You do remind me a little of Hooch...

So, if I had to pick a favorite TV show of all time, it'd have to be Castle on ABC.  It's finished its fourth season and has already been picked up for syndication, much to my enjoyment, and will soon be airing its first episode of season five.  I don't know what exactly  about it draws me in so much, but there are plenty of things that I can point out in a heartbeat.

First, the plot.  Every TV viewer focuses first on the storyline first off, and this is no exception, despite the fact that being a TVR major should probably change that (old habits die hard, I guess).  Basically, a NYPD cop is followed by an award-winning novelist, and the typical shenanigans ensue as they follow criminals and a book series is born.  There's the will-they-or-won't-they-get-together aspect of it (spoiler alert: they do), but it isn't something overly romantic; the two are constantly back and forth at one another's throats.  It's part police procedural, part drama, part comedy, with a dash of romance tossed in.  I love it; the storylines vary between episodes, everything from serious murders to what appear to be alien abductions.  You can't get bored with that kind of surprise waiting every Monday night.

Then, there's the specifics of it.  The lighting is phenomenally done, and following one of the gaffers for the show on Instagram definitely adds to my appreciation of what they do.  It's filmed with some superb shots, always a variety used well, and they go the extra mile to make sure that everything looks authentic.  For example, after watching an interview with some crew members, I learned that they actually scuffed up the floor of the set, burned holes in it, and more, just to give it a real, aged police precinct look.

On top of that, the cast is an amazingly cohesive group, working well off of one another and truly convincing the viewers that they're the characters they portray.  Having gone on for five seasons now without losing the interest of their audience, I'd say that's not too shabby.  Now, there are the questions of whether or not the show will fall apart with the two main characters, Richard Castle and Kate Beckett, are together, but I have high hopes that it won't kill the series as it has in some other instances on television.  Any of the previews I've caught all look fantastic, so I'm very excited to start a new season.