After scoring the best rating for ABC in 14 years, Castle has been renewed for a third season.
The show, starring Nathan Fillion as the murder novel writer turned quasi-detective Richard Castle, preformed modestly when it was added to the lineup last spring. ABC even considered the program a bubble show before adding it to the 2009 fall schedule. However, since renewal the show has been gaining momentum. This Monday Castle even beat a rerun of timeslot rival CSI: Miami finishing second for the night behind its power house lead in Dancing with the Stars.
The show’s time slot has been in the news a lot over recent months with Leno and O’Brien, but even before the late-show madness 10 PM was a concern for networks. Scripted dramas like Castle have just not been pulling in the numbers they used to before cable and DVR. However, this past Monday saw Castle leading the alphabet network to its highest rating for a scripted program at 10 since 1996.
While some chalk Castle’s success up to its Stars lead-in, ABC President of Entertainment Steve McPherson is more confident. The network “believed in Castle and its team from the beginning,” according to McPherson. “Not only does the audience get bigger each week, the show gets better every year.”
Castle fans that may have been biting their nails at the series narrow renewal last spring can rest easy. The show’s new season includes a full pickup of 22 episodes.
