What if I told you the latest procedural crime drama to air on the BBC was not CSI: London, but a modern remake of Sherlock Holmes?
My first reaction: a travesty of all that is good and wholesome in this world–a reaction undiminished by news that the first novella (A Study in Scarlett) would premiere as A Study in Pink.
Pink.
I don’t know what brought me to watch the first episode. But my conclusion: fantastic.
Like the Watson of 1887, the Watson of 2010 has just returned convalescent from the war in Afghanistan. Nice touch. The show follows the original novel in spirit only, the plot quite unrecognizable (there are no Mormon murderers in the current version).
Both characters are well played and the show well written. The dialog can get a bit cute, though. Think rapid fire, Aaron Sorkin West Wing-ish, walk-and-talk. Real people do not speak like this, and it might get old. But first episodes have a lot of character development to squeeze into an hour (well, an hour and twenty in this case).
The entire episode can be streamed freely here. Readers: assenting or dissenting opinions?
9 Responses
Love the new Sherlock series and can’t wait for the second to come along soon enough. And this coming from a big Sherlock Holmes fan who thought no one can even come close to Jeremy Brett’s portrayal.
I love it! I think this is the sanest take on Sherlock for popular consumption. It is a tragedy that we have to wait a FULL YEAR for the second season of 4 episodes :(
You can’t wait until 2010 to start complaining about adaptations (and knockoffs) of Holmes. People have been doing this since forever! Ever seen the TV show Bones, or House MD, or pretty much any Saturday morning cartoon that involves a mystery and a witty crime-solver with a lovable sidekick?
I’ve never seen the BBC series in question, but in theory i can’t get enough of it. Last year’s Robert Downey Jr movie was entertaining, even as it turned Sherlock and Watson into Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee.
Amazing only in comparison to the ghastly average Ritchie movie, but still very very good on its own (especially the second episode was not up to the others’ standard). The traditionalist in me is still unsure about the portrayal of Moriarty, the fan of Westwood was delighted. Well resurrected classic!
Not as good as the original books of course, but worthwhile watching.
second episode is duff – third better. New episodes have been commissioned.
I saw that one (i.e. “Pink”) a week ago on PBS and the second episode (I assume) tonight. I thought the first was excellent; this one was less good but still enjoyable. Reminds me a bit of the USA network show “Psych” which is also surprisingly fun. In both cases the main character notices small details and solves crimes, while the sidekick holds his own. And the dialogue can be equally rapid-fire, although somewhat more pop culture.
Bit outlandish at times, and the killers explanation in first episode I didn’t find convincing. But worth it overall especially for the end of the third episode which was great!
I loved it. I am not a big fan of SH and the Ritchie Guy movie did not impress me much either. But this mini-series was very enjoyable. I hope BBC will order new episodes soon.