Castle vs Bones! Who Did It Better?
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Bones and Castle were both popular shows with a lot in common.
Unusual partnerships. Crime fighting duos. Main characters who made fans crazy as they danced around the will they/won’t they for years!
But they had their differences too.
Both shows had ardent fan bases, each willing to fight you to the death over which show did it better.
Who had the best dead bodies? The hottest first kiss? Our favorite wedding? The better pilot and finale?
Now that both Castle and Bones have aired their series finales, we’re here to break it down.
And once we're done, don't forget that when you really need your fix, you can always watch Castle online, and watch Bones online here at TV Fanatic.
1. Bones vs. Castle
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When a serial killer imitates the plots of his novels, a successful mystery writer shadows an NYPD homicide detective, eventually becoming one of her team who helps solves murders.
These were the concepts of Bones and Castle, two long running, quirky crime procedurals that fans adored.
But which one did it better? Read on and help us decide...
2. Best Pilot Episode - Castle
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The quirky concept of a mystery writer following a homicide detective was fun and the chemistry between Rick Castle and Kate Beckett was off the charts.
We had no idea that “Flowers for Your Grave” would hook us right from the start.
3. Exploring the Relationship - Bones
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Whether Booth and Brennan wanted his advice or not, they were given the benefit of his observations and his subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, push in the right direction.
We wish Castle and Beckett had had such a good and insightful friend looking out for them.
4. First Kiss - Castle
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We had to agree with a flustered Castle when he said, “That was amazing!”
5. Dead Bodies - Bones
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Whether you like the science or the totally gross dead bodies, (this bloated corpse actually popped!) Bones never failed to make an impression .
6. Best Cliffhanger - Castle
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But then add Castle and Becketts fight, Beckett being shot by a sniper and Montgomery's funeral, and Castle's declaring his love for her as she bled out in his arms, and "Knockout" moves to the absolute top of our list!
7. They Finally Did It! - Castle
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The moment that Beckett and Castle came together up against Castle’s front door will forever be a scene that fans will watch over and over again. We wish Bones gave us such a moment too.
8. The Best Wedding - Bones
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Castle pulled the rug out from under fans when they pulled a bait and switch. Intead we got a green-screened slapped together affair with great vows but no friends and Beckett in a pants suit!
Where as Bones did it right. Brennan was in a beautiful wedding dress, the vows were equally heart felt, but had a touch of humor, and their friends and family were all in attendance. It was the way a wedding should be and Bones fans will always be grateful.
9. Favorite Parental Figure - Castle
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Our vote has to go to Martha Rodgers, Rick Castle's mother on Castle. Martha was unique, vibrant, vivacious and always entertaining.
Although we didn't always agree with her advice, her heart was in the right place, and there were times she was absolutely spot on when it came to Castle and Beckett.
10. Girl Power - Bones
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Where as over on Bones, Angela and Brennan had their girl time with plenty of conversations about work, romance, life, and love.
We wish Castle would have given us more of that.
11. Best Honeymoon - Castle
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The wild west theme may not have been our first choice, but at least we got to see Kate lassoing her new husband and not letting him go.
12. The Family Way - Bones
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The kids not only allowed their relationships to grow in a realistic way, they were a heck of a lot fun.
Castle missed out on lots of the heartfelt and comical moments by not following suit.
13. Best Partners - Castle
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Despite the show ending, we’ve never doubted that these two would be friends to the end. We would have gladly followed Esposito and Ryan to their own show if the spin off gods would have given us one.
Alas, we’ll always have them in reruns.
14. Best Final Season - Bones
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Castle didn't even put up a fight in this category. The final season was the worst of the series. The chemistry that we loved from our favorite couple, and the overall team, had evaporated. Storylines were so convoluted they could barely be followed and not even the best guest stars could save it.
Where Bones final season left us wishing for more, Castle's left us thankful it was over.
15. Best Series Finale - Bones
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Bones series finale was dramatic yet hopeful and left fans of this long time series smiling.
The Castle series finale, on the other hand, left us with our favorite couple bleeding out on their kitchen floor. A tacked on 30 seconds of fluff was a poor substitue for a happy ending.
16. Best Show - ???
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We're not even going to go there. Bones over Castle? Castle over Bones?
They both had their ups and downs and neither was perfect, but let's face it, both Castle and Bones were wonderful shows and gave fans years of enjoyment. We'll love rewatching them both for years to come.