'Castle,' premiering Monday on ABC

The Orlando Sentinel (MCT) - A bigger mystery than the weekly whodunit hangs over ABC's "Castle": Will the hero and heroine get together?

Best-selling writer Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) has just killed off a popular character and struggles to move forward. He finds unexpected inspiration in Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), a New York police detective who is investigating murders modeled on Castle's fiction.

Well-connected Castle joins the case. Businesslike Beckett bristles at his antics. I did, too: How can such a smart man act so dumb? This Castle is better read than met.

"Castle," which debuts at 10 p.m. EDT Monday, is ABC's attempt to recapture "Moonlighting" magic. But that Cybill Shepherd-Bruce Willis series faded quickly.

And "Castle" has the misfortune to arrive shortly after "The Mentalist," the CBS hit in which Simon Baker and Robin Tunney display chemistry effortlessly.

Fillion, who's usually dashing, pushes so hard as fun-loving Castle that the character irritates. Castle doesn't seem worthy of Beckett, played with refreshing, no-nonsense likability by Katic.

Can a romantic comedy work when the lead characters aren't meant for each other? Oh, well, they'll be solving cases together under the farfetched setup.

The crimes aren't as twisty as those on "The Mentalist." But there are surprises in the cast. Popping up in the premiere are Keir Dullea of "2001: A Space Odyssey" as a mourning dad and Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson, as a judge.

Authors James Patterson and Stephen J. Cannell play poker with Castle; they probably should have been giving writing advice instead behind the scenes.

At home, Castle has a wise teen daughter, Alexis (Molly Quinn), and an overbearing mom, Martha (Susan Sullivan), who is a Broadway diva.

A Broadway diva would demand a better showcase. This all-too-familiar "Castle" isn't worth capturing.

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CASTLE

When: The ABC comedy-drama debuts at 10 p.m. EDT Monday, its regular slot.

Parents guide: Crime stories, sexual themes, coarse language.

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© 2009, The Orlando Sentinel (Fla.).