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Elementary - Season 1
After the great success of the BBC series ‘Sherlock’, CBS has created their own contemporary version of the literary detective Sherlock Holmes in their new series ‘Elementary’. After this new show was announced, there was a big fuss about it. Would ‘Elementary’ turn out to be a cheap rip-off of ‘Sherlock’? After all, CBS had approached the creators of 'Sherlock' to make an American version of it, but their offer was declined. Luckily, that’s not at all what happened; the series doesn’t resemble ‘Sherlock’ in the slightest and the tone of the show is completely different. ‘Elementary’ is a high-quality American detective, in the style of ‘The Mentalist’, which is incredibly entertaining and offers a new interpretation of Sherlock Holmes.
The concept of ‘Elementary’ won’t be a surprise to many. Every episode the characters have to solve a new case, whilst we find out more about them in the background throughout the entire season. Since we are dealing with Sherlock Holmes, every case has a surprising twist, so Holmes can demonstrate his intellect whilst he solves the case and creates amusing television. The cases aren’t based on the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle, but they are made up by the writers of the series. The writers took a lot of liberties to really give a new interpretation of Sherlock Holmes. As such, they’ve placed Holmes in contemporary New York instead of Victorian London, and, unlike his literary counterpart, he does succumb to drugs and needs to go to rehab. Watson also has a new profession, in that she no longer works as a surgeon, but as a sober companion. The writers have also creatively used some of the other more famous characters from the books. They’ve incorporated Irene Adler and Moriarty into the series, but in a completely different manner from the books, thereby creating exciting story lines and plot twists.
There are many differences between ‘Elementary’ and the books, but the biggest difference has to be Watson’s gender. The relationship between Holmes and Watson hasn’t changed much due to Watson being a woman; their relationship is still purely platonic. If anything’s changed, it’s that this Holmes seems to respect Watson more. He really listens to what she has to say and even follows her advice. He also takes her detective-skills more seriously; in the books, Watson follows Holmes like a puppy and is praised for his simple mind, but in ‘Elementary’ Sherlock trains Joan to become a detective herself. Holmes and Watson are much more equal partners in this series. This creates an entertaining dynamic; especially the moments of Joan not putting up with Sherlock’s nonsense are great fun to watch.
Of course, it’s the actors who are greatly responsible for the great dynamic between Sherlock and Joan. Jonny Lee Miller (‘Eli Stone’) and Lucy Liu (‘Ally McBeal’) have a great chemistry on screen and portray their characters with conviction. Not only Miller and Liu do this, but the entire cast. Captain Thomas Gregson (one of the lesser known detectives from Scotland Yard in the books) and Detective Marcus Bell are portrayed with conviction by Aidan Quinn (‘Prime Suspect’) and Jon Michael Hill (‘Detroit 1-8-7’). Both men respect Holmes’ skills and knowledge, but they are not afraid to keep him in check with sarcastic remarks. So the regular cast consists of talented actors who have great chemistry together.
All in all, ‘Elementary’ is a good and exciting detective series with a healthy dose of humor. You don’t need to be familiar with Sherlock Holmes or a fan of the detective to appreciate this show. It stands on its own and will appeal to lovers of American detective series. At first glance, the series has little to do with the books, and Miller’s interpretation will not correspond with the majority of people’s idea of Sherlock Holmes. For the true aficionados, however, there are quite a few references towards the books, such as the use of certain names and Holmes’ love for bees. This means that the series is entertaining for both people who just want to watch an exciting show and those who are looking for the newest interpretation of Sherlock Holmes.
Follow ElementaryThe concept of ‘Elementary’ won’t be a surprise to many. Every episode the characters have to solve a new case, whilst we find out more about them in the background throughout the entire season. Since we are dealing with Sherlock Holmes, every case has a surprising twist, so Holmes can demonstrate his intellect whilst he solves the case and creates amusing television. The cases aren’t based on the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle, but they are made up by the writers of the series. The writers took a lot of liberties to really give a new interpretation of Sherlock Holmes. As such, they’ve placed Holmes in contemporary New York instead of Victorian London, and, unlike his literary counterpart, he does succumb to drugs and needs to go to rehab. Watson also has a new profession, in that she no longer works as a surgeon, but as a sober companion. The writers have also creatively used some of the other more famous characters from the books. They’ve incorporated Irene Adler and Moriarty into the series, but in a completely different manner from the books, thereby creating exciting story lines and plot twists.
There are many differences between ‘Elementary’ and the books, but the biggest difference has to be Watson’s gender. The relationship between Holmes and Watson hasn’t changed much due to Watson being a woman; their relationship is still purely platonic. If anything’s changed, it’s that this Holmes seems to respect Watson more. He really listens to what she has to say and even follows her advice. He also takes her detective-skills more seriously; in the books, Watson follows Holmes like a puppy and is praised for his simple mind, but in ‘Elementary’ Sherlock trains Joan to become a detective herself. Holmes and Watson are much more equal partners in this series. This creates an entertaining dynamic; especially the moments of Joan not putting up with Sherlock’s nonsense are great fun to watch.
Of course, it’s the actors who are greatly responsible for the great dynamic between Sherlock and Joan. Jonny Lee Miller (‘Eli Stone’) and Lucy Liu (‘Ally McBeal’) have a great chemistry on screen and portray their characters with conviction. Not only Miller and Liu do this, but the entire cast. Captain Thomas Gregson (one of the lesser known detectives from Scotland Yard in the books) and Detective Marcus Bell are portrayed with conviction by Aidan Quinn (‘Prime Suspect’) and Jon Michael Hill (‘Detroit 1-8-7’). Both men respect Holmes’ skills and knowledge, but they are not afraid to keep him in check with sarcastic remarks. So the regular cast consists of talented actors who have great chemistry together.
All in all, ‘Elementary’ is a good and exciting detective series with a healthy dose of humor. You don’t need to be familiar with Sherlock Holmes or a fan of the detective to appreciate this show. It stands on its own and will appeal to lovers of American detective series. At first glance, the series has little to do with the books, and Miller’s interpretation will not correspond with the majority of people’s idea of Sherlock Holmes. For the true aficionados, however, there are quite a few references towards the books, such as the use of certain names and Holmes’ love for bees. This means that the series is entertaining for both people who just want to watch an exciting show and those who are looking for the newest interpretation of Sherlock Holmes.
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