CASTLE: Andrew Marlowe Teases the ‘Complicated’ Lanie and Esposito Relationship, Dad-to-Be Ryan, Guest Stars, and More

While CASTLE creator Andrew Marlowe was (understandably) vague about what’s to come for Castle and Beckett in season 6 given how many question marks are hanging over their head with the various cliffhanger outcomes, he was a little bit more forthcoming about what’s to come for the rest of the people in their world.

Take a look at what he could tease about Ryan, Esposito, Lanie, Alexis, the return of some memorable guest stars, and more…

What can you say about the introduction of Lisa Edelstein‘s introduction to the CASTLE world?
Andrew Marlowe: Lisa comes in as a top-notch federal investigator that has a very strong impact on Beckett’s decision-making about what she ultimately does in terms of her job and the job opportunity in DC. And it’s really fun watching her interact with Beckett…and with Castle. Taking kind of a fresh [view] of Castle we haven’t seen in a while, and certainly not since Gates came into the picture — this guy who is always poking into things. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

Elsewhere, how is Ryan handling Jenny’s pregnancy?
AM: I think he’s very much looking forward to it in an obsessive way that is causing great consternation to the people around him.

Is Esposito getting a little tired of Ryan in Baby Daddy mode?
AM: I think that would be fair to say.

Is Jenny’s pregnancy making Esposito reconsider his own life choices?
AM: It’s doing so in unexpected ways. [Laughs]

Does Lanie factor into that?
AM: No, I’m not talking more about the bromance between Ryan and Esposito. When a baby comes along, it tends to challenge that sort of thing. People shift their attention.

Fair! What can you tease about what’s coming up for Esposito and Lanie as a potential couple?
AM: Well, I think they have a complicated relationship, and I think we owe the audience a little more there. There was a scene that was cut out a season or so ago that explains why the two of them broke up when they did. But because that scene was cut out, we never have given the audience a really satisfactory explanation of where the relationship stands or what the issues are, so I think we have a responsibility to address that.

Speaking of relationships, Alexis has a new boyfriend. What can you say about what we can expect for her in the new season?
AM: Alexis, when she comes back from Costa Rica, has this boy in tow. This hemp-wearing, fruitarian, that Castle doesn’t know what to make of. And the guy kind of insinuates himself into the household in a way that is just maddening to Castle. I think it’s certainly going to challenge him. And I think Alexis will be equally challenged by where Castle is in the season, and the emotional fallout from the decisions he’s made and the decisions Beckett’s made.

That makes sense. Last year, ABC upped your episode order twice last season — and the last time was fairly late in the game. Have you spoken to them about needing to know a final episode count earlier in the year, or are you basically at their mercy?
AM: I think we’re sort of at their mercy. They have their needs and they have to see how their season opens, and we have to see how we’re performing and they have to see how their other shows are performing. We certainly understand the issues they’re under; there are times they can make commitments and times they can’t. We’re just happy to be around.

So are you planning on 22 for this season?
AM: So far, my understanding is for 22. We’re internally planning to have more just so we don’t get caught unaware…I’ll say we were pretty stretched by the end of the season, but sometimes a challenge like that can produce something really interesting. I’m really proud of the clip show [“Still”] we ended up doing. We found a way into that that I was creatively very pleased by. And I’m normally someone who hates clip shows. But we managed to comment on the relationship and move the storytelling forward, so I was ultimately very happy. And sometimes when you’re challenged, the only way to respond to the challenge is to be as creative as you can possibly be, good things come from it.

With trying to plan these episodes, is it really difficult at this point to try and stay ahead of the curve in tackling some of these zeitgeist-y cases? I know when BONES creator Hart Hanson tweeted about their in-the-works episode about roller derby, you tweeted CASTLE had almost done an episode set there, too…
AM: You do the best job you can; I don’t know you can always stay ahead of it. Ultimately, we try and do shows we’re interested in that we think our characters might be interested in. And if Hart and I do roller derby on the same week, just because we have different characters with a different point of view, I can guarantee you the shows will be different. We may have some of the same set dressings or some of the same obligations to the genre, but it would end up being a different beast. Ultimately, I think you end up needing to service your characters and your show, and when you’ve done 100 — and I think Hart’s done 150 of them — the stories become more and more difficult to come up with. And you’re looking for something that’s going to be fresh for your characters and will be able to provide you with a conversation or a touchstone — if they’re in a relationship — of something to talk about.

What can you say about the guest stars you’ll have this season?
AM: We’re really excited to have Lisa Edelstein for the episodes she’s going to be in, and we’re looking forward to landing other great names. There are a lot of talented people in this business I’d love to work with, and one thing I’ve learned about this industry is so much of it has to do with timing and the stars aligning to get those people into the roles. And we’ve been very, very lucky so far. And hopefully we’ll continue to be lucky this year.

Should fans be expecting returns for Meredith or James Brolin as Castle’s dad or Senator Bracken?
AM: I can say that’s our hope. All of the characters you mentioned are very compelling characters to us, and we think there’s some great storytelling in each of them. Again, it’s a matter of us having the right idea at the right time of the season and just hoping those guys are available to come play in our sandbox.

We had such a good time with Brolin, and what a good actor playing that character in our mythology. We’d love to see him again, but we’d have to make sure we had the right story that really tapped into the Castle relationship with his father and who that guy is. And of course, bringing Jack [Coleman] back for Senator Bracken, we know that there are aspects to that story that are hanging over Beckett’s head, that we’re going to need to engage with at some point. It’s finding the right story and making sure that he is available. So those are all things that are certainly on our wishlist, and hopefully the TV gods will smile upon us and it’ll all work out.

How about 3XK?
AM: Isn’t he dead?

I don’t believe your innocent tone any more this time than I did the last time you gave me that line.
AM: He may be out there, he may be dead. We’ll see.

A “death” is a good way to put him on the back, back burner until you guys have the perfect story for him to return.
AM: I would prefer that instead of saying I’m putting him on the back, back burner, how uncomfortable must it be for Richard Castle to believe this force is out there? That this very destructive force could be alive, and could still be biding his time?

That could keep someone up at night.
AM: If he’s alive.

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CASTLE’s sixth season premieres Monday, September 23rd at 10 PM on ABC.

Related:

CASTLE: CHUCK’s Joshua Gomez to Guest Star
CASTLE: Andrew Marlowe Teases the Castle and Beckett Dynamic in Season 6
CASTLE: THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS’ Billy Miller to Guest Star

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