It looks as though Nathan Fillion will remain king of ABC's 'Castle' -- at least for another season.

According to The Wrap, the slow-but-steady building procedural has earned an early third season renewal from the alphabet network, which will come as a welcome surprise to loyal fans previously concerned about its on-the-bubble status.

Ratings seemed lackluster last year, but ABC -- in a rare move for a major network -- stuck with the show and ordered a second season despite the shaky start, a move that clearly paid off when 'Castle' started conquering 'CSI: Miami' in the 10PM Monday time slot.

In fact, last night's episode -- which was admittedly boosted by its lead-in, 'Dancing With the Stars' -- drew a whopping 14.5 million viewers and a 3.7 rating in the 18-49 demo, a record high for the series.

The show has a distinctly 'Bones' vibe between the protagonists, novelist Richard Castle (Fillion) and NYPD detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), with most of the series' tension derived from the will-they-won't-they relationship between the pair. Fillion is probably thanking the TV Gods for finally sending him a series that has survived past the first season, after unlucky stints with the tragically cancelled 'Firefly' and 'Drive.'