So the show would just be what? Castle playing poker and describing the case of the week to his writer buddies?

Depending on how Beckett leaves, he could do a whole "I must investigate the brutal death of a loved one and be dangerously obsessed for years until I discover the byzantine plot behind it all!" thing. As one does.

Everybody needs a hobby.

he could do a whole "I must investigate the brutal death of a loved one and be dangerously obsessed for years until I discover the byzantine plot behind it all!" thing.

This is my fear. This would definitely not be playing to their strengths,

Ya know, I could have been content with a Castle, PI show without Beckett if they had gone their spearate ways before getting together. They could have gone with a Hart to Hart type partnership, and I would have loved it. But they lost me when Castle and Beckett separated after their marriage. Unnecessary drama. I for sure won't go back to the show with Kate and Lanie gone.

But they lost me when Castle and Beckett separated after their marriage.

Right, there can be no drama without romantic tension. They could have done a lot with "She's an active cop, he's a writer/PI, their duties get in each other's way, but they still love each other." Lots of wackiness that Castle had in the beginning--I loved the weird cases with the weird characters--with some shared drama, but they got lost in Beckett's Mom and What Will Beckett Do With Her Life? Heck, even Beckett trying to fit into the life of the wife of a famous man and relating to Alexis and Martha.

Instead we get missing time and separations and conspiracies. Sigh It used to be so good.

Still is on MOTW (so to speak) eps.

I always wonder how many defense attorneys say "Much of the investigation was conducted with the help of an untrained civilian, we challenge everything Richard Castle was involved in." Which is why these shows depend on confessions or a dead perp, but I'd love to see a couple of trials. Wasn't there a trial in one of the recent seasons? I've stopped watching.

There was a Bones episode where the perp refused to confess and there wasn't enough physical evidence to make a good case, and Booth was telling Bones that even though the odds of conviction were low, the family knew the truth. It was very refreshing.

I just caught up with last week's Elementary, and John Noble is scary as shit without doing anything other than sitting in a chair.

It's too bad his role on Sleepy Hollow kind of degenerated over S2, because he was legit scary in S1. But he's more than made up for it in Elementary.

Also, Joan is really getting in over her head and I worry.

Joan is really getting in over her head

It doesn't matter, because her wardrobe is fabulous.