Breakout Hit Series CASTLE Moves to CTV May 3

    
               - Season's final three episodes to air on CTV -
       - Beckett and Castle realize their attraction to each other is too
                 strong to deny in the May 17 season finale -
    

TORONTO, April 21 /CNW/ - CTV announced today that the breakout hit series CASTLE is moving to the network's spring schedule for its final three episodes this season, Mondays at 10 p.m. ET, beginning May 3. The popular series is now scheduled to follow Canada's most-watched comedy THE BIG BANG THEORY (visit ctv.ca to confirm local broadcast times). Starring Edmonton-native Nathan Fillion and Hamilton-raised Stana Katic, the light-hearted, hour-long mystery-comedy follows crime writer Richard "Rick" Castle (Fillion) as he teams up with NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Katic) to help solve strange homicides in New York.

CASTLE has been on an upswing this spring consistently charting as one of the top-rated programs on /A\. Its spring season average is up 30% from its fall average, signaling a breakout for the second year comedy drama.* Meanwhile, in the U.S., CASTLE has doubled its audience from last season, outperforming timeslot competitors CSI: MIAMI and LAW & ORDER. It was recently renewed by ABC for a 22-episode third season.(xx)

Entertainment Weekly recently revealed that Castle and Beckett will exit the denial phase of their relationship in the series' May 17 season finale. "Beckett and Castle finally realize their attraction to each other is too strong to deny," said Executive Producer Andrew W. Marlowe. "Decisions must be made by each of them."

Episode descriptions of CASTLE are available at ctvmedia.ca.

    
    About CASTLE
    ------------
    

Cross a mystery novelist with a rock star whose fans love him as much as he loves himself and you get Richard Castle. He's got Jagger's swagger and a James Bond's way with the ladies. And although the handsome writer seems to have everything, including fame, fans, and females, he's grown weary of it all. But when a real-world copycat murderer starts staging murder scenes from Castle's novels and NYPD Detective Beckett asks him for help, it would get the old blood pumping again and lead to an unlikely - but effective - partnership.

    
    About CTV
    ---------
    

CTV, Canada's Olympic Network, is also Canada's largest private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV is Canada's most-watched television network. CTV Inc. also owns radio stations across the country and owns or has interests in leading national specialty channels, featuring news, sports, factual, arts, entertainment, music, youth and fashion programming. Official broadcaster of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and London 2012 Games of the Olympiad, CTV Inc. is owned by CTVglobemedia Inc., Canada's premier multi-media company, which also owns Canada's national newspaper, The Globe and Mail. More information about CTV may be found on the network's website at www.ctv.ca.

    
    Source:
    *   BBM Canada (Fall: Sep 21/09 - Dec 13/09/
          Spring: March 01/09 - April 19/10)
    (xx)  Nielsen
    

For further information: Renée Horton, CTV Inc., [phone] or [email protected]; Jim Quan, CTV Inc., [phone] or [email protected]