The premise of ABC's tv show Castle - intelligent yet winsome novelist turned NYPD homicide consultant to poker faced procedural hotty Kate Beckett - is laughable, but realism aside, this mystery crime series has just gotten better and better with age. While charges are partially true that the character of Beckett is an old routine, that Stanic plays her a little too stoic, that sometimes the romance falls short of drama, it is also true that the puppy dog and dominatrix relationship between our two leads works out just fine. Wisely, the writers have steered away from steamy narrative dissections between these two characters, and instead most of the sparks are funneled into the casual camaraderie of professionals on duty, may-hap with a little physical attraction but a lot of respect. Underlings, Esposito, the real man's cop, his goofy partner, Ryan, and spitfire medical examiner Parish, add to the dynamic of daily group banter.

Castle himself, gets the bulk of our attention, turning his relationships with supernaturally goody goody daughter and self absorbed actress mother into murder case resolving insights. Fillion, perfect in the role of charming rake, is a rarity, a handsome man with lots of personality, and the directors exploit his comic timing to fantastic effect in what is essentially a funny show about violent death. Accordingly, the writer know their strengths and give us fans a lot of service. For instance, Fillion's appearance in the space cowboy costume of one Malcolm Reynolds for the Halloween episode, and his steam-cyber arm on season 3, episode 4 "Punked" as in "steam-punked". In an installment where Castle conjectures that an antique bullet might in fact be evidence of a time travel murder, the writers have the victim driving a cosplay Delorean. Gotta love that attention to detail, the irreverent reverence to subcultural phenomenon, and the nicely wrapped package.