When Castle returns with new episodes on January 3, this ABC hit will bring the heat.

The Nikki Heat that is.

Laura Prepon will debut on this installment as Natalie Rhodes, the actress who has signed on to bring Castle's classic, Kate-based character to life on the big screen.

When Rhodes goes to extreme lengths in order to complete her research, well, look what happens...

Melody Thomas Scott and Thomas Calabro will also guest star on "Nikki Heat." Click on the following photos to enlarge a few more scenes from the first Castle episode of 2011:

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.