Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic make murder look easy on Castle! I mean, they make solving murders look easy. (Well – even the plots are usually rather complicated on the show, I never doubt that they’re going to have a brilliant breakthrough. Ya dig?)

*A Note about the use of “TV Nerd” in the title. I am in the camp of Zachary Levi and his Nerd Machine, who very much believe that “Nerd” is a positive word.

Castle and Beckett solved a lot of murders  last season, and Castle season 4 is starting back up soon! That means it’s a great time to check out the Castle Season 3 DVD right now. As it so happens, season 3 on DVD is available to own in a 5 disc set from ABC Studios as of September 20th, 2011. I’m going to give you a rundown of the extras provided so you have an idea of what you’re in for. There’s over an hour of bonus footage. From a fans standpoint, I can confirm that you will be very pleased with what is offered.

Castle Season 3 DVD Extras aka Special Features:

Roundtable (15 minutes +): “Murder They Wrote” –  This is an insightful roundtable featuring Nathan Fillion (who has more of a guest appearance in the segment as he he was filming for the show), New York Times best-selling author Michael Connelly and other recognizable names in the world of mystery solving to discuss the genre, tricks of the trade and more. There is a wealth of creative talk going on here that you may find inspiring. I know that I will be returning to watch this feature a couple times, because it’s not often enough you get this many smart people in a room to talk about the process of being creative and artistic in a world that tries to shut us all down to become bankers. (No offense to you bankers, out there… Rah, rah, keep our money safe, and stuff.) While my specific passion is the craft of writing (and sure, I suck at it half of the time), I was interested in what everyone had to say, regardless of their medium. But let’s start off with the author Michael Connelly.

“I just don’t hang out with cops that are as pretty as Beckett, but it’s something I do. When I’m doing my research I’m more of an observer,” noted Connelly. I like hearing about how he gets inspired for stories. “People in this world are good storytellers, so I put myself in the position where I can hear stories and wait for inspiration.” Now I can feel like less of a creep for people watching and creating random backstrories for people. Awesome.

Brian Michael Bendis (graphic novelist) is very eloquent about his craft in a way that will have you going “omgmetoo!” He said,  “As I got older…you really discover… oh my God it’s an art form that’s changed my life already and I have to be part of it. I have to do this.”

There’s also bits of Castle trivia thrown around in this feature. For instance, we all love the poker games that Castle attends, but now you’ll learn why they were established on the show.

And I know you want some Fillion specifics. So I’ll give you a few. At one point he asked, “How do you stop the enemy of distraction?” Whoa – deep, I know. And definietly a question worth asking! But there is also lighter fare to talk about – such as Angry Birds, Medieval Times restaurants, and Jack Bauer of 24. Fans will be more than appreciative to know there is plenty of Fillion’s trademark wit. He reveals some personal trivia and is generally a charming force to be reckoned with. And, yes, they even talk about Firefly for a moment. (He even outs himself as being a big fan of Sci fi fans.) This roundtable is (I’m going for a pun…) well-rounded, and I can only hope they will have another on the Castle season 4 DVDs.

Behind-the-Scenes at Hollywood: “Castle Goes Hollywood” – This is an all new behind-the-scenes look at the season’s episode that takes the series characters to Hollywood. This is a combination of interviews and footage that will leave you smiling. Fillion and Katic are both there, talking about what made this particular episode different for them. “By the way, learning how to hurdle a fence in front of 200 people is very awkward,” Katic mentions. Who knew?

Look for a couple little gags between our two leads, joking about Gene Simmons. I’m not sure if it was improv or not, but it was fun.

And will they talk about the Hollywood doppelgangers for Espositio and Ryan? Oh, you better believe it.

For fashion/makeup freaks like me, you’ll get to hear about Beckett’s L.A. specific hair, makeup and costuming. This was probably Beckett’s most casual episode to date. California made her feel free, rebellious, and a little bit more sexy…

Episode Commentary for two episodes:  The commentary is for “A Deadly Affair” (season 3 premiere, with creator/executive producer/writer Andrew W. Marlow, Director/Executive Producer Rob Bowman and Actor Nathan Fillion) and “3XK” (season 3 episode 7 with Director Bill Roe, Executive Producer/Writer  David Amann and actors Seamus Dever and Joe Huertas)

Gag reel (4 minutes 13 seconds): Sometimes mirrors that are supposed to break, just don’t! And the Castle cast? They say “Booyah” a lot. Fillion likes to slap people. Katic is so much more comedic than I ever realized.  There’s plenty of dancing, pantslessness, skipping…. Oh, you’re going to love this. And if you’re like me, you’ll watch it at least twice in a row.

Deleted scenes: These are on every disc, so you can watch them in tandem with the episode they were cut from. Gotta love the organization and forethought!

Murder Boards: A slideshow of the dry erase boards. There are 6 total boards, and you’ll learn how they get made. It’s actually a pretty intense process!

Get On the Floor Music Video – It’s a tiny bit cheesy, but it pumps you up.

Price: $45.99 USA

The Castle season 3 DVD Release Date is September 20th, 2011. Buy it on Amazon here.

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Castle airs Mondays on ABC at 10/9c – do not even think about missing season 4!

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