†Spoilers (Pilot Episode)

Judging by the timeslot it’s given Castle — it premieres at 10 p.m. ET Monday, March 9, after the network’s top-rated show, Dancing with the Stars — ABC seems to think it’s found the show to break that drought. And while the first two episodes have some good moments — thanks in large part to Firefly and Waitress star Nathan Fillion in the title role — the show doesn’t immediately announce itself as a hit….

…The responsibility for making the show go, then, falls mostly to Fillion, and he does an admirable job of it. The extent to which Castle works is due mostly to Fillion’s charm and Rick’s attempts to crack through Kate’s tough facade. Fillion and Katic play off one another reasonably well, but Kate is at the moment a little underwritten. Indications that she’s a fan of Castle’s work are brought up early in the pilot and then basically dropped, and while she’s good with a dismissive line, it would be nice to see Katic get a little more room to work.

It might also be nice to see Rick get roughened up a little. Though he’s presented as something of a bad boy, the character is almost too nice, raising a stable teenage daughter (Molly Quinn) and putting up with his ex-actress mom (Susan Sullivan, who could challenge 90210′s Jessica Walter to a boozy grandma-off) crashing at his house. Monday’s premiere has an amusing scene in which Rick plays poker with some fellow best-selling novelists (James Patterson and Stephen J. Cannell play themselves); more glimpses into Rick’s day job and professional life might be a good thing.

Full Review available at http://blog.zap2it.com