Last week I watched the pilot for ELEMENTARY, the latest reincarnation of Sherlock Holmes. (I don't watch more than an hour of TV per day, so I try to choose my shows carefully.)
Honestly, my expectations were low. Holmes, in the books, is a brilliantly calculating s.o.b. and I'd felt like I'd seen more than enough of that character on television in the form of Doctor Gregory House on HOUSE and Patrick Jane on The Mentalist.
Plus, it seemed as though casting Lucy Liu as Watson was a "clever" marketing ploy.
But I watched ELEMENTARY anyway. (And yes, I'll admit that part of my motivation was that I'd liked Jonny Lee Miller (Sherlock) so much on ELI STONE. Did anyone else on the planet watch that?)
And to my surprise I liked it.
Quite a bit.
Not enough to say: You've got to watch this show! But enough to say: I see potential here.
Yes, Sherlock Homes, played by Jonny Lee Miller, is a hyper, arrogant, know-it-all, but the creators/writers have also chosen to give him some positive attributes beyond his incredible observational and deduction skills. He's willing to make a "wrong" guess in order to share someone else's feelings, he admits when his temper has gotten the best of him and he screwed up, and he's even able to muster an apology (of sorts) when it's required.
And Lucy Liu, as his paid Sober Companion, made a great Watson. Her soul is just as tortured as his, but she hasn't completely disengaged from society. (And hey, they were smart enough to make sure that it was she, not Sherlock, who observed the clue that ultimately solved the case!)
Plus, the writers/creators didn't go for the usual: The perfectly reasonable police detective (Aidan Quinn) is saddled with brilliant, eccentric crime solver, a la THE MENTALIST (I'm not a fan. Can you tell?) or CASTLE (Does he even still write books??).
The crime itself was handled oddly (which I'm blaming on the need to cram so much exposition into 45 minutes worth of program) but I'll tune in next week to see if the series improves.
Did you watch ELEMENTARY? What new shows are you looking forward to?
8 comments:
I caught part of an episode and thought it wasn't bad. I like saving shows to watch later on Demand or by subscription like Netflix, so this might be one I hold off on until there's a season worth to watch.
I rarely get to watch prime time TV - unless it comes out in reruns on some other channel, like Lifetime. So, I missed Elementary. I did like PBS's new version of Sherlock last year, though.
Jennifer - Did you watch the Ponds last Doctor Who?
B.E. -- I liked Sherlock too -- which was one of the reasons I was prepared not to like Elementary...I thought two updates could never work...and yet....
Still haven't had a chance to check this out but Revolution is pretty good. Also, major must see is 666 Park Avenue on ABC. It is really good.
I really enjoyed watching Elementary last week, so I'll definitely keep watching for now.
I also enjoyed the new shows Vegas (CBS), Mob Doctor (Fox), and Made in Jersey (CBS).
Marsha -- 666 has a GREAT cast -- I'll have to check it out. I caught part of the pilot of Revolution and couldn't get into it.
Cherie -- I don't think Made In Jersey will last long since it was the lowest rated premiere. I'm interested in Vegas since I like Chicklis (sp?) and Quaid.
I did see Amy's last farewell - it made me want to go back and watch all the weeping angel episodes.
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