Sunday 17 November 2013

Holmes

At first, I was a bit sceptical about Elementary... 

By making Dr Watson female (just a gender-switch gimmick?), and Sherlock a troubled junkie in recovery, have they changed the characters too much? 

No, I found this TV show really works as a refreshingly contemporary updating of the classic detective franchise. Far more than just a formulaic variation of Monk meets Lie To Me, this crime drama set in New York revitalises the iconic Holmes and Baker Street lore in ways that the BBC series Sherlock  largely failed to achieve. 

Entertaining as comedy (without ever lapsing into sitcom mode), and winningly effective as psychological character study, Elementary is appealing and fun as mystery, and - at halfway point through the superb season one - I'm enjoying this DVD boxset a lot more than any other TV 'cop show' that I have seen recently.         

No comments: