This Monday at 10/9c, Castle resumes its uninterrupted final run of episodes with the “gift” of a flashback-filled trip down memory lane. But beyond that don’t-call-it-a-clip-show — and in light of the events of last episode (which was supposed to air first) — the road ahead for Rick and Kate looks a bit bumpy. Series creator Andrew W. Marlowe spoke with TVLine about putting the popular pairing to the test, culminating in a top-secret finale where they either pass… or fail.

TVLINE | What story were you wanting to tell with these last few episodes, leading into the season finale?
The last couple episodes are about how [Rick and Kate] have been in a relationship for about a year now, and that’s about the time people start asking questions, about where things stand. They’ve been living in this fun bubble, but there comes a time where real life intrudes and things come in from the outside and force the characters to ask questions about where they’re going. By the time we get to “The Human Factor” (airing May 6), those questions will start aiming us towards some complications that come in our final episode, challenges to the relationship that both characters are going to have to confront.

TVLINE | With “The Squab & the Quail” airing ahead of schedule last week, what did viewers miss out on not having seen “Still” first?
Not too much – and I will let them discover that. But there are a couple of really important relationship moments and serious moments in “Still.” As you know, that episode, the 24th episode, was added very late in the game, so we took a very particular point of view on how we were going to get it done. And it turned out, I think, in spectacular fashion. It’s a great gift to our loyal fans. There are a couple of moments in there that they have to look forward to, that they’ll really enjoy.

TVLINE | Would you be loath to call it a “clip show”?
I would. We certainly have clips in it, but…. When I realized we only had a couple of days to shoot it and we’d have to fill it out with clips, I set out to make the best “clip show” that television has seen, and I think our team pulled it off. It’s a great episode, because we use the clips to forward the storytelling. It is a great trip down memory lane, but we also have some high stakes and interesting stuff going on in the main story.

TVLINE | Circling back to “Squab” for a minute: In your mind, what all informed Kate’s ever-so-slightly wishy-washy response to Erik Vaughn asking about her relationship status?
Well, I think what has dawned on her is [she and Rick] haven’t really talked about it. Does Castle think the relationship is serious? Does she think it’s serious, where they’re headed? They’ve been in it for a year and they seem to be having a really good time and having good moments, but…. This a guy who’s been married twice, she’s not getting any younger, she’s thinking about her future… and does her future include him? And is that part of his plan?

It’s only human to ask those questions at this point. I don’t think it signals that there’s anything “wrong” with the Castle/Beckett relationship, but I do think that she wonders what comes next — and as we get towards the end of the season, Castle himself is going to wonder what comes next. As a guy, he is somebody who doesn’t rush into commitment if things are working well the way they are. But Kate has a career and she’s got her next steps to think about. When an Internet billionaire is making a play for you, if she was single, I think we know what she would have done in [last week’s] situation. It speaks to her level of commitment to Castle [that she pushed Vaughn away], but it also speaks to a desire to know what happens next.

TVLINE | Aside from snipping symbolic videogame cords and offering candlelit massages, will we see other instances of Castle trying to course-correct?
As we head into “The Human Factor,” there are other, more professional issues that start to arise for the Beckett character, that begin to complicate things. We have that to look forward to as we come to our season finale, which is an emotional season finale. But instead of going into Beckett’s mother’s mythology like we have the last two seasons, and done something operatic, I wanted to really focus on where Castle and Beckett were. So we have a great case but it kind of takes a back seat to wrestling with the bigger life issues that both of them are in the midst of.

TVLINE | “Human Factor” guest star Carlos Bernard (24), like Ioan Gruffudd, is not an unattractive man. Does his character serve a purpose similar to Erik Vaughn?
No, he serves a different purpose. He’s a complicated character, but he opens Beckett’s eyes to a greater world out there.

TVLINE | Talk about the title of this season’s finale, “Watershed.”
Every so often in life you face a watershed moment, and I have to give props to [producer-wife] Terri Miller for coming up with the title. It was absolutely perfect — especially since in our A-case we find a body in a water tank. It was a great title that spoke to both the personal and the professional aspect of the storytelling.

TVLINE | Are you leaving viewers with a cliffhanger?
There is a bit of a cliffhanger, yeah. It’s an emotional cliffhanger that I think will propel us into some great, complicated, interesting storytelling as we head into next season — assuming the TV gods are kind and grant us one.

TVLINE | [Grey’s Anatomy creator] Shonda Rhimes is never shy about saying she scrapped a finale plan late in the game and reworked it from scratch. When did it become clear to you how you wanted to end Season 5?
Every season, you have a great map but it’s like driving through fog– the closer you get, the clearer it gets. So about seven or eight episodes out, I knew, ballpark, where I wanted to land. And part of it was informed by some really big storytelling we had in the spring, dealing with [Senator] Bracken, the two-parter [about Alexis’ kidnapping], what we’re doing in “Still”…. And I wanted a quieter, more emotional finale, without the fireworks. But you do go back and forth. We were fortunate that [the May 13 finale] times out where it’s about that period of time where people start asking the hard questions about relationships, and in the finale something comes out of left field that both characters have to wrestle with, something that would be a challenge to any relationship. Having clarity seven or eight episodes out was very helpful, and we feel pretty good about where we landed.

Source: here

Jon recently appeared on Hallmark Channel’s ‘Home & Family,’ to talk about Castle and other things. I cannot embed the video, but you can view it here, at the official Hallmark Channel website.

Actress Tamala Jones stars on ABC’s Castle. She plays forensic analyst Lanie Perish. Although this is a crime drama, Jones brings her comedic personality to the show. Not only is she an actress, but she proudly participates in charity events and is a spokesperson for the brain aneurysm foundation. She also is a bargain fashionista.

“Castle is a very popular Television series that follows the lives of mystery novelist “Richard Castle” and NYPD detective “Kate Beckett” as they solve crimes in New York City. There are a lot of crime shows currently on TV, and according to Tamala Jones, “Castle” is in its own lane. The show reached its 100^th episode on April 1.

Tamala Jones: “Castle is different because there’s so much comedy and so much more to go off of besides crime. There are relationships and friendships that have developed during the show.”

Houstonian: Growing up, you always wanted to be in the entertainment industry. You were in a girl band when you were younger similar to the Fugees. Why did you decide to pursue acting?

TJ: “In the beginning it was intimidating. When I received my first role for “Booty Call,” I was 21 years old. It was an amazing experience. I remember I was outside with my grandmother hanging clothes on the line when I got the news. I told my grandmother, ‘I’m going to buy you a washer and dryer!’”

H: Having such an important role in a movie at such a young age must have made you nervous. How was it working along side more well established actors like Jamie Foxx, Tommy Davidson, and also Vivica A. Fox?

TJ: “When I first met them I was nervous and had an acne breakout. It took Vivica to come and talk to me, and Tommy and Jamie to give me notes and comedy tips in order for me to relax.”

H: Mostly, you have been in comedies like Next Friday, Blue Streak, Two Can Play That Game, and The Wood. Did you have to practice in order to switch up for her role as Lanie Perish in Castle?

TJ: I had to realize the importance of the relationships in the show. I was able to bring my sassiness into my character. I’ve studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute. I’ve been to a lot of different workshops to learn how to change roles. I still attend workshops.

H: What’s your advice for aspiring actors and actresses here at SHSU?

TJ: “Always take acting workshops, stay in acting classes and stay rehearsing. You will hear ‘No’ a thousand times, but never give up. Stay on your craft, and when you get your first break it will all be worth it.”

H: Not only are you an actress, but you are also a spokesperson for the Brain Aneurysm foundation. Having experienced one yourself at age 23, how did that affect you?

TJ: “I am very proud of this position. I felt that if I told the story enough, I would save lives. I want to make people aware of how sensitive the head is. Some people are born with it and don’t even know. People should get cat scans at least once a year of the brain, as they do other body parts. More awareness needs to be raised about this illness.

H: Jones will be speaking at the Brain Anuerysm Foundation’s Lobby Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on May 21. What else do you like about charities?

TJ: “I love working with the youth. I like talking to kids who are unaware of the danger in their environments, or who are lacking love from home. I participate in the Party 4 Peace weekend every summer along with Will Smith and others. We go to youth prisons and speak to kids and open up to them, letting them know that they don’t have to be products of their environments. I also enjoy going to high schools and speaking to girls about sex, diseases, and the importance of protection. I want them to realize that their body is their temple.

H: You are also known for your smart fashion decisions. Can you give any advice to SHSU students who are usually looking for any way to save money when they shop?

TJ: “I’d rather spend my money taking care of my grandmother and my necessities. I love looking good, but don’t like to pay retail. So many websites have bargained designer clothes. My top three are net-a-porter.com, theoutnet.com and amazon.com. My friends always see my clothes and shoes and are always jealous of the price I pay!

H:Thrift shopping is a common trend for students.

TJ: “Back in the day, I would cut out pictures from Vogue and Elle, go to the thrift shop and recreate the outfits for an extremely cheaper price. I highly suggest going to thrift shops, they are full of neon 80s clothing and other items for spring.”

H: Have you reached your career goals now that you are on prime time television?

TJ: “I think that I’m in the middle of my career goal. I’m just now touching ground in what I want to do. A film you can look out for is titled, “Things Never Said.” It’s going around various film festivals and will be featured during the BET Awards Weekend. It’s a cast full of great actors and actresses whose talents need to be seen.”

You can catch Jones in action on ABC’s Castle Mondays at 9 p.m. Central on ABC.

Source: here

Some people are born to do what they do. Acting since she “came out of the womb,” Tamala Jones was off and running before she began to walk. Although there were no cameras yet in sight, that didn’t stop her from imitating everything around her — from friends and family to things she saw on television. After some pestering, she convinced her parents to enroll her in an acting workshop class, which in turn led to a meeting with her first agent. From then on, the work started rolling in.

With an entertainment career in high gear, it didn’t seem likely that anything would be able to stop her in her tracks — not even a brain aneurism at the age of 23. Unfazed, she didn’t even consider calling off of work, keeping her condition a secret before finally admitting herself to the hospital a few days later. Not willing to part ways with her feelings of invincibility, youthful naivete prevented her from realizing how dire the situation had been. It took a while before she finally reconciled with the fact that she could have died. It was time to re-evaluate things.

While her outlook on life changed, one thing that remained was the high demand for her acting prowess. Roles on “Everybody Hates Chris,” “The Tracy Morgan Show,” “The Ghost Whisperer” and “CSI: Miami” soon were added to an ever-growing resume. These days, you’ll find her on the set of the ABC series, “Castle,” as the sassy and sexy medical examiner “Lanie Parish,” and on the circuit as a spokeswoman for the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. Living every day as if it were her last, she’s learned the fine art of stopping to smell the roses.

Question: Some time ago, while building an amazing entertainment resume, you suffer a brain aneurism — at the age of 23. But you keep it a secret. Why?

Answer: Well, first of all, I grew up the only girl — the oldest — and around very strong women. So, the main reason why is because I was embarrassed. I didn’t want anyone to relate to me any differently or to feel sorry for me. I thought it would alienate me. And the other thing is, I thought it would keep me from working. I thought it was a sinus headache, I thought migraine. Never once went to a doctor, because who thinks, at 23 years old, that’s what’s happening to you? And when I finally got to the hospital after working all day long, the doctor, he was shocked that I was still walking, talking, alive. Usually when they burst, a person dies. And mine burst.

Q: Twenty-three is usually an age where you feel like you’re invincible — did you immediately recognize the seriousness of your situation?

A: When you’re young, you do some ridiculous things. Instead of being grateful that I was still alive, I kind of had this Tupac (Shakur) mentality — like, “I lived through it, and I’m invincible.” It wasn’t until a friend told me that “Hey, this isn’t you. I don’t know what’s happening to you. I don’t like this new Tamala. … I like the old one,” (that) it broke me down. And I just started crying, but not in front of her. And once I started dealing with it, I thought, “I need to tell my story.” I thought if I started talking about it, maybe it would save some lives.

Q: How did your perspective and priorities change after that?

A: I stopped taking a lot of jobs like I did before. I just do what I can now. I don’t overexert myself at all because I felt like that was a part of it. I was a series regular on “For Your Love,” with roles on “Veronica’s Closet” and “ER.” So, I would be running from different sets. Then, when I would finish on the Warner Brothers lot, I would go to a film set. I’ve changed my eating habits and lifestyle. It was fast-food city for me, no vegetables, just Popeye’s, McDonald’s, Taco Bell — all those things that are not good.

Q: So fast forward a few years later, and you’re pegged as one of the “Sexiest Women of the Year” — not once, but twice. How sweet was that?

A: That is amazing! I didn’t even know that! I thank the gents — that makes me feel so good. If they only knew that I was a sweat pants, T-shirt, pony-tail-wearing girl on a regular day!

Q: Your character, “Lanie Parish,” on “Castle,” is pretty sassy for a medical examiner. Is that your influence or was she written that way?

A: It was a little of both. Lanie was written sassy, but very medical savvy. And I took some of my mother’s notes as far as being extra sassy with the looks I’m giving to Castle. Those are all my mom. So, it was a little bit of me, my mom, and Lanie.

Q: It’s amazing how real the bodies look. Does that kind of creep you out?

A: Oh yeah. I now understand that I could never do this in real life. Because the blood is syrup and you know that. But if I would have to see that much blood or smell death, I’d quit on the first day. Some of the makeup they do is so realistic, and I have to brace myself — this is fake. So, I talk to (the actors) and say, “Hey, how are you?” and it makes it a lot easier and fun.

Q: No chances of that being a second career choice for you?

A: Oh no! No no, no!

Source: here

On ABC’s hit show “Castle,” actress Stana Katic plays detective Kate Beckett who investigates crimes in New York with novelist Richard Castle, portrayed by Nathan Fillion. The show focuses on the romantic tension between the two and their passion for solving crimes.

Actress Stana Katic joins “Starting Point” to discuss the hit series and the recent celebration of its 100th episode.

When the show first began “we were starting off and just trying to make it through our days,” says Katic. “We work many long hours… but that was it you just kind of make it one step at a time and then all of sudden we turn to a few weeks ago and it’s oh wow we’re filming the 100th episode.”

Katic says when the network first saw the pilot for the show, executives asked that the romantic relations between Katic and Fillion’s characters be pulled back some because “they look like they’re about to get together in episode two.”

“I think that bounce and that chemistry was there from the start. Otherwise I don’t know that we would have had a show,” she says.

“It’s been really fun kind of navigating what does it mean to work together and be in a relationship… it also plays into kind of the comedy and drama of this story because it’s not easy and the two characters have a point of view and most times the point of view is on opposite ends,” Katic adds.

ABC aired the 100th episode of “Castle” Monday, April 1 on ABC. You can also catch the latest episode on abc.go.com.

Castle crosses a major TV mark tonight as ABC airs the 100th episode of their genre-blending hit series, and ETonline has a sneak peek of the Rear Window-inspired installment!

In The Lives of Others, Castle is holed up in his loft with a broken leg while Beckett & Co. go off to investigate the death of an IRS agent. Cooped up and bored, Castle turns his attention to the building across the street, and believes he witnesses the murder of a young woman.

The episode was doubly significant for the cast, as Stana Katic says, “It’s a special episode tonight because [Castle creator] Andrew Marlowe and his wife [Terri Edda Miller] both wrote it. They wrote for the fans who are so sweet and supportive. I think it’s going to be a nice glass of champagne for the fans.”

Check out a sneak peek from the super-special episode, airing tonight at 10 p.m. on ABC.

Source + video: here

Can you believe it’s been 100 episodes of witty banter and sexual tension?!

Castle celebrates that huge milestone tonight and we were on set to celebrate with stars Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic, who teased the Alfred Hitchcock-inspired episode and talked about what they’d like to see for their characters on the ABC hit series.

Plus, are they ready for another 100 episodes?!

“Castle breaks his leg, so he’s not able to participate in cases,” Fillion previews of tonight’s big episode.”So he starts participating in voyeurism with the building across the street. We get what’s essentially a Rear Window episode.”

And while 100 episodes playing one character may seem like it would get stale, Katic tells us that she never tires of stepping into Beckett’s shoes. “I think Kate is a wonderful character because she’s not perfect and in spite of that she tries to do the right thing and has a tremendous amount of integrity,” she explains. “She’s a great female character to play. I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful for the writing they create and I hope that they continue to just be respectful of the strength that that character has. She’s not just a doting girlfriend; she’s also a cop and a pretty phenomenal woman.”

Looking ahead, Katic says, I’d like to see [Kate] continue to advance in her career. I think in so many ways she was defined by her mom’s murder and I think now she’s not as much. Given that, I think she could be really potent in a lot of fields.” She also adds, “I’d like to see the love story advance and I think they’ll be doing some of that by the end of the season and people will be pretty happy!”

To hear more from Katic and Fillion, including whether or not they are down to do another 100 episodes, watch our interviews with them above!

Castle airs tonight at 10 p.m. on ABC.

Source + Video: here

Tamala Jones has always been the girlfriend.

Or the wife. Or the forlorn lover.

But now? She’s the doctor. And heading into the 100th episode tonight of ABC’s hit show “Castle,” the actress says this role of a lifetime (playing medical examiner Lanie Parish) has been life altering.

“I learned this watching Sally Field’s ‘Inside the Actor’s Studio’ a little while ago: she said from playing the flying nun to Gidget to going to movies, there’s time in your career where you used to playing a certain type of role and then you have to go and sit down and revamp yourself so that you don’t get typecast,” Tamala says. “You need to really challenge yourself, come out of your comfort zone and do things you normally wouldn’t do. So I’m all about that.”

Tamala’s career has been consistent from the word go. Since the mid-90s, she’s appeared on countless TV shows and films and she’s never slacked up.

“I’m a fighter. I’m never gonna give up that easy. I can hear ‘no’ a million times because I know that somebody out there is gonna say yes. And then you just get to a point that all your nerves that you had going into the first couple auditions will go away. Just like, ‘You know what, you’re either gonna tell me yes or no, so I’m gonna give it all I got and you can hire me or not.’ So it just gets to that. But I love acting. I’ve always, since I was born…I came out the womb acting. You can ask my mom. She was like, We gotta get her out of the house,” she says with a laugh. “So I think perseverance and just not willing to accept no has kind of kept me going.”

So when was the last time Tamala got told ‘no’?

“I auditioned for Anchorman 2 and we got to the last minute, I was waiting for a whole month to hear no. I was like, ‘Wow, well who got it?!’ And they were like Megan Good got it. I like her and I’m proud of her. You have those moments where it just doesn’t matter if they say no, you actually respect the actor who’s gotten the role.”

Tamala jokes that she feels like she’s gone through three years of medical school, but she does know a thing or two about health scares firsthand. The 38-year-old actress recently opened up about a horrific health scare that happened when she was 23-years-old: she had a brain aneurism. Now, she serves as a spokesperson for the Brain Aneurism Foundation, and later this year she’ll be speaking before Congress.

“I feel like it’s another part of my responsibility to get the word out there that aneurisms are not just for elderly people, they happen to young people every day,” she says. “It can be a hereditary thing or a stress thing. Mine was genetic. It runs in the family and I have to be tested. They tell you you can do it once a year, but I like to get cat scans twice a year just to make sure nothing’s there, because this is a very stressful job, hours are long. I just want to make sure I’m in tip top health shape. I didn’t know what happened when I woke up that morning and went through that. I didn’t know.”

Source: here

How Nathan Fillion’s geek cred, Stana Katic’s eye for a good haircut and passionate fans added up to staying power for the Monday-night stalwart.

This story first appeared in the April 5 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

Castle began on shaky ground. Like many shows developed right before the writers strike, the ABC series — revolving around the crime-solving duo of mystery novelist Richard Castle, played by Nathan Fillion, and NYPD detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) — hit a major wall during the 2007-08 lull. Uncertainty put Castle, created by screenwriter Andrew Marlowe (Hollow Man, Air Force One), on the network’s shelf. It wasn’t until after the strike that it received a second round of support, becoming one of ABC’s last pilot orders that year and earning a series greenlight.

As Castle readies for its 100th episode, an homage to Alfred Hitchcock‘s Rear Window airing April 1, it continues to build on its DNA: Four tie-in novels have sold more than 1.5 million copies, including a No. 1 best-seller on The New York Times paperback mass-market list and two peaking in the top 10, plus a new book due in May; and in 2012, Marvel, a sibling subsidiary of Disney, along with ABC Studios released a Castle graphic novel. “Castle‘s DNA with a murder-mystery novelist as the lead character makes it very easy and satisfying to create the novelizations,” says Barry Jossen, executive vp studio creative and production at ABC Entertainment Group. “These other pieces of Castle fit comfortably with the TV show and deliver an enhanced experience and extra engagement to fans between viewings. At its best, a TV show becomes a mothership franchise and a product line.”

Geek cred from Fillion, 42, having starred in Joss Whedon‘s cult series Firefly, has led to an enviable social-media presence thanks in part to the actor’s nearly 1.7 million Twitter followers. “He brought those Firefly fans with him, and they showed up,” credits Marlowe. Although Castle began modestly as a midseason replacement in 2009, it since has stood tall on Mondays (averaging nearly 12 million viewers), often topping time-slot competitors from CBS’ Hawaii Five-O to NBC’s Deception in the key adults 18-to-49 demographic. “It’s ‘stability Monday night at 10 o’clock,’ ” says Jossen, who joins Marlowe, Fillion and Katic in remembering what went into constructing Castle.

The Hollywood Reporter: How did the concept come about?

Andrew Marlowe: One of the reasons I wanted to do something like Castle is that I had grown up a fan of murder mysteries, not police procedurals. The ones on air — the CSIs and Law & Orders — approached subjects very darkly. I’ve always been a fan of shows like Moonlighting and thought taking that [murder mystery concept] and putting it in a [romantic] sparks-fly arena could be a lot of fun. ABC, a female-friendly network, seemed to be the right place — the Beckett character is a very strong woman — and Castle represents the different aspects of what it means to be a man: the long-suffering son of his mother, the incredibly kind and supportive dad, the rogue in relationships with women.

STORY: From ‘Firefly’ to ‘One Life to Live’: A ‘Castle’ Wink and a Nod to Nathan Fillion Fans

Barry Jossen: Andrew pitched it to ABC, who bought it and started developing it. Then came the writers strike. There was a lot of disarray in our industry, and ABC put it into turnaround. So Michael McDonald, who is now our head of drama, says: “Hey, I really like this project: Why don’t we buy it back and keep developing it?” What happened next was really interesting: It got developed internally at the studio without network involvement. It was then turned in to the network when they were deciding their pilot orders. It was literally the last pilot order that year.

THR: Once Castle went to pilot, how did the casting process go?

Marlowe: I had been a Nathan Fillion fan for a long time — loved his work on Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It seemed like the roles he was getting showcased one side of his talent, and I thought this would showcase everything he could do: the dramatic and the comedic.

Nathan Fillion: I was under a deal at ABC. They handed me a stack of scripts, and Castle was at the bottom. I was 15 pages into it, stopped reading and said to my girlfriend, “You tell me if you don’t think this would be a lot of fun to do.” I had to court some people. Andrew, [executive producer] ArmyanBernstein and a few others came to meet me. I was doing Desperate Housewives at the time. I tried to convince them to stop looking, I talked to them for about 30 minutes: “I’m the guy.”

Marlowe: The search for Beckett took longer. We read about 125 actresses. We had phenomenal actresses walk through our door, but for some reason, that inseparable, magical chemistry wasn’t there. Nathan hung in there: Right when the 123rd actress walked into the room, you could see his eyes going like pinwheels. But when Stana walked in and they started saying the words, it became more electric. We had our fingers crossed that we had captured lightning in a bottle.

Stana Katic: When you’re an actor and you walk into a room, you don’t know who everyone is. It’s not clear who the writer is, who the producers and the director are, because everyone is invested in making it work well, and it’s not clear who the person going to carry the long-haul journey with you is. I remember seeing Andrew for the first time in the audition room. He was off in the back, he had long hair, then he cut his hair really short at the second chemistry read, and I remember saying, “Didn’t you have long hair before?” And that was that!

Fillion: It was exciting for me to meet Susan Sullivan [Castle's mother]. I auditioned for Dharma & Greg to play her son and didn’t get that role. Here I am, on a different TV show, playing her son.

Jossen: We hired Rob Bowman [The X-Files] to direct, and amazingly, that May, Castle was ordered to series.

THR: But attaining the ratings you needed was an uphill battle.

Marlow: We had a great lead-in with Dancing With the Stars, but it was a two-year process with people discovering us. You’re always challenged when you’re premiering midseason because your viewing audience has already made decisions about what they’re going to watch. But also, there’s a virtue to it: The playing field gets shaken out, it becomes clear what holes there are, so we were very lucky to gain traction. At the end of the first season, the running joke was people either loved Castle or never heard of it. So we knew there was a large audience that we hoped to tap into in later seasons. And it’s been great — the off-network cable syndication partnership with TNT is now introducing it to a whole new group of people.

Jossen: When it went on the air, it performed modestly in the ratings and by no means was it a hit. It did well enough to get renewed. But Brian Morewitz [vp drama development at ABC Entertainment] and Channing Dungey [senior vp drama development at ABC] liked the show, affiliate stations were happy to have a strong 10 p.m. show, so one of the things that indicates it’s working is when you have strong internal support and the people who actually work at ABC like watching.

Katic: I think it came down to, first off, the one or two individuals who sustained us from the network end; that required a bit of a leap of faith and tenacity and leadership. And the second, and most important thing for this show, has always been its fans. Early on, they created a wonderful grass-roots Internet campaign, the show grew, and now it’s got an international following [Castle is licensed in about 220 territories].

THR: Favorite episode?

Katic: Where Captain Montgomery got killed was really powerful, and I loved when Castle and Beckett got together.

Fillion: After doing five years, the things that tend to stick out most are moments that we don’t have tons and tons of. So standing over a dead body doesn’t top out for me as much as the moments Castle has at home with his mother and daughter that humanize him and humble him. Everywhere else, he seems in control and a brat about things, but when he’s at home, he is no longer the master of his destiny. He is under his mother’s and daughter’s thumb.

THR: And Marlowe, when did you get the idea to do themed episodes, like the Comic-Con episode?

Marlowe: Honestly, part of that is creative and part of that is a business decision. We are in a very challenged television environment, where it’s hard to break through the noise. We try to do everything we can to have the idea behind the show be its own promotional entity so that you can grasp what the show is easily. We approach it from the point of view of, “What is the poster of this episode?” It’s something that, in my feature background, people talk about all the time. If they’re going to spend $100 million or, these days, closer to $150 million or $200 million, people are going to know what this movie’s about. Bringing that to the television landscape helped us evolve to where we do have these themed episodes, where we go into a world or subculture that we find fascinating as storytellers and think about what Castle and Beckett will respond to.

THR: What’s the secret to Castle‘s success?

Katic: It appeals to an audience that wants dessert after dinner. It’s charming in a classic kind of way. I think people love a bit of heart, humor, drama and stakes, so I suppose it has a nice mix of a lot of different emotions.

Fillion: There are episodes where we do go pretty dramatic, but by and large, we don’t take ourselves terribly seriously. We keep it fairly light. I think it makes it easy to like.

Marlowe: People have been responding to this love story between Castle and Beckett, and they are hungry for shows that make them laugh. Whatever bit of magic we happen to capture, hopefully we’ll be able to continue. The chances of a pilot getting on air are slim, and to reach 100 episodes is a miracle. That’s a result of a lot of people’s hard work and also a lot of luck. It is harder and harder for TV shows to reach this milestone in an environment where you have Internet streaming, places like Netflix for shows, 100 channels of programs, cable. It just really gratifies us that we happened to find such a wonderful and loyal audience.

Source: here