David Amann, showrunner of Castle, says a crime story has to have a dose of humour and heart to leave an impact. He chats withK Bhardwaj
The last finale disappointed a lot of people as it ended on a mysterious yet sad note. How are things shaping up this timeIJ
The first two episodes of this season have presented some challenges for Castle and Beckett and they will overcome these challenges. What happened to Castle is not going to drive them apart but will get them closer. It is inevitable that they will consummate their relationship in an official kind of way. So I think folks can anticipate that the marriage which didn’t happen yet may happen relatively soon.
How did you manage to keep the audience hooked all these yearsIJ
I think we are blessed with a fantastic cast. Nathan and Stana are remarkable actors with a great chemistry as are Jon Huertas, Seamus Dever and Tamala and Penny along with Molly and Susan. These actors are versatile, so that makes our jobs a lot easier. You know, for us, the burden is just trying to deliver every week a new story that kind of lives up to the promise of the series. We think that the fans show up because they enjoy watching Castle and Beckett in their act and they want a good mystery that is predictable and has some good surprises and fun.
Now that you are the show runner, tell us about your journey in the showIJ How challenging has it been for youIJ
I think, initially the challenge was understanding how to write the show, which I think everybody that comes here in the beginning has to learn. It isn’t only in terms of the voices of the characters but also in terms of the storytelling which we are specific about in the particular series. Since after my first episode, it’s been about becoming more fluent in the language of Castle and getting to understand the rhythms of the show and the voices of the characters. With each passing year, I have taken a little more responsibility and now I am running the show. Andrew Marlowe, who is the creator of the show and was the showrunner up until last year (continues to), he is still here day-to-day and we still work as a team. It’s simply a matter of me doing a little bit more and him doing a little bit less than in the years past. So, I think it’s just a division that has kind of evolved over time so it’s been a relatively smooth transition.
You have written several episodes of Castle. What are the key factors that you reinvent to keep the mystery goingIJ
It is sort of a deeper exploration of some of the characters’ issues. The best example today is Becket and her search for her mother’s murderer. Those episodes have allowed us to come and step outside the Castle template and do some very interesting things. We see the same opportunity presented in coming out of these first couple of episodes with Castle where something obviously happened to Castle and he has a period of time that he cannot account for. That eventually becomes something we can explore a little bit more later in season and then vary the palate of the show that is being offered to audience.
Which episodes are your top picks in all the seasonsIJ
There are a lot of them. I am going to mention a couple of them. There is one called the Blue Butterfly in Season 4 where Castle and Beckett sort of go back in time where Castle is a private investigator. That is one of my personal favourites. There are Knock out and Knock down which were connected to Beckett’s mother.
Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic continue to play investigators for seven seasons. Didn’t you think of experimenting with the star castIJ
If it is about changing the cast or getting rid of any actor, then we certainly do not want to do that. We do aspire every season to expand role of characters, like Esposito or Ryan, where we make them the centre of some stories. We try to do it with everybody from the cast. We are so fortunate that they have a wonderful onscreen chemistry and are incredibly gifted actors.
Why do you think crime thrillers are masses’ favouriteIJ
Mystery stories have an inherent curiosity, people want to know what’s going to happen next. I think this speaks for the success of mystery shows. When Andrew created the show, he was doing something a bit away from the standard procedural, which is a little dry without humour or humanity. I think he saw an opportunity in Castle that has a heart, humour and fun.
Is season 7 the final series of the showIJ
There are our contracts and stuff that are up at the end of the season. I know that the network and the studio are very interested in continuing the show, it is just a question whether everybody can get on board. We are hopeful and we think the show has a lot of good years left and we hope it all gets worked out .
Will you do the show without the lead pairIJ
You couldn’t do this show as it currently exist because it would have to be something quite different. I don’t know exactly what it would be because the DNA of the show I think is built around their relationship — a relationship that was initially acrimonious and conflicted and later turned into a romantic tale. So I think that the promise of the series has been about the two of them getting together which is what they are in the process of doing, so if you lose one or the other of them from that equation, I’m not sure what story or the series will look like.
What are the plans apart from CastleIJ
No plans! Castle is a like a full time job for me. All my energy and efforts go into producing and writing it.
(Castle Season 7 airs every Wednesday on Star World
Premiere HD)