all the way on that topic. 

 

 

 

laurie zaks ‏@lzakshorn  14 hrs14 hours ago
Great evening with the x #Castle writers celebrating the return of @AlexiHawley w/ @OldManWinter14! Season 8 will rock !

 

Edited May 20, 2015 by verdana

[McManda]

Alex Gross gives some insight on how he created his painting of Stana Katic on his facebook page:

https://www.facebook...&source=48&_rdr

 

That ... is a very weird painting that I don't know that I understand. Why is she sitting in a sea of Stanas? With ravens? (disclaimer: I'm not really an arty person. I like landscapes.) I do envy people that can draw, though.

 

And ... I'll head over to the ABC Studios panel. Castle is really the only thing I do over there anymore. I like to pretend it makes a difference.

[verdana]

Castle gets a mention in the Guardian: http://www.theguardi...-detective-duos

 

Castle in the Daily Mail a while ago and now the Guardian, that's certainly going from one extreme to another heh. Thanks madmaverick I forget that S7 is finally making it's way on to UK TV screens. 

 

I think it could have been interesting if they had made Ryan or Esposito gay.  A gay detective storyline could have been more compelling than what either have ended up with.

 

My pick would have been Esposito, I could have been spared Esplanie and it would have also put paid to any suggestions he once hooked up with Beckett. 

[McManda]

FYI: For those who participate in the ABC Studios panel, the Castle season survey (what did you think of this season, what do you want for next season) is up as of last night. Much like last year's very telling questions about what we thought of Castle's "new mythology" arc and when/whether we needed to see his kidnapping resolved, this year's features a prominent question about how interested we are in Beckett running for state senator and why we do or don't want to see it. (Also, the characters selected out for specific questioning this time were Martha, Lanie, Ryan, and Alexis -- make of that what you will.)

 

I took my time to answer, hopefully someone reads my answers!

 

The characters they questioned me on were Lanie, Alexis, Martha, and Beckett, so it looks like they might just be random?

 

They also asked how I rated some cases and character relationships ... pretty standard, I think ... and then they asked for my favorite episode. I picked Hollander's Woods because I thought it was the least gimmicky of the season and I appreciated that it was less case focused (as in, not an endless parade of interrogations) and it had personal stakes without being omg! life or death. There are others I could have picked (I liked how they dealt with 3XK [maybe minus Beckett's kidnapping and almost-murder] and the PI arc was interesting), but I thought overall Hollander's Woods was a better representation of where I'd like to show head in tone.

 

They're also fishing for feelings on Beckett as a senator, so I pretty firmly told them that I'd be less than interested and tried to back it up with in-show examples of how Beckett could be a politician (she's smart, capable, and driven) but that she shouldn't (basically she's disposed to be anti-politician and I don't see Beckett on a one-woman crusade to fix Washington (or even New York state) as a compelling story). I strongly suggested they go the NYPD promotion route.

[KaveDweller]

They're also fishing for feelings on Beckett as a senator, so I pretty firmly told them that I'd be less than interested and tried to back it up with in-show examples of how Beckett could be a politician (she's smart, capable, and driven) but that she shouldn't (basically she's disposed to be anti-politician and I don't see Beckett on a one-woman crusade to fix Washington (or even New York state) as a compelling story). I strongly suggested they go the NYPD promotion route.

 

Thanks for doing that, you said all things I agree with.  I hope they listen.  I have been thinking about how they must have had some intention of her actually doing the politician thing, or at least have her run, because otherwise what was the point? But with the network input and a new show runner it's not a guarantee.  They need to have something come from it, so I hope it is about her role in the NYPD.

 

I know this has been mentioned before, but how do you get on the panel to do this?

[femmefan1946]

Castle in the Daily Mail a while ago and now the Guardian, that's certainly going from one extreme to another heh. Thanks madmaverick I forget that S7 is finally making it's way on to UK TV screens. 

-----------

My pick would have been Esposito, I could have been spared Esplanie and it would have also put paid to any suggestions he once hooked up with Beckett. 

 

There's still time. And it would be nice to see a gay man who is macho rather than the effeminate stereotype we usually see.

FWIW, my gay friends run the whole spectrum from hockey fanatics (and all that that entails in a Canadian man) to tapettes,  from electricians to politicians --  with some overlap in the categories.

[McManda]

I know this has been mentioned before, but how do you get on the panel to do this?

 

I can't remember if I was invited by a current member (I can't find an invite button) or if they had an open sign-up, but on their log-in page they say to email moderator@abcstudios.brand-advisor.com for information on how to sign up. If you need a reference you can use me. :)

[verdana]

Thanks McManda, lets hope they listen and steer Beckett away from the political arena and the less gimmicky cases.

[tljgator]

 

They're also fishing for feelings on Beckett as a senator, so I pretty firmly told them that I'd be less than interested and tried to back it up with in-show examples of how Beckett could be a politician (she's smart, capable, and driven) but that she shouldn't (basically she's disposed to be anti-politician and I don't see Beckett on a one-woman crusade to fix Washington (or even New York state) as a compelling story). I strongly suggested they go the NYPD promotion route.

McManda, I basically said the same thing -- explained why the politics angle has never made sense to me, character-wise, for Beckett and said I'd prefer the promotion route. I also had the questions about various relationships (some of which I think were new evaluations that I don't recall from prior seasons) and rating about a dozen of the episodes and then my favorite. I was also very clear in the question about what "worlds" I'd like to see explored as themes that I don't need to see special "themed" shows (just for the sake of sets and costumes) so much as I need to see interesting, thoughtful cases/characters that allow for character and relationship exploration/growth among the core characters, etc. as it was in seasons 1-3. That question bugged me last year and it bugged me again this year, lol.

 

KaveDweller, you're also welcome to list me if needed (same log-in name over there). I believe in the past, they've also sent an email asking if we know others who would like to participate -- if they do that again, I'm glad to post here and gather up emails of those who'd like to join and send them in. I only fill out surveys for the handful of shows I watch that they produce and I don't participate in their message boards, so it's not overly taxing to have your say. FWIW, I do have some friends who are ABC Studios adjacent and I can say that at least the aggregated data are shared with shows (can't speak to the specific comments).

[Julia]

Thanks McManda, lets hope they listen and steer Beckett away from the political arena and the less gimmicky cases.

 

And the State Senate, of all places. As much as I'd love to see Beckett defeat fracking in the water table, I don't think anyone else would be interested.

[S55]

Taking that season seven survey was very cathartic. It'll be interesting to see how they use the responses moving forward into a new season. 

[verdana]

Fred ‏@FredBC77  22 hrs22 hours ago

1 of the most important things to fix in the S8...#Castle @castle_writers @RobHanning @OldManWinter14 @AlexiHawley ;)

https://twitter.com/FredBC77/status/601429398722600960

 

Thanks Fred, yeah quit those tiresome interruptions please, not necessarily the most important but it is something easily fixable which would be appreciated by many and show that Winter and Hawley are trying to set their own stamp on things. 

[verdana]

He just is. at Blindsided. 

 

May be it's the angle it's taken, may be because it's in b&w but lovely shot of Mr Fillion here, not sure when it was taken or where but very nice indeed. 

[S55]

He just is. at Blindsided. 

 

May be it's the angle it's taken, may be because it's in b&w but lovely shot of Mr Fillion here, not sure when it was taken or where but very nice indeed. 

 

That almost looks like a screencap from Anatomy of a Murder from season three based on what he's wearing. 

[verdana]

Q&A: Rising star Maya Stojan talks 'Castle,' 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,' Agent 33 at Niagara Frontier Publications.

 

I wouldn't say she's a "key figure" on Castle don't know about how much more expansive her SHIELD role is in comparison but it sounds reading this article she does a lot more. 

 

Maya Stojan: With Tory Ellis on "Castle," that was supposed to be a one-day guest star, and my name was supposed to be "Video Tech Expert," or something like that. First of all, I didn't picture myself doing that role, and sort of went into the audition thinking, "Yeah, that's definitely not going to be me." I'm so not a tech expert. I have trouble using my phone. Someone fixes my TV whenever it doesn't work. Things like that.

 

Somehow, they loved it, and I was definitely surprised when I got the phone call. I did that first episode and they kept wanting me back. And now it's 26 episodes into it, and it's just, I feel, sort of like a miracle.

 

 

I'm not sure what it was about her performance that had them wowed as I don't find her memorable at all when she's on screen but good luck to her she's on two shows and enjoying it. I chuckled that she's not that much of a tech expert in real life, yeah I can sympathise.

 

But then, just recently even, just the last four or five episodes, I really just settled in and kind of went, "Yeah, I'm just going to have fun now." I think maybe that'll show more.

 

Can't say I've noticed any difference in her performances in the latter half of the season, if she sticks with both shows I'll be interested if the new showrunners expand her role. 

Castle Promos ‏@CastlePromos 12 hrs12 hours ago
@ABC_Publicity I realize they're not back until July, but do you suppose you could schedule a Season 8 photo shoot for #Castle? Thank you!

 

Oh yes please! Since it may well be the last season that would be a nice start. 

[verdana]

Brian Biermann who handles the BTS tech side on Castle is off to pastures new. 

 

Biermann @biermann  ·  12 hrs 12 hours ago
2-  the result is that I will no longer be the IT person for #Castle. It looks like I'll just be here as a fan for season 8!

 

Victor Webster @webstervictor  ·  May 14
Victor Webster retweeted Isatic
#Castle looks so mad. I guess he got the last laugh

https://twitter.com/MarisabeL709/status/598872176209473536

 

[verdana]

Castle & best of promos - set of gifs.

 

I haven't seen the last one that is funny (looks like it came from Channel 7 Australia), I do remember seeing clips of Stana dancing in the background on some gifs before and now I found the very short video that comes from LOL. Best promo was the "advice" one leading into S5 but I also love S2, they both looked amazingly hot there too and Nathan looked mighty fine dressed up there.

Edited May 23, 2015 by verdana

[turnitwayup]

Maya was better on Shield. A captured Shield agent that's got brainwashed by Hydra/Whitehall. She got to do a fight scene with May and basically was Ward's damaged girlfriend that would do anything for him. In the finale,

May tricked both them so that she changed into May's face and Ward killed Kara thinking it was May. So I doubt she'll comeback unless in Ward's flashbacks. His storyline next season seems to be revenge and trying to be the new head of Hydra.

[Nadine]

Castle & best of promos - set of gifs.

 

I haven't seen the last one that is funny (looks like it came from Channel 7 Australia), I do remember seeing clips of Stana dancing in the background on some gifs before and now I found the very short video that comes from LOL. Best promo was the "advice" one leading into S5 but I also love S2, they both looked amazingly hot there too and Nathan looked mighty fine dressed up there.

 

Ah that's when 7 did awesome promos. They still do great sneak peeks for their shows, but stopped with those kind of promos (well on a regular basis) for the international shows.

[WendyCR72]

They don't care about any of that panel crap. It just saves them money from having to go out and do actual focus groups. It also makes fans believe the writer's care what they think. The show will do what it wants. If it happens to line up with what some people think then it's basically dumb luck or coincidence.

 

Pretty much, which I figured out from some other shows I used to watch. Eh, at least it's a way to have a say, even if no one cares.

[371012]

Thanks for the heads up on the Season 7 questionnaire, I did it last night and volunteered as many times as I could how bad politcs would be and how much I want them to try to have some continuity in terms of story and characterizations.  It said I would be asked about 4 characters but I ended up getting Martha, Lainie, Castle, Beckett, Ryan.  Said please figure out how to bring in more writers who can handle a story PLUS a B or even B AND C stories at the same time and suggested that being less formulaic in how many interrogations they do and WAIT even less exposition would provide the time to do that.  On the what do you dislike the most about X question for Lainie I said "lividity."

 

And I also said how much we all appreciate the opportunity to express an opinion...then I read comments from the folks whose names i recognized from a couple other boards; they all think the show is the best thing ever and NOTHING should be changed...reminding me why i like this board soooooo much better!!

[madmaverick]

Nathan gets a mention in this "Who'd they play best?" discussion.  It's a hard choice for me to pick between Mal and Castle.  Mal/Firefly never really had time to suck whereas it's hard to keep a character fresh into its 8th season.  Early season Castle was more interesting (same for all the characters) but he's still an endearing guy after all these years.

 

http://community.ew.com/2015/05/16/16-tv-actors-top-roles/?hootPostID=02220bcc0da605fed8b967997f04d99d

 

Will be interesting to see if any of the cast land more signature roles going forward post Castle.  

 

Susan Sullivan's Falcon Crest was before my time and I only very occasionally watched Dharma & Greg.  Between those roles and Castle, which role has she played best?  Same question for Penny Johnson Jerald.  Never watched The Larry Sanders show but between that show, 24's Sherry Palmer and Castle, which role has she played best?

 

On the what do you dislike the most about X question for Lainie I said "lividity."

 

 

Lol.  I think if they really gave a damn, they would have stopped recycling that line ages ago, but they haven't so... ;)

 

I'm not surprised if they don't pay any attention to these fan surveys, or what fans think in general, unless there's a huge backlash, like there was towards Pi or the aborted wedding.  I don't really expect them to do anything groundbreaking next season; just want to see them getting back to doing what Castle does best, and the heart of the show in its charming, witty, occasionally comedic character interactions and an engagingly written romance.

[S55]

For me, it's no question Penny Johnson Jerald's signature role is Sherry Palmer on 24. Especially in season one. When I had a chance to meet her, I told her as much. And that was a supporting role, though not in the same vein as Gates. She was definitely used more on 24, even past season one when her character's husband was running for president.

 

I am of the age of Falcon Crest, and it's hard to say I've enjoyed another role of Susan's more than that one. I also told her that her character's death scene is imprinted as an early TV show memory. But, to be fair, she was more of a lead on that show than on Castle. 

[verdana]

Can't say I'm surprised by Hal's comments on the panel surveys, the only time I thought TPTB paid the slightest bit of attention to what fans were clamouring for was over the Pi storyline and that was borne out later by comments from Marlowe and others but even then it took a while. I don't see that they did much to rectify the aborted wedding if they had really taken to heart fans upset over that fiasco they'd have done it sooner because dragging it out further with the "we have more stories to tell" excuse only made it worse. 

 

I am old enough to remember Susan in Falcon Crest and I loved her there she actually had something to do, I always think of that role first and foremost as for Nathan, Captain Mal was the best, he was so obviously enthused and about the role (understandably) and in love with the character and I don't get that vibe much on Castle any more (again understandably) but madmaverick is right the thing about Firefly is it didn't get a chance to suck so it avoided the problems of a long running show with cast and crew burn out, recycled story lines etc.

 

Early season Castle was more interesting (same for all the characters) but he's still an endearing guy after all these years.

 

Way more interesting as a character and sexier both in dress and attitude but yeah I agree he can still be endearing and that's solely because of Fillion's underlying charm and natural charisma that seeps through despite the best efforts of the writing team to negate that with too much buffoonery and at times slightly douchey behaviour.

Edited May 26, 2015 by verdana

[verdana]

Castle Season 7: Top Scenes, Worst Episodes & More! at TV Fanatic

[madmaverick]

Agree with much of that assessment, though perhaps I wouldn't say Reckoning was my favourite episode of the entire season even though it had a well written and touching closing scene (for once!)

 

To those who remember Susan from Falcon Crest, was she a bigger star then than Nathan and Stana are today?  I get the impression that Falcon Crest was a bigger show and cultural phenomenon of the day, akin to something like a Shonda Rhimes show, than something like Castle?

[verdana]

Reckoning was one of the better episodes of S7 but no way was it the best two parter of the entire series that's reserved for the season two outing.  As for Hong Kong Hustle whilst it was annoying in places there can only be one "winner" for worst episode of the season for me - Sleeper.  An awful conclusion to the laughable Castle "mythology" which had no redeeming features to it other than it tied up the story hopefully sufficiently that no one will touch it again with a ten foot barge pole.

 

To those who remember Susan from Falcon Crest, was she a bigger star then than Nathan and Stana are today?  I get the impression that Falcon Crest was a bigger show and cultural phenomenon of the day, akin to something like a Shonda Rhimes show, than something like Castle?

 

 

I can't talk about the US but living in the UK I used to love the American soap operas (Dynasty, Dallas, Falcon Crest, Knots Landing), Dallas and Dynasty were hugely popular at the time with all their glitz, glamour and crazy going's on and the main cast of those two became very well known less so their off shoots (or so it seemed to me).  Falcon Crest certainly wasn't a heavy hitter, I went on wiki and giggled to see it described as like "Dallas with grapes" heh. Susan was one of my favourite characters along with the guy that played her hubby and of course there was Jane Wyman as Angela Channing heh, that period was such a nostalgic time for me when I was a kid and Susan is always fixed in my mind as Maggie. At least Falcon Crest was aired on mainstream TV back in the day although it wasn't given a prime slot like Dallas or Dynasty so it never became a hit, meanwhile Castle is shuttled around on various Sky channels in relative obscurity lagging a season behind.

 

 

[S55]

Falcon Crest wasn't the cultural phenomenon like Dallas, but I'd still call it a pretty successful show for its time. Pairing it to air on the same night as Dallas helped it stay on-air I think. I always thought Susan's Maggie was one of the more prominent and popular characters too, like verdana said, along with her husband on the show. 

 

Looking back on it now, I can't pick a favorite or best episode from season seven. Some were better than others, but none were really spectacular or stood out to me. I don't think I had a favorite or best in season six either. Before season six, there had been at least ONE episode I can call a fave.