Awesome show. Hilarious.
Castle
(Rated TV-PG, Drama, Starring Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Susan Sullivan, Where to watch: ABC, DVD, Online)
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Colorful main character adds flair to lighthearted cop show.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 12–13
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Castle was written by Will Wade
Parents need to know that this crime drama about a novelist (who also happens to be a devoted single dad) who tags along with a detective as she investigates crimes is much less violent -- and more lighthearted -- than intense procedural series like CSI. Many of the cases do involve murder, so some crime scenes feature shots of corpses, but there's little gore. Some episodes also include discussions about the sexual habits of both victims and suspects, and there's romantic tension between the main characters. Expect some social drinking.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about whether this kind of crime show is more appealing than one like CSI. If so, why? Do crimes like murder seem less upsetting in this context? Is that OK? What's the impact of seeing violence on television? Families can also discuss why so many TV shows revolve around "odd couple" pairings. Is it just a way to generate conflict? Do you think odd-couple partnerships are better for drama shows or comedies? Can you think of any real-life odd couples?
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More on Castle
What’s the Story?
Suffering from writer's block, successful crime novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) tags along with an NYPD detective hoping for inspiration. Though his new partner, Kate Becket (Stana Katic), repeatedly tells him that he's only there to observe, the irrepressible Castle can't refrain from offering his opinions. Given his lack of police training and his background as a fiction writer, his ideas tend to go against the grain -- but they still display a keen understanding of human nature. These insights often take the pair's investigations in unusual directions and sometimes lead to important breakthroughs.
Is It Any Good?
Fillion is the main reason to watch CASTLE. Charming and witty, his character brings some fun to what's otherwise a fairly standard cop procedural. As a fiction writer, his point of departure when examining a crime is to assume that the most unlikely, impossible-sounding explanation is what happened -- in other words, the exact opposite of his detective counterpart, who starts with the facts and moves on from there. Their interactions, as Becket dismisses Castle's outlandish suggestions and then slowly concedes he might have a point, are the best part of the show.
The weak points are the crimes themselves, which are so formulaic that any veteran viewer of TV cop shows can immediately tell which suspects are red herrings and which minor characters will be back in the final act. Still, TV police squad rooms tend to be environments filled with stress and uncertainty, as the cops try to fit together meager clues; introducing a writer to mix up this well-known environment is a fun twist that elevates Castle from mediocrity.
Our Members Say
See 5 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Good for tweens+
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Clever Crime Drama
Nathan Fillion (Richard Castle) and Stana Katic (Kate Beckett) make a wonderful pair in Castle. Nathan Fillion provides much needed witty humor alongside a more serious but smart Stana Katic. Together they investigate and solve murders. Very little violence is shown on-screen and nothing disturbing is shown. Castle is very tame for a crime drama.
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Great for teens that like crime shows
Love this show. but then again i like almost all crime shows, CASTLE is vey much like bones but the main focus is on xatching the muderer rather than all of the forensic type stuff. castle and beckett are a great team and all the characters are extremely interesting and funny. Castle is a single father with sole custody to his 15 yr old daughter alexis, due to her mothers chosen profession, he is also a very acomplished writer and insists on following Beckett around. Beckett is a single, bright, savvy woman, she works for the NYPD, a profession castle says she chose due to her mothers murder. There is very little swearing for example castle tends to use APPLES as his safe word for when he woud be swearing if it where a different show. This is a very interesting and funny tv series, well worth praise.
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I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
Great cop show--teens and up
As we all know, ABC makes the stupidest programming decisions. Castle is really not "adult" enough for 10:00 p.m. For the most part, it could easily be an 8:00 p.m. "Family Hour" show. If you don't like graphic violence like that found on CSI and Bones, and if you appreciate smart comedy, Castle is for you. With all the great shows on TV canceled this season (Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, etc.), don't be surprised if Castle is canceled.
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
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