Castle (2009 - ) - TV series starring Nathan Fillion

* * * * 1/2

After Criminal Minds this is the second American crime series I have watched avidly however they are very different shows. Castle is comedic, as anyone who knows Nathan Fillion's acting would have been able to guess, and Castle deals with more than the police cases. Castle is a crime novel writer who tails a police officer, Beckett, as she inspires a new character for him.

First and foremost I think that the strength of Castle lies in the characters. In the first 3 series that I've seen there are 3 women and 3 male who are central. The 3 women are great because they vary immensely and are all friends, which is a rarity in a lot of police TV series. You have a batty mother, sensible daughter and then a typical strong female character who actually has more layers the longer you watch the show. The male characters are Castle, who is of course charming and funny, and then the other two become more prominent through the seasons.

The crime elements are interesting because they cover a large range of victims, attackers and motives. Sometimes the situation is quite tame and you only see a little bit of blood, whereas other times I find some things quite disturbing. The writers also deal with love ties, family issues and teenager relationships. The combination of a lot of topics portrayed in the show mean that there is something for everyone.

It's very funny with characters that you care about and want to see their relationships development. I can't really imagine someone not liking this because there is crime, drama and comedy so you'll always find something worth watching for in every episode.

Criminal Minds (2005 - ) - TV series aired on Sky Living

* * * * 1/2

Not my normal genre of TV programme because the 'whodunit' genre is often incredibly repetitive from episode to episode and even series to series. Criminal Minds, although you always know that they will catch the bad guy in the end, prevent the feeling of the plot stagnating by moving the people around America and also focusing on strong characters, from the leads to the criminals.

The most clever
difference between this crime series is that the investigators are not confined to one city. In fact they have a private jet which can carry them all around America. This changes the dynamic of the story every episode and can keep some audiences interested as they can relate to some places they go to.

This diversity is reflected in almost every aspect of the show. The criminals are various and include men, women, even children. Obviously the methods and motive change too which is incredibly interesting because it is then analysed from a psychological perspective. The main characters are also different and they maintain a good balance of male and female influence, which is often rare.

Personally the biggest appeal is the psychological aspect of the stories. The  detectives' job is to analyse the minds of the criminal to help the police find them. Looking at the psychological elements of the criminal mind is intriguing because rarely do real-life stories report on the mentality of a criminal. Sometimes the criminal is even sympathised with for various reasons and this is another refreshing variation from the norm of simply presenting all criminality as thuggish and inexplicable behaviour.

Criminal Minds is the perfect mix of originality and well thought through writing to produce a more interesting take on a classic genre. The characters are also carefully written to give them extensive personalities and make watching them enjoyable.