Castle (season 1)

Castle (season 1)
DVD cover
Starring	Nathan Fillion Stana Katic Jon Huertas Seamus Dever Tamala Jones Ruben Santiago-Hudson Molly C. Quinn Susan Sullivan
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	10
Release
Original network	ABC
Original release	March 9 – May 11, 2009

The first season of American crime-comedy-drama television series Castle premiered as a midseason replacement on ABC on March 9, 2009. The season aired from March 9, 2009, to May 11, 2009.^[1] The first season consisted of 10 episodes.

Overview

Richard Castle (Fillion) is a famous mystery novelist who has killed off the main character in his popular book series and has writer's block. He is brought in by the NYPD for questioning regarding a copy-cat murder based on one of his novels. He is intrigued by this new window into crime and murder, and uses his connection with the mayor to charm his way into shadowing Detective Kate Beckett (Katic). Castle decides to use Beckett as his muse for Nikki Heat, the main character of his next book series. Beckett, an avid reader of Castle's books, initially disapproves of having Castle shadow her work, but later warms up and recognizes Castle as a useful resource in her team's investigations.

Cast

Main cast

• Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle
• Stana Katic as Dt. Kate Beckett
• Jon Huertas as Dt. Javier Espositio
• Seamus Dever as Dt. Kevin Ryan
• Tamala Jones as Dr. Lanie Parish
• Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Captain Roy Montgomery
• Molly C. Quinn as Alexis Castle
• Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers

Recurring cast

• Dan Castellaneta as Judge Markway
• Joseph C. Phillips as the Mayor
• Bailey Chase as Will Sorenson
• Scott Paulin as Jim Beckett

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code [2]	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	1	"Flowers for Your Grave"	Rob Bowman	Andrew W. Marlowe	March 9, 2009	101	10.76[3]
When a young woman is found dead under circumstances described exactly in a book written by acclaimed author Richard Castle, he is brought in to provide insight into the case. When more victims turn up in similarly-accurate conditions described in his books, Castle volunteers to assist the investigation by applying his knowledge of criminal behavior and his own books to the department's considerable skills. It turns out that the killer is actually the brother of one of the victims, only killing the others because he wanted it to look like a crazy fan killed those people. Over the period of this case Castle becomes intrigued with Detective Beckett and starts writing a manuscript about a character based on her. At the end of the episode, Captain Montgomery informs Beckett that he has talked with the mayor about letting Castle shadow her to research the new character, much to her annoyance.
2	2	"Nanny McDead"	John Terlesky	Barry Schindel	March 16, 2009	103	10.97[4]
The body of a nanny stuffed into an apartment building clothes dryer sets off a convoluted investigation into the hows and whys of her death. Castle, now a part of the detective team through an arrangement with the mayor, lends his skills of envisioning scenarios and pointing out seemingly-unrelated details—not to mention unorthodox methods—to the investigation.
3	3	"Hedge Fund Homeboys"	Rob Bowman	David Grae	March 23, 2009	104	9.14[5]
The shooting death in Central Park of a boy from a rich family sends Castle and Beckett into the world of New York private academies, where circles of friends prove to be almost more conniving, evasive, and mysterious than they can fathom.
4	4	"Hell Hath No Fury"	Rob Bowman	Andrew W. Marlowe	March 30, 2009	102	9.09[6]
When a prominent politician is murdered, the Department finds itself under intense pressure from the city government to explain what happened. However, the squeaky-clean politician had another side he had kept carefully hidden from the public.
5	5	"A Chill Goes Through Her Veins"	Bryan Spicer	Charles Murray	April 6, 2009	105	9.03[7]
The discovery of a hard-frozen body at a construction site leads the investigation of her death into unsolved cases from years past, tangling Beckett and Castle's case with a missing-persons case that was closed but never really solved.
6	6	"Always Buy Retail"	Jamie Babbit	Gabrielle Stanton & Harry Werksman	April 13, 2009	107	7.73[8]
Someone is not just killing, but doing so ritualistically. Castle's knowledge of obscure rituals points to someone conducting a findsman's ritual; whatever he or she is doing, it is obvious that something has been lost and they want it back. However, trying to find the truth amidst illegal immigrants and confusing facts tests the abilities, and imaginations, of the team.
7	7	"Home is Where the Heart Stops"	Dean White	Will Beall	April 20, 2009	106	8.21[9]
When a member of New York's high society is found murdered and stuffed into a small wall safe, the Department is put under pressure to get to the bottom of the story. But to get the answers to the string of robbery/murders, places must change; rather than Castle visiting New York's dark alleys, Beckett must follow him into the world of glitz, glamor, and, ultimately, murder, after they discover that the robberies are only connected by the victims having attended a specific charity event.
8	8	"Ghosts"	Bryan Spicer	Moira Kirland	April 27, 2009	108	8.24[10]
While unusual circumstances are practically usual, a body drowned in a bathtub of motor oil has the team scratching its collective head. The mystery deepens when investigation shows that the victim may have been involved with a crime more than 20 years old and was working with, or being stalked by, a true crime writer, and the relationship between Castle and Beckett finally rears its truly competitive head during a poker game involving New York's legal system elite.
9	9	"Little Girl Lost"	John Terlesky	Elizabeth Davis	May 4, 2009	109	9.97[11]
The disappearance of a young child has the team scrambling for answers when additional help arrives in the form of FBI agent Will Sorenson (Bailey Chase) who, among other things, is one of Beckett's ex-boyfriends. As Castle butts in on the investigation despite instructions to stay out, friction is inevitable—particularly since the case that first brought Beckett and Sorenson together ended with the death of the victim.
10	10	"A Death in the Family"	Bryan Spicer	Story by : Andrew W. Marlowe & Barry Schindel Teleplay by : Andrew W. Marlowe	May 11, 2009	110	9.96[12]
The gruesome murder of a plastic surgeon sends Castle and Beckett into a confusing world of cosmetic surgery, unstable patients, the mob, and the witness protection program. Castle begins looking into the death of Johanna Beckett, and discovers that her murder might not have been as random as first thought—Johanna was killed by a hitman.

Reception

The first season received positive to mixed reviews from critics. The first season got a rating of 56% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 16 reviews.^[13] The season got a 54/100 rating on Metacritic.^[14] Keith Phipps from The A.V. Club gave the premiere a B, giving the series praise for managing to go outside the "cliché" characters, giving both Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic praise for their portrayal and saying that Katic "suggests unspoken vulnerability and need."^[15] Jonah Krakow from IGN also commented on the cliche storytelling as he said "Castle proves that even a show with an unoriginal idea can be interesting and enjoyable if done well." He also praised Fillion for his portrayal of Richard Castle: "Fillion's ability to convey humor, awe and sarcasm in even the most gruesome situations makes him the perfect choice for the role. Not every actor can do what he does and the writers do a good job of playing to his strengths."^[16]

DVD release

Castle: The Complete First Season
Set details		Special features
10 episodes 430 Minutes English (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround) English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles		Bloopers & Outtakes Whodunit: The Genesis of Castle Spotlight Cast Piece: Producer Stephen J. Cannell Exclusive Audio Commentaries Write-Along With Nathan Fillion
DVD release dates
Region 1		Region 2		Region 4
September 22, 2009[17]		November 21, 2011[18]		March 10, 2010[19]

Awards and nominations

Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Music Composition for a Series	Castle / "Flowers For Your Grave"	Nominated	[20]
Satellite Awards	Best Actor in a Series, Drama	Nathan Fillion	Nominated	[21]
	Best Actress in a Series, Drama	Stana Katic	Nominated

References

1. "Episode Listings for Castle". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
2. Bossard, Byran (March 26, 2013). ""Castle" graph for first 100 syndicated episodes only" (PDF). ABC Medianet. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
3. Seidman, Robert (March 17, 2009). "Top ABC Primetime Shows, March 9–15, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
4. Seidman, Robert (March 24, 2009). "Top ABC Primetime Shows, March 16–22, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
5. Seidman, Robert (March 31, 2009). "Top ABC Primetime Shows, March 23–29, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
6. Seidman, Robert (April 7, 2009). "Top ABC Primetime Shows, March 30 – April 5, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
7. Seidman, Robert (April 14, 2009). "Top ABC Primetime Shows, April 6–12, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
8. Seidman, Robert (April 21, 2009). "Top ABC Primetime Shows, April 13–19, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
9. Seidman, Robert (April 28, 2009). "Top ABC Primetime Shows, April 20–26, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
10. Seidman, Robert (May 6, 2009). "Top ABC Primetime Shows, April 27 – May 3, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
11. Seidman, Robert (May 12, 2009). "Top ABC Primetime Shows, May 4–10, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
12. Seidman, Robert (May 19, 2009). "Top ABC Primetime Shows, May 11–17, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
13. "CASTLE: SEASON 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
14. "Castle : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
15. Phipps, Keith (March 9, 2009). "Castle: "Flowers For Your Grave"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
16. Krakow, Jonah (May 19, 2009). "CASTLE: SEASON 1 REVIEW". IGN. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
17. "Castle - Official Press Release Lists Finalized Extras for The Complete 1st Season". TV Shows on DVD. August 17, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
18. "Castle - Season 1 [DVD]". Amazon. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
19. "Castle Season 1". JBHiFi. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
20. "Castle: AWARDS & NOMINATIONS". Emmys.com. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
21. "2009 Satellite Awards". International Press Academy. 2009. Retrieved July 21, 2012.