Today, we look at when (or if) you folks believe that Castle “jumped the shark.”
This is “Just Can’t Jump It,” a feature where we examine shows that launched in 2006 or later and whether they “jumped the shark.” Jumped the shark means that the show had a specific point in time where, in retrospect, you realize that show was going downhill from there. Not every show DOES jump the shark. Some shows just remain good all the way through. And some shows are terrible all the way through. What we’re looking for are moments where a show that you otherwise enjoyed hit a point where it took a noticeable nose dive after that time and if so, what moment was that?
The great Jon Hein had a website devoted to this topic, but he sold it off in 2006 and after being maintained for a couple of years it was then merged into TV Guide in 2009, so I figured it’d be fun to look at shows that launched after the sale and see what we all think about whether they jumped the shark and, if so, when did it happen? Here is the archive of the show’s we have done far and what the judgments were for those shows.
Today, we look at the charming mystery drama, Castle, starring Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, a best-selling mystery novelist who would solve mysteries with Stana Katic’s homicide detective, Kate Beckett.
So first…DID IT JUMP THE SHARK? I don’t believe so, no. Had it been renewed for one more season, it definitely would have, but luckily, they canceled it before it could jump the shark by writing Beckett off of the series.
WHEN DID IT JUMP THE SHARK I don’t think it did, but I’d be up for opposing positions!
Let me know what you think in the comments or on social media1
Feel free to e-mail me at brian@popculturereferences.com for suggestions for shows for us to do in future installments!
Definitely Jumped The Shark with Castle being kidnapped en-route to his wedding. There was no clear resolution of that storyline, but was a drawn out affair…and, oh yeah, Castle and Beckett got married somewhere in there.
But if it went another season…imagine with Stana Katic being written out of the show…Kate is killed off. That season takes a cue from Britain’s crime drama “Police Surgeon”, where the titular character’s wife is killed off, and he teams up to avenge his wife’s death with agent John Steed.
Tune in next time, when I read my latest Ryan/Esposito fan fiction story entitled “Respisito, You’ve Got To Come To Your Senses”.
Correction to the statement on Police Surgeon/The Avengers
Ian Hendry starred as police surgeon Dr Geoffrey Brent in Police Surgeon.
This was cancelled after one season.
Immediately afterwards Ian Hendry was cast in replacement series the Avengers as General Practitioner Dr David Keel (who had no connection to the police).
His secretary/fiancée was murdered by drug dealers as she had seen and could identify one member of the gang. His quest for revenge is assisted by a mysterious undercover operative known only as “Steed” who , afterwards, suggests they could help each other out from time to time.
On Castle, my understanding is that the suggestion to write out Beckett had not been planned but was introduced in an attempt to save the series from cancellation. So, if we consider what would have happened if it had been renewed then maybe we can include a possibility if she had still been in it.
Overall, I’d say it ddn’t jump the shark
I think Castle jumped the shark in season 6 episode 20 “That 70’s Show”. I could have walked away from the show during that episode (and probably should have) since it gets even more ridiculous going forward. Since I’m bingeing it right now, give me strength!
Two come to mind:
1) when Becket had to stop wearing normal work clothes and be hotter with 2010 makeup, longer hair, tight jeans, and impractical shoes
2) The bomb episode. Castle diffuses a bomb!!!
That’s when I knew that the showrunners were no longer making fun of cop drama murder mystery shows and were taking themselves too seriously.
I agree with the previous commenter that castle jumped the shark with the kidnapping at the wedding and all the subsequent storylines from that. it only got worse when Kate moved out to continue her obsessive search. also when professional Killers get everybody except Kate it begins to stretch believability