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One of last season’s pleasant surprises was ABC’s "Castle," the dramedy that follows NYPD detective Kate Beckett and her unlikely partner, famed mystery novelist Richard Castle, as they solve unusual murders in New York.

Now in its second season, the stars of this hit series, Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion, shared some insight on their characters, what’s in store for Season 2, and even contemplated a musical number in a recent chat with Inside Blip.

When viewers first met Kate Beckett in Season 1, she was a rigid, all work and no play kind of detective, but being paired with Castle seems to have brought out her adventurous side.

“I really think the writers are giving her the opportunity to play around and show a bit of Beckett's wild side,” Katic said. “And I think for any crime-fighting duo that mimics that kind of Clark Gable/Rosalind Russell energy, I think that she has to be his equal in every way, so she should be able to play just as hard as he does.”

One could say that Beckett has also had a positive effect on Castle. No longer just a handsome playboy writer, he has a new drive and energy, both in working with his NYPD partner, and inspiring him to create the heroine of his new books, Nikki Heat.

Fillion shared some thoughts on his character’s evolution.

“For a drinking womanizer, he doesn't do much drinking or womanizing any more," Fillion said. "Ever since he's kind of hooked his wagon up to Kate Beckett's wagon train, he's been on the straight and narrow. He's really excited about work. He's found a new direction and a new inspiration. He is driven more than ever.”

This newfound drive and inspiration is what caused a rift between the duo at the end of the first season, when Castle went against Beckett’s request to reopen the investigation into her mother’s death. Even though she was adamant that she did not want to be consumed by it once again, you can already see Beckett’s curiosity being rekindled by the information Castle has given her.

Katic speculated that there will be some form of resolution or perhaps closure on the issue in the near future.

“I don't know if she isn't exploring [her mother's death)] as we speak," she said. "I'm even wondering if she isn't already researching it and trying to figure out what happened, and I think that'll be something that we deal with in a couple of episodes.”

Parental issues seem to be a common thread between Castle and Beckett. Although Castle's mother Martha (Susan Sullivan) has been in the picture since the start of the series, and viewers know something about Beckett's late mother, not much has been said about their fathers.

“My character's father dealt with alcoholism after my character's mom passed away,” Katic said. “So they have mentioned the intention of bringing on a father character sooner or later.”

Fillion, of course, decided to talk about his onscreen father the only way he knows how.

“I'm expecting some kind of 'Mamma Mia' episode to come up, and there will be a bunch of different guys and I gotta see which one's my dad,” mused Fillion.

Speaking of "Mamma Mia," a musical episode of "Castle" wouldn’t be a stretch, given the stars’ resumes. Fillion brandished his singing chops as Captain Hammer in the Emmy-winning Web musical "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," and Katic showed off her sultry vocal talents in 2008’s “The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice.”

Could Castle and Beckett break into song at some point?

“I'm hoping so,” Katic said.

“She should wear a red sequinned number from head to toe, sort of undercover in some kind of smoky bar, laying out on a piano,” suggested Fillion.

At the very least, a musical number would make for a great Season 2 DVD feature, much like “Write Along with Nathan Fillion,” included on “Castle: The Complete First Season” DVD, which hit stores on Sept. 22. In this fun little DVD extra, Fillion shadows a real-life mystery writer.

In addition to the Season 1 DVD release, in a clever move that brought the series outside the small screen, “Heat Wave,” the first book in Richard Castle’s Nikki Heat series, was released by ABC on Sept. 29. The launch was celebrated with a signing in the Los Angeles area by Nathan Fillion acting as his charming counterpart.

For fans who were hoping for a "Castle" book tour, it's not a likely prospect at this point. Fillion said there would be another L.A. signing, but no plans to visit any other cities at this time.

“The problem is I'm so busy with my 'Castle' schedule there's not much chance for me to leave town," Fillion said. "But I do love doing that, we go down and meet a lot of excited fans, and that's really cool.”

"Castle" has been off to a great start this season. Following "Dancing With the Stars," the Fillion/Katic drama premiered with a 6.2 rating/10 share overnight, according to Fast National Ratings from The Nielsen Co., but has grown its audience ever since. The Sept. 28 episode grew by 3 percent.

Last Monday's episode had its highest ratings of the year so far, picking up a 7.5/12, nearly 21 percent better than its premiere. The show is retaining more than 89 percent of its overall audience through it all, based on the BlipNetworks Stability Index Rating, which compares a show's average overnight rating against its audience peak.

"Castle" airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.