TNT to Present Marathon of "Castle" Episodes as Hit Crime-Drama Gears Up to Launch Fourth Season on ABC

Castle Marathon: Thursday, Sept. 15, 3-11 p.m. (ET/PT) on TNT

Castle Season 4 Premiere: Monday, Sept. 19, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) on ABC

TNT will present a special eight-hour marathon of Castle episodes as a build-up to the show's fourth-season premiere on ABC. TNT, which earlier this summer secured the exclusive off-network cable rights to the hit series from Disney-ABC Domestic Television, will present eight memorable episodes of Castle on Thursday, Sept. 15, beginning at 3 p.m. (ET/PT). The fourth season of the hit crime-drama will launch on ABC Monday, Sept. 19, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT). In addition, the complete third season will be available on DVD beginning Sept. 20.

Castle stars Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Desperate Housewives) and Stana Katic (Quantum of Solace, TNT's The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice). The series centers on the life of Richard Castle (Fillion), a famous mystery novelist and divorced father raising his teenage daughter, while being kept grounded by his Broadway diva mother. He is creatively blocked until the NYPD questioned him in connection with a series of murders staged to imitate crime scenes from his books. Castle finds inspiration in NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Katic), a bright and aggressive homicide detective with a fascination for odd and offbeat cases stemming from the years-old unsolved murder of her own mother. Though they instantly clash, sparks of another sort began to fly, leading both to danger and a hint of romance as Castle steps in to help find the copycat killer. Once that initial case is solved, Castle and Beckett continue to investigate strange homicides in New York, combining Castle's writer intuition and Beckett's creative detective work.

Castle also stars Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan and Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, with Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers. Castle is produced by ABC Studios. Andrew Marlowe is the show's creator/executive producer, along with executive producers Rob Bowman, David Amann, Laurie Zaks and Armyan Bernstein.

TNT's Castle marathon will include one episode from the series' first season, two from the second and five from the recently completed third season. The marathon will climax with a presentation of the season 3 finale. Castle is set to become a regular fixture in the TNT lineup in summer 2012.

The following is the complete schedule for TNT's Sept. 15 marathon of Castle episodes (all times shown are ET/PT):

3 p.m. - "A Chill Goes Through Her Veins" - A frozen woman found at a construction site leads Castle and Beckett to a years-old mystery.

4 p.m. - "A Rose for Everafter" - While investigating the death of a bridesmaid at a wedding, Castle runs into an old flame (Alyssa Milano).

5 p.m. - "A Deadly Game" - Castle and Beckett investigate what seems to be an intelligence operative's assassination; Beckett's relationship with Demming strains her relationship with Castle.

6 p.m. - "A Deadly Affair" - When Beckett and her team burst into an apartment on a murderer's trail, they see Castle standing over a dead woman's body holding a gun; Beckett arrests Castle as he asserts his innocence.

7 p.m. - "Punked" - A young mathematician is shot with a 200-year-old bullet, inspiring wild theories by Castle about a time-traveling murderer.

8 p.m. - "Nikki Heat" - When Castle's novel Heat Wave becomes a movie, actress Natalie Rhodes accepts Beckett's invitation to visit and learn about the character she will play. Natalie observes Castle and Beckett's investigation of the murder of a matchmaker.

9 p.m. - "Knockdown" - The retired lead detective on Beckett's mother's homicide case is gunned down after telling her he has new information. Castle and Beckett's partnership grows stronger.

10 p.m. - "Knockout" - A professional hit man (Max Martini) with information about the murder of Beckett's mother escapes during a court hearing; Castle and the team uncover a deep conspiracy.

About Disney-ABC Domestic Television

Disney-ABC Domestic Television (DADT) is the North American in-home sales organization for The Walt Disney Company. DADT distributes motion picture and television content across a wide array of media platforms and businesses, including video/retail, video-on-demand/pay-per-view, electronic sell-through, subscription video-on-demand, pay television, basic cable, broadcast television, mobile, broadband and other digital technologies. An industry leader, DADT is responsible for sales and customer management of in-home entertainment content, distributing properties from Disney, Disney�Pixar, Marvel, DreamWorks Studios, ABC Studios, ABC Entertainment, ABC Family and Disney Channel. Disney-ABC Domestic Television is a wholly owned subsidiary of Disney Enterprises, Inc.

About TNT

TNT, one of cable's top-rated networks, is television's destination for drama. Seen in 100.5 million households, the network is home to such original series as The Closer, starring Emmy(R) winner Kyra Sedgwick; Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander; Falling Skies, starring Noah Wyle; Franklin & Bash, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; Southland, from Emmy-winning producer John Wells; and Memphis Beat, starring Jason Lee and Alfre Woodard, as well as the upcoming series Major Crimes, Dallas and Perception. TNT also presents compelling original movies, including a slate of thrillers set to premiere this fall in The TNT Mystery Movie Night showcase. TNT is the cable home to powerful dramas like The Mentalist, Bones, Supernatural, Las Vegas, Law & Order, CSI: NY, Cold Case and, starting next year, Castle; primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards(R); blockbuster movies; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR, the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. TNT is available in high-definition.