The BEST episodes of Castle (2009)

Every episode of Castle (2009) ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Castle (2009)!

Rick Castle is one of the world's most successful crime authors. But when his rock star lifestyle isn't enough, this bad boy goes looking for new trouble and finds it working with smart, beautiful Detective Kate Beckett. Inspired by her professional record and intrigued by her buttoned-up personality, Castle's found the model for his bold new character whether she likes it or not. Now with the mayor's permission, Castle is helping solve crime with his own twist.

Last Updated: 1/26/2024Network: ABC (US)Status: Ended
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Hunt (2)
star
8.40
3391 votes

#1 - Hunt (2)

Season 5 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/25/2013

In the powerful conclusion of a two-episode story arc, when the FBI fails to get his daughter back, Castle takes matters into his own hands, reaching out to a shadowy fixer to help him recover Alexis. But Castle soon learns that his daughter's kidnapping may be part of an even more sinister agenda.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Always
star
8.32
4166 votes

#2 - Always

Season 4 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/7/2012

When the murder of an Army veteran puts Beckett on the trail of the man who shot her, Castle must decide how much he's willing to sacrifice to keep her safe. As secrets are revealed and feelings are put on the table, the lives of the detectives at the 12th Precinct may never be the same.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Veritas
star
8.30
2638 votes

#3 - Veritas

Season 6 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/5/2014

A secret investigation conducted by Beckett related to her mother's murder goes awry when a man she has been surveilling is killed. When evidence links Beckett to the victim, she and Castle become the targets of a manhunt that puts both of them in grave danger.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Time Will Tell
star
8.27
3222 votes

#4 - Time Will Tell

Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/21/2013

A grisly murder investigation leads Castle and Beckett to a suspect who claims he's traveled back in time to stop terrible events from unfolding, events that will change the course of human history. Is he simply a deluded killer, or is it possible that he's telling the truth?

Directors: Rob Bowman
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Countdown (2)
star
8.26
4519 votes

#5 - Countdown (2)

Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/28/2011

With time running out, Castle and Beckett must put aside their differences with Agent Fallon to avert a city-wide catastrophe.

Directors: Bill Roe
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Lives of Others
star
8.25
3394 votes

#6 - The Lives of Others

Season 5 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/1/2013

In the show’s 100th episode, Castle finds himself in the unfortunate position of NOT being able to work a case. While he’s holed up in the loft with a broken leg, Beckett goes off to investigate the death of an IRS agent without him, leaving Castle miserable and bored. But when he thinks he witnesses the murder of a young woman in the apartment across the street, he is thrown into a "Rear Window"-esque murder mystery that hits much too close to home.

Directors: Larry Shaw
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Knockdown
star
8.25
4686 votes

#7 - Knockdown

Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/24/2011

When the detective who investigated Beckett's mother's murder is shot before Beckett's eyes before he can give her new evidence in the case, Beckett's old wounds are reopened. The investigation of the detective's death leads the team to an old scheme which may provide the answer to why Beckett's mother was murdered and who ordered it.

Directors: Tom Wright
Writer: Will Beall
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Target (1)
star
8.21
3420 votes

#8 - Target (1)

Season 5 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/18/2013

In the first of a two-episode story arc, Castle and Beckett begin a murder investigation that also exposes a plot to kidnap the daughter of a wealthy Middle Eastern businessman. FBI Agent Harris (Dylan Walsh), an even-keeled professional is brought in to help find the kidnappers.

Directors: Bill Roe
Writer: David Amann
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Knockout
star
8.19
4407 votes

#9 - Knockout

Season 3 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/16/2011

Beckett's investigation into her mother's death is reactivated when Hal Lockwood - a professional hitman with knowledge of Beckett's mother's murder - stages a spectacular escape during a court hearing. As police launch a manhunt for Lockwood, Castle and the team uncover evidence of a deeper conspiracy involving a mysterious figure with law enforcement connections who is linked to both Lockwood's escape and the killing of Johanna Beckett.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Writer: Will Beall
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Probable Cause
star
8.18
4090 votes

#10 - Probable Cause

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/29/2012

While investigating a shocking ritualistic murder, Beckett and her team uncover surprising evidence linking Castle to the killing. As the evidence against him mounts, loyalties are tested. And when surprising revelations come to light, Beckett begins to wonder how well she really knows her new lover and partner of four years.

Directors: John Terlesky
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Tick, Tick, Tick... (1)
star
8.17
4407 votes

#11 - Tick, Tick, Tick... (1)

Season 2 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/22/2010

Federal Agent Jordan Shaw, an insightful and accomplished Federal investigator teams up with Castle & Beckett to hunt down a cunning and elusive serial killer.

Directors: Bryan Spicer
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Disciple
star
8.14
3153 votes

#12 - Disciple

Season 6 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/18/2013

Castle and Beckett arrive at a crime scene to discover that the female victim bears a shocking resemblance to Medical Examiner Lanie Parish. As the team tries to make sense of this mystery, they realize the killer may be targeting detectives of the 12th Precinct. Dr. Kelly Nieman, an exclusive Manhattan cosmetic surgeon who draws Castle and Beckett's interest because of her connection to the victim.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Writer: David Amann
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
After the Storm
star
8.12
3854 votes

#13 - After the Storm

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/24/2012

After four seasons of "will they" or "won't they," Richard Castle and Kate Beckett finally gave in to their feelings for each other. Season 5 picks up on the proverbial morning after, with Castle and Beckett facing new questions -- Was this a one-time fling, or are they now a couple? But before they find the answers, they must take on the forces responsible for Beckett's mother's murder that now threaten Kate Beckett's life.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Writer: David Amann
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Undead Again
star
8.09
3825 votes

#14 - Undead Again

Season 4 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/30/2012

When Castle and Beckett investigate the murder of a man with human bite marks on his body, Castle’s wild theories start flying. But none are as wild as what their only witness insists happened – a Zombie attack. As the evidence pointing towards an undead assailant piles up, the team plunges into New York’s Zombie subculture to find the killer and bring him in — dead, undead or alive.

Directors: Bill Roe
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Watershed
star
8.09
3157 votes

#15 - Watershed

Season 5 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/13/2013

In the season finale, an interview with a high-profile federal law enforcement agency forces Beckett to reconsider what she wants out of her job and out of her relationship with Castle. Meanwhile, the body of a young woman is found floating inside the water tank of a skid row flop house, but as the team investigate, they discover that her final resting place is just one of many strange things about her death.

Directors: John Terlesky
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
In the Belly of the Beast
star
8.09
2731 votes

#16 - In the Belly of the Beast

Season 6 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/3/2014

Beckett is recruited to assist on a Narcotics investigation, but a routine mission turns deadly when an undercover operation goes awry. To survive, Beckett must engage in a battle of wits against some of the most dangerous men in the New York underworld – including a powerful enemy from her past.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Linchpin (2)
star
8.08
3650 votes

#17 - Linchpin (2)

Season 4 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/20/2012

Castle and Beckett race to stop a series of events that could lead the U.S. into war, and their efforts continue to put Castle in CIA agent Sophia Conrad's orbit.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Boom! (2)
star
8.07
4186 votes

#18 - Boom! (2)

Season 2 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/29/2010

In the second part of the story begun in "Tick, Tick, Tick," the serial killer remains at large and is taunting Castle, Beckett and Jordan Shaw to catch him

Directors: John Terlesky
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Valkyrie (1)
star
8.07
3523 votes

#19 - Valkyrie (1)

Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/23/2013

Last season ended with Beckett wrestling over whether to take a high-profile job in DC -- a dilemma made more complicated when Castle proposed to her. In the Season 6 Premiere of "Castle," Castle and Beckett will deal with the consequences of their decisions against the backdrop of a high-stakes investigation.

Directors: John Terlesky
Writer: Rob Hanning
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Setup (1)
star
8.07
4510 votes

#20 - Setup (1)

Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/21/2011

Castle and Beckett investigate the apparent robbery-homicide of a New York cab driver, only to discover that the victim was involved in a mysterious conspiracy with unimaginable consequences. As the stakes continue to rise, hard-charging federal agent Mark Fallon takes over the investigation. Together, Fallon, Beckett and Castle must race to unmask the truth about the victim before it's too late.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Writer: David Amann
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Nikki Heat
star
8.06
4443 votes

#21 - Nikki Heat

Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/3/2011

When Castle's novel "Heat Wave" is turned into a movie, actress Natalie Rhodes, shows up at Beckett's invitation to better understand the character she's going to play. Meanwhile, the threesome investigate the murder of a high-class matchmaker.

Directors: Jeff Bleckner
Writer: David Grae
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Sucker Punch
star
8.05
3967 votes

#22 - Sucker Punch

Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/18/2010

While investigating the death of an Irish mobster, Beckett and Castle uncover a local turf war that may be connected to both a late-night infomercial guru and an international drug smuggling operation. But the case turns agonizingly personal when evidence emerges that the killer they're chasing may have had a hand in Beckett's mother's murder.

Directors: Tom Wright
Writer: Will Beall
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
A Deadly Game
star
8.05
4110 votes

#23 - A Deadly Game

Season 2 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/17/2010

Nothing is as it seems when Castle and Beckett investigate what appears to be the assassination of an intelligence operative. Meanwhile, Beckett's romance with Demming threatens her relationship with Castle, forcing them to confront their feelings for each other.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
3XK
star
8.05
4578 votes

#24 - 3XK

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/25/2010

When a beautiful woman is found dead in an alley, all clues point to her being a victim of the notorious Triple Killer. The Triple Killer, or 3XK, terrorized New York City four years ago, then mysteriously disappeared. Now he's back. In a deadly battle of wits, Castle and Beckett race against time to stop 3XK before he claims his next victims.

Directors: Bill Roe
Writer: David Amann
Watch Now:Apple TV
Under Fire
star
8.03
2948 votes

#25 - Under Fire

Season 6 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/6/2014

When Castle and Beckett discover that the victim of a building fire was actually shot to death, they get on the trail of a serial arsonist turned murderer. Meanwhile, Ryan's wife, Jenny, goes into labor, but disaster threatens to ruin the joyous moment.

Directors: Paul Holahan
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV