ABC, which is off to a good start this season, has renewed “Castle” (Nathan Fillon, Stana Katic) for the entire season. So far, the show’s been averaging 10 million viewers and is picking up nearly 2 million more view ers via DVR playback.
Oprah Winfrey is also off to a strong start this season and has been retaining her early ratings momentum. In addition to snaring good guests (see pg. 87), Winfrey’s “Oprah” is averaging about 1 million more viewers through the first three weeks of the season — an increase of 15 percent over last year when “Oprah” experienced a rat ings dropoff.
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Lawyer Joseph Tacopina, whose clients include State Senator Hiram Montserrate — just acquitted on felony charges — has inked a deal with Scott Sternberg Pro ductions and Weinberger Media for a new syndicated series, “Legal Ease,” which is being shopped around. The show will feature lawyers from Tacopina’s firm giving legal advice “to everyday Americans”; stories will be shot on-location, with Taco pina and a “panel of legal ex perts” dishing out advice in a studio setting.
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Rod Serling’s classic “The Twilight Zone” turned 50 this month, and to help cele brate the show’s golden anni versary, The Paley Center for Media (W. 52) will host a staged reading of the show’s classic episode, “The Masks,” featuring frequent “Twilight Zone” guest Fritz Weaver, 83, Lucie Arnaz, her husband Laurence Luckinbill and Robert Walden, among oth ers. The reading takes place next Wednesday (6:30 p.m.).
Last, but not least:
* Maggie Rodriguez (“The Early Show”) emcees tonight’s Princess Grace Awards gala . . . Susie Es sman headlines Carolines to morrow-Sunday . . . Congrats to The Dowd Agency’s Jim Dowd and wife Becky on the arrival of Brian William . . . 101.9’s Paul Cavalconte hosts “The Vinyl Experience” Sundays (9 a.m.) starting Oct. 25 . . . Happy birthday to this column, which turns 10 today.