Watch ‘Wild Cards’ On The CW For Cats, Caskett Vibes & More

In “don’t sleep on this show” news, this is us officially us telling everyone to watch Wild Cards on The CW. And no, this isn’t us conning you. We know there are a lot of things out there to watch. And if, like us, you already watch way too many shows, you probably don’t want or need another recommendation. We (don’t) regret to inform you, though, that you’re getting this one — especially if you’re into the whole “will they, won’t they, procedural with a twist” type of storytelling that, quite often, has managed to suck us in. Actually, let’s start there…

Wild Cards feels like Castle in all the best ways

In the beginning, Castle was a great comfort show that happened to, on occasion, take a dark turn. So far, with the five episodes out as of the time we’re writing this post, Wild Cards feels like it just might have a touch of the same magic. The series is, however, in no way a carbon copy. Instead of a badass female detective and a goofy AF writer working together against the detective’s will, this show features a very serious male detective and a badass female con artist who also manages to bring the humor and pure fun to the mix.

Even so, there’s something about the chemistry, the (mostly) light tone, the sunshine/storm cloud of it all, and the back-and-forth that simply screams “Caskett.” (And, to a lesser extent, Booth & Brennan and a number of other ships that use this same trope.) The things that make these totally-not not-partners complicated are quite different from the ones that kept Caskett apart, though, and there’s just enough difference that it just works. For as much as the two main characters, and the general vibe of the series, fit a certain “mold,” they’ve got some surprises for us along the way that keep us guessing. And we’re 100% here for it.

And yes, the ship already has a name: ElliMax, a mashup of Giacomo Gianniotti‘s Detective Ellis and Vanessa Morgan‘s Max Mitchell.

It’s self-aware & knows its pop culture

One way to pay tribute to, rather than rip off and/or bleed dry, a beloved show or genre is to acknowledge that the thing you’re honoring exists. And Wild Cards does that fairly early on, with a line that is at once 100% factual and a completely natural insert. As in, it’s not forced; it just is. See also:

“We’re like Bones and that dude from Buffy. Castle…and that hot girl.”

(Kate Beckett was, in fact, a hot girl.)

That’s not the only place where the — at the risk of sounding like a cliché recommendation piece — witty dialogue makes it very clear that Wild Cards exists in a world where all of our faves do. But it is a line that, though we might’ve already been hooked before then but in denial, made us like, “ugh. Fine. You’ve got us. We like this, and we ship them.” And, as an added bonus, Max drops some other pop culture references on us later on, in a moment that is strangely heartwarming and way, way too relatable.

The good guys aren’t always good, and vice versa

A lot of procedurals, especially those in this sub-genre, tend to make everyone in law enforcement one big, happy family. Wild Cards…does not. That’s not to say that there aren’t seeds of something more there, that these people might not become a family — or even that they might not have been closer than you’d think in the past. But some of the other detectives are, at least initially mean bastards. Or, some are more worried about closing a case than finding the truth…and they don’t see Detective Ellis as part of their “team” because he’s not about all that.

And then there’s…whatever Max and her dad’s deal is. They’re criminals, but they have rules. Rules that, quite frankly, we support.

Speaking of Max’s dad…

Nothing screams, “we want the 80s and 90s kids to watch our show” like dropping references to the shows we grew up on and/or obsessed over in early adulthood. Well, Wild Cards did us one better: By casting one of the heartthrobs from our youth in a major role. As in, we get to have Jason Priestley, of original Beverly Hills: 90210 fame, as our leading lady’s beloved father. Now, we’re not sure if we should feel old since he’s the dad, and this is a show on The CW, so…are we…are we the parents??? Is this a ploy to get Mom and Dad to watch with the youths? If so, rude.

But we’ll let that slide because, well, he’s Brandon Walsh, and we were…(full offense) majorly crushing on decades ago. Not to mention, his character is so very interesting. Something’s going on there, outside of whatever we know so far. We keep getting little hints about him and Max being up to something, even…and we can’t wait to see what that something is. Should we trust them or not? (Obviously, we need to because ElliMax but…yeah.)

Forget the other reasons: There’s a cat!

Literally, just watch Wild Cards for Marc. He’s Ellis’ cat, and we have no choice but to stan. Ellis even talks to him from time to time, proving that underneath all that no-nonsense cop exterior is someone super soft with the fabulous taste it takes to know cats are our rightful overlords. And, ok. It’s possible Marc might interrupt a Moment™ here or there, but he’s probably just making sure that the timing is right so whatever comes of it isn’t totally ruined by poor timing. The cats are, after all, far wiser than we will ever be. And we have it on good authority that the feline overlords want us to make sure Marc is the center of our attention for a very, very long time.

Wild Cards airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW. Watch it, ship it, and don’t be afraid to pledge your undying devotion to Marc.