'Elementary': Is it a fresh take on Sherlock or a tired retread?
You鈥檝e seen the commercials. You鈥檝e heard the hype. Now there鈥檚 only one thing you want to know: Which of the new fall shows are worth watching and which should be avoided at all costs? In this continuing series, we give you the scoop on some of the most highly-anticipated shows of the season, with today鈥檚 subject being CBS鈥� 'Elementary'.
The Boilerplate: Since these pilot presentations may go through numerous rewrites and casting聽changes prior to premiere, this by no means should be considered an official review. Rather a preview of what one can expect come Fall. 聽
The Plot: After an alcohol-infused fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, Sherlock Holmes is forced to start a new life in Manhattan under the watchful eye of sober companion Dr. Watson at the behest of his wealthy father.
The Cast:聽'Elementary' stars Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes, Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson and Aidan Quinn as Captain Tobias Gregson.
The Snap Judgment: Since Hollywood has made a mint off characters whose social shortcomings are often overlooked as a result of their proficiency in their profession (See: 'House,' 'The Mentalist,' 'The Big Bang Theory,' 'Bones,' among many, many others), we鈥檙e going to eschew the obvious question as whether or not there is a need for yet another version of Sherlock Holmes and simply say this: There is a very good reason this quirky character trope has been carbon copied throughout the television landscape for the better part of two decades now: It works. And while 'Elementary' may not quite live up to the one-two combo of the BBC鈥檚 brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Martin Freeman (Watson), a tattoo-covered Jonny Lee Miller and the always watchable Lucy Lui do an admirable job of putting their own stamp on the iconic literary duo. Unfortunately, what doesn鈥檛 work 鈥� at least in the eyes of this Addict whose TV tastes tend to run towards the slightly more serialized variety of say 'The Good Wife' 鈥� is the very thing that will surely transform this Americanized version of the classic British tale into a Mentalist-sized hit. Much like the NCIS and CSI franchises, 'Elementary' suffers from a serious case of procedural-itis, a rare, albeit curable disease whose victims are more often than not writers under the employ of CBS. Which is why鈥�
The Conclusion: Has all evidence pointing to 'Elementary' being the Fall鈥檚 most popular new drama鈥� despite the procedural-heavy nature of the somewhat predictable pilot.
The TV Addict staff blogs at .
