Recently I read an article that said critics are calling actor Nathan Fillion a show killer because the three shows he starred in Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place, Firefly and Drive were all canceled. In my opinion I think calling Fillion a show killer is a little harsh because Two Guys had four seasons and Firefly was made into the movie Serenity. The only show that can be considered as an a failure is Drive because it was canceled after four episodes.

Nathan Fillion as Mal Reynolds on Firefly

Currently Fillion stars in Castle a show where he plays Richard Castle a best selling author who helps the NYPD Homicide Division solve mysteries to research his next book. Due to Nathan Fillion being a show killer critics think Castle is going to be canceled. However I do not think this is a fair assessment because Fillion is what makes the show because he portrays Castle as an character who uses his status as a best selling author as an excuse to act like a big kid who cannot even take a dead body seriously. This comes much to the dismay of his partner Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) who acts as the straight man. The main thing I am trying to get at is Castle likes to have a good time even when solving murders and I honestly don't see how people could not have fun hanging out with him on a weekly basis.

Watch this clip to see the fun that can be found on Castle.

I guess an argument can be made that Castle might come across as an jerk because he is willing to make quips about a dead body but the writers solve this issue through giving his character a 15 year old daughter named Alexis (Molly Quinn). The relationship between Castle and Alexis makes him one heck of a nice guy especially since each episode has a secondary plot line which centers around Castle dealing with his little girl growing up. It is also is heartwarming to see that Alexis is the one who grounds her Dad when his ego gets too big. On top of that the show also appeals to women through Castle having a romance with Detective Beckett that is reminiscent of Bruce Willis' show Moonlighting. Honestly Castle is a show that has something for everybody Romance, Mystery, Drama, and elements of a family Sitcom making it very hard for me to see how exactly Nathan Fillion can kill this show.

Watch Castle at 10/9c on ABC.

If you have not seen Leverage it is a show about a former Insurance Agent named Nate Ford (Timothy Hutton) who leads a team of criminals that con the rich to give back to the poor. Out of the 12 episodes that made up the first season 11 of them featured a highly impressive con that kept myself as a viewer guessing til the end. The 12th episode did not work for me because it revolved around landing a 747 on a bridge which was made even more corny by the event being performed using terrible CGI. However the season worked because all the cons where wrapped nicely around a dramatic story arc where Nate takes revenge on his former insurance company for failing to save his dying son's life. With the current season Leverage took a new turn by the writers removing a dramatic story arc and just focusing on individual cons lined up with a season long B story that focuses on a romance between Nate and one of the criminals on his team a grifter named Sophie (Gina Bellman).



Nate and Sophie, the center of the romance on Leverage.

Unfortunately as the season has progressed it has become more difficult for the writers to draw a conclusion to each weeks con. I mean it has gotten to the point that after all of his planning the success of a con came down to just asking a woman if she was color blind. On top of that the writers fizzled out the romance between Nate and Sophie by having her leave the team. Although the writers are attempting to make the show more interesting by having a new criminal, Tara (Jeri Ryan known as Seven of Nine on Star Trek Voyager) join the team.



From Android to Con Artist, Jeri Ryan joins the cast of Leverage.

She is portrayed as a character who only wants to help the poor as long as she gets paid setting up a conflict between Nate and the rest of his team. However this conflict is not as powerful as Nate avenging his sons death meaning Leverage might be headed for its last con.

If you have watched NBC recently for at least five minutes you have probably seen a commercial or a promo for The Jay Leno Show. For me personally I have no problems with Jay Leno as a person and I respect him for filling in Johnny Carson's shoes on The Tonight Show even though I watch Letterman instead. H0wever the problem I have with the Jay Leno Show is the time it airs 10/9c every week night on NBC. This time slot is traditionally dedicated towards the big three networks NBC, ABC and CBS airing a hour long drama series. Although with Jay now airing at 9, NBC has passed on five
potential new dramas and has brushed off two current running dramas Chuck which has been delayed until March and Medium which has been moved to CBS.


Chuck (Right) and Medium (Left) shows threatened with cancellation by The Jay Leno Show.

The loss of 9PM dramas on NBC is detrimental to people like writers, directors and producers because it gives them five less chances to work on a network show. This is terrible due to the fact the chance of an original pilot getting produced is extremely hard making a writer in college like myself very unsure if I can break into the TV business. On the other hand from a financial standpoint something like The Jay Leno makes sense because hiring a team to put on a show every night is much cheaper than hiring five teams to put on a show for each night of the week. Again I cannot help but question if The Jay Leno Show existed ten years ago would NBC shows that were highly successful at 9c like ER and Law and Order ever seen the light of day? I guess that is the gamble NBC has to take but if the show is successful The Jay Leno Show might an indication that creative television, sitcoms and dramas may become non existent.