Before the incomparable Nathan Fillion played the titular role in ABC’s cop procedural The Rookie, he headlined another high-profile drama on the network. Years ago, TV viewers knew him for his role as as the lead in the mystery crime dramedy Castle. The show garnered a major following, and the series seems to hold a special place in Fillion's heart. Now, the actor is now paying tribute to it five years after its cancellation through a hilariously morbid post.
The actor took to his Instagram to honor his former drama series in a humorously photoshopped image. The snapshot has Nathan Fillion's Rookie character, John Nolan, kneeling before a tombstone with his old show's name engraved on it. While it may be a grim photo on the surface, it’s still hilarious. And in a way, it's kind of... sweet? Check it out and judge for yourself:
On Castle, the actor played best-selling mystery novelist Richard Castle during the show's eight-season run. His Instagram post clearly exemplifies how the series will always be with him, regardless of the dour way he chose to pay tribute. It's a nice post, and one that kind of makes me want to see a crossover of sorts between the two programs.
While the show may be a thing of the past, Nathan Fillion has had flashes of his old project as of late. There have been cast reunions that have taken place on his police drama, with Jon Huertas, Annie Wersching, Seamus Dever and Toks Olagundoye all appearing during its run. Hopefully, fans can expect even more moving forward, because it’s always a treat when they happen.
The rest of the Castle cast have been doing pretty well since the series ended. All have found success with other projects, including Stana Katic who left the series on controversial terms.
The Rookie recently aired its midseason finale, and it was both emotional and action-packed. The episode included the long-awaited climax to Wesley’s situation with Elijah and gave fans (and Nolan) quite the shocking reveal in its final minutes. The series won’t be coming back on for another few weeks, and fans are surely anxious to see what lies ahead for the team.
With his mystery show cancelled back in 2016 and his current show kicking off two years later, it definitely didn't take the Firefly alum long to find a new series. He admitted that he jumped on a new project so quickly because he looks forward to doing work that he enjoys rather than enjoying what he’s watching, which makes sense for an actor. Procedurals have been popular for years now, and it’s not surprising to see that the star would want to get in on the genre.
As time goes on, Nathan Fillion is sure to hold Castle in his heart -- as well as in the ground, apparently. But if you'd like some better memories of the show, you can stream all eight seasons on Hulu, which is where you can also find episodes of The Rookie. Also be sure to check out new episodes of the latter when it returns to ABC on Sunday, January 2 at 10 p.m. ET.
