Whedonesque : Comments on 17787 : (SPOILER) First Look: Trailer for "Castle".

Frisky!

This one looks pretty. It seems that the eternal scoundrel is a role that suits Nathan well. :) And he has a fine chemistry with the leading lady.

Harridan | October 06, 22:56 CET

It has a lot of cliches so they need to be careful of letting the cheese creep in. Although, if they really go for the cheese, our Nathan can handle that, I suppose :).

zeitgeist | October 06, 23:01 CET

This looks like it could be a lot of fun, though I register with what zeitgeist says... from this quick clip, however, I think it might work. But 2009??? I have to wait for Battlestar, Dollhouse, now this? Grrr.. arg.

KariAri | October 06, 23:04 CET

Well, this looks like breezy fun. It's high on the '80's buddy cop movie vibe, which is a plus, because I used to really like those (although, in recent years, that particular type of movie has died a painfull death with several real duds). Plus, it's Nathan Fillion and he can make anything watchable. I'll be tuning in when this airs... in a couple of hundred years (or so it feels ;)).

Oh, and was that BSG's James Callis there, in that alley?

GVH | October 06, 23:10 CET

The midseason is definitely holding more interest for me than this fall season. Which is good because I finish a hellishly painful project this November. So I can sit down, relax and enjoy the midseason.

MP | October 06, 23:12 CET

KariAri, I'd add Lost to that list as well.

GVH, I thought the same thing about James Callis, but can you blame me for wanting to see more of him?

But yeah, I liked the clip. It's an otherwise standard kind of plot but Nathan adds something very special to it, like he does everything. ^_^

The Xan Man | October 06, 23:16 CET

Oh, when Nathan does that cute eyebrow thing, he makes me blush! Oh he's so hot!

Linnea1928 | October 06, 23:35 CET

If anyone wants to post this, Wednesday's comics solicitation includes the TPB of "Serenity: Better Days." I'd post it myself, but all of my posts are quickly and inexplicably deleted.

http://previews.diamondcomics.com/public/default.asp?t=2&m=1&c=6&s=428

The Blue Leopard | October 06, 23:37 CET

Did one of the officers say that this would be better than shark week? That made me laugh.

Looked cliched but very amusing. Nathan can pull it off - no sweat. Looking forward to '09.

mongorules | October 06, 23:39 CET

Perfect role for Nathan: the funny, rakish leading man.

I thought some of it was a little hammy-- it looks like they're leaning more towards the comedy-- but fun is infectious. It's why I love Chuck.

Can't wait for this one.

dispatch | October 06, 23:42 CET

It does seem a little cheesy but i love when nathan grabs the gun and screams did you see that it was so cool! Cause you all know thats a realistic reaction....at least for me :)

Blue Leopard, I would but I cant even post on the front page!!

wilder | October 07, 00:04 CET

Blue Leopard, done. If you want credit just ask. I wasn't sure how to go about such things.

The Xan Man | October 07, 00:13 CET

*taps fingers on desk impatiently*

Is it mid-season yet?

This looks like tons of fun ... falls right in line with my love of Bones, Burn Notice and Psych -- I can't wait!

MizBehavin1 | October 07, 00:30 CET

If anyone can pull this role off, it's Nathan. I couldn't say that I think it looked like anything special if it wasn't for him, but the role really suits him so I suppose it might take off.

Nolan | October 07, 00:54 CET

The ham-and-cheese characterization looked a lot like his character in Dr. Horrible - was that intentional?

[ edited by baxter on 2008-10-07 01:07 ]

baxter | October 07, 01:06 CET

That looks like fun!

Caroline | October 07, 01:13 CET

As far as deleted posts, you can always ask us why or visit http://whedonesque.com/deleted/.

zeitgeist | October 07, 01:25 CET

Nathan is so amazing, he just lets me right in to his roles. There's not a barrier to me instantly liking his characters. Somehow he's me or I'm he or... he makes it easy to take a walk in his protagonist's shoes.

RhaegarTargaryen | October 07, 01:48 CET

I would really like this to succeed. However, I can see where this might not carry an audience. They have to find a really plausible reason for Castle to be working with the police that closely. Going to him for info is one thing; him coming along on a case is another. This could, like zeitgeist said, fall into the cheese category very easily (though Nathan does have a history of working very well with cheese, this could turn into something of the moldy variety if not handled correctly).

deepgirl187 | October 07, 02:22 CET

They do say that he is there because he is researching his next set of novels. That could continue indefinitely.

Lioness | October 07, 02:39 CET

Oh, and was that BSG's James Callis there, in that alley?

Sorry to disappoint (and it is disappointing) but that was not James Callis in the alley.

They do say that he is there because he is researching his next set of novels. That could continue indefinitely.

That's pretty much the premise that they set up with this first episode - that he will continue to interfere with her cases because he's researching his next character. It's like a ride-along that never ends. :-)

DaisyButtercup | October 07, 03:36 CET

If it were anyone else starring, I'd think that trailer was pretty lame, but the extreme adorableness of NF has completely befuddled my judgment.

jcs | October 07, 03:45 CET

That trailer just showed me almost the entire pilot.

I'll still watch it for Nathan. Just...the other cast seems incredibly cliched, as others have mentioned. And I don't like Stana Katic doesn't do anything for me. The kid was less annoying than I had expected, so that's good.

John Darc | October 07, 03:51 CET

Seems kinda flat on first glance. They better make him more than a flirty goof and her more than the tough-until-charmed lady cop. Otherwise it's going to be fun at first and then yawnsville.

I like his funny action scene there. That's awesome.

Sunfire | October 07, 04:02 CET

Wow. Seriously? That looks ... terrible.

karosurly | October 07, 04:27 CET

Castle ends up staying on because he decides to study Det. Beckett for the new lead character in his novel - the only reason this is even considered is because he has friends in high places. I think it looks great. When I heard Moonlighting was one of the influences I was pleasantly surprised, I did love that show - though some parts got a bit crazy to be sure - but I wondered what a modern day version would be like - love the dynamic between Det. Beckett & Castle - and the totally silly "needs a breath mint" and "did you see that? tell me you saw that" Nathan makes it funny.

Beth | October 07, 04:30 CET

I love Nathan. I would watch him read the phone book. I would even pay to watch him read the phone book. So count me in. Wouldn't it be fun if our other eight were guest stars. Sigh. I want Chuck or Life to do a series of episodes guest staring the Firefly alum. Every week a different one. Just for my personal joy. When Adam showed up on bones I was hopeful. Imagine Tom Lenk as an intern at the Jeffersonian?

WomanWhoWeaves | October 07, 04:49 CET

This...might actually work...though Rick Castle seems perpetually drunk, which can only go so far. The leading man can be charming and funny, but not a buffoon. Buffoonery is best left to their sidekicks (Wash!).

The Ninja Report | October 07, 05:56 CET

Wow, that looks really fun, and cute...
Oooh, I can't wait to see it...

Allen Doyle | October 07, 06:59 CET

ummmm yummy!

Tina | October 07, 08:02 CET

Wow. Seriously? That looks ... terrible.

Agreed. I love Nathan as much as the next screaming fangirl/boy, but this looks abysmal. Bland characters, bland story, completely forgettable direction, and the classic trope of bad TV -- everyone spouting hackneyed one-liners that the writer probably thought were hi-larious in front of his copy of Final Draft, but are just awful when spoken by actual human people.

No thanks.

VaughnOfTheDead | October 07, 09:55 CET

I think it's going to fall into the "goofy fun" category but that could be Nathan's middle name so i'll be watching at least the first few. Sometimes you can throw all the clichés in a pot and yet strange alchemy still takes place and something great pops out (course, sometimes not too).

We definitely need to see more to him than just the charming buffoon though cos that'll get old pretty quick (we don't need to find out about his dark past or anything - the tone's fine IMO, light and breezy isn't a sin - but we do need to find out there's more to him than slightly hapless lothario because basically, after the novelty wears off, that sort of character's pretty dull. Even David Addison had a past and a more serious side).

Chemistry looks fine though and Nathan plays the part to a T but as John Darc mentions, what is that, a trailer or a precis ? Feels like we saw pretty much every significant scene in the pilot, including who the killer is (possibly) and the last scenes where we see them teamed up for the duration. Not much left for the actual show to reveal (or maybe there's loads more and it's denser than it looks - the good dense I mean ;).

Saje | October 07, 10:11 CET

Looks like Nathan doing some of what he does best, so I'll definitely be there to see where this goes. I like the premise and the Moonlighting vibe. Expect there will be more than this trailer shows, too.

Maeve | October 07, 12:58 CET

Imagine Tom Lenk as an intern at the Jeffersonian?

That would almost make up for what they've done to Zack's character. Almost. ;)

deepgirl187 | October 07, 13:27 CET

I will certainly give it a try, but it sure looks formulaic (sp?) and boring from this bit. Perhaps they will be adding dimension to Nathan's character via his relationship with the daughter, but that is, in itself, a rather overdone approach to making a character accessible/sympathetic, IMO.

There is a false note struck somehow; perhaps the actors just need some time to get comfortable in their roles. Much will depend on the writing, no doubt, and it was just a small, albeit spoilery, sample.

[ edited by toast on 2008-10-07 14:02 ]

toast | October 07, 13:50 CET

I, too, would pay to watch Nathan read anything. This does look goofy--but, if you look at "Bones" (without knowing what the entire show is about), it, too, could appear like worthless fluff. And, I adore "Bones" (which was also influenced by "Moonlighting"). I might not have given this a chance without the lovely Mr. Fillion attached--but, gonna have to now. Can't always tell by the promos they put out. One hopes.

ctofine | October 07, 14:58 CET

This looks like fun! I'll certainly be watching. :)

FollowMal | October 07, 16:10 CET

Nathan is the only atractive on the show.

Rikardo | October 07, 20:14 CET

I love Nathan to pieces, but this has lame, contrived and derivative written all over it....which probably means it will go on for many, many seasons. So, yay, Nathan. I guess. :)

kungfubear | October 08, 01:22 CET

I couldn't even sit through the trailer.

I am so sorry.

Joe

bsanut | October 08, 02:41 CET

October 06 2008