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No duh, Sherlock

I don't watch a lot of TV, but I'm always willing to sit still for BBC One’s version of Sherlock. Loving this show is a no-brainer.

To start, the writing is good. Every episode—each 90 minutes, like a short movie—takes me by surprise, but without leaving me feeling duped or confused. The best endings are the ones that make sense, but you never see coming. I love a good twist!

The show also has an excellent cast. Benedict Cumberbatch is perfect as Sherlock Holmes in the modern era. I might even like him more than RDJ’s movie version (shh, don’t tell Robert). And Martin Freeman does a great job as John Watson, blogging about their adventures, and putting up with the genius’s pure nuttiness and lack of tact.

I love that this version is a modern adaptation. It’s fun to rethink Holmes in the age of smart phones, texting, the Internet, and modern forensic science.

The show is a good mix of mystery, fun (not outright comedy, but humorous moments), and danger.

I’ll admit that I don’t have a long history of loving Sherlock Holmes. I own the complete book of Doyle’s original stories, but I opened it once or twice and never picked it up again. I tend to like modern works set in historical times, but not so much historical works that were modern in their time.

But somewhere along my family tree I supposedly share a branch with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, so I’m delighted that I’ve found a way to connect to his most famous character.

And I’m even more delighted that Sherlock will be back for a third series, even if BBC One hasn’t announced a date. Too bad I’ll have to wait until it’s out on DVD.

Do you like Sherlock? Is there some other show you’re obsessed with right now? Got any recommendations for similar shows?

Tell your friends!

0 Comments

  1. Reply

    LOVE Sherlock. I can’t wait for it to return. The American series is not. the. same. at all! The first two seasons are on Netflix.

    • Reply

      Willa: We just found it (on Netflix) fairly recently and watched them in a few weeks. So, now it’s back to life without for a while. =( I didn’t even know there was an American series, but now I’m curious. The trailer of Elementary looks interesting. Can’t hurt to give it a try as long as I keep my expectations low, right? 😉

  2. Reply

    and if you ARE a die hard Sherlockian who has read all the stories back to front *cough cough* the way the show works canon bits into it is fascinating. Watson’s two combat wounds, for example. That was a brilliant explanation for what Doyle originally messed up. The bits of A Study in Pink that were so much part of A Study In Scarlet without the long backstory flashback explanation. I was skeptical at first about the series, having seen SO many interpretations (and whose favorites tend toward the funnier/edgier ones, like Without A Clue, Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother, and the one whose name escapes me about the explanation of the Loch Ness Monster) but this series is a total treat whether you are a fan of the books like me, or not, like the person who introduced me to the show.

    tl;dr, IAWTS

  3. Joe

    Reply

    I always loved Sherlock Holmes books. The recent Hollywood movies were too full of special effects.
    I will have to check out the BBC version.

    • Reply

      Dad: I agree that they overdid the recent movies a bit. I liked the first one, and I think the cast was great, but the 2nd movie–while amusing and visually entertaining–was too confusing and busy.

  4. Reply

    I have also recently discovered BBC’s Sherlock series and am really enjoying it on Netflix. Another Netflix/BBC series I think is really good is “Inspector Lewis”, which are also mini-movies at 90 minutes each!

  5. Reply

    I will find the show on BBC, you’ve peaked my interest. However I will choose to ignore your RDJ comment. He is awesome in everything he does, not sure what it is about him but he has that IT factor. I’ll watch anything he does, he’s just one cool dude.
    After I watch an episode ill comment again.

    ~Rich

    PS: is it hard to start a blog?

  6. Reply

    This is probably my favorite show currently. Since I have always been a Sherlock Holmes fan (watching late night TV as a child/teenager to catch Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce and then finding the original stories), I was a little leery of this modern take on it, but I was Cumberbatched by the end of the first episode. And, as you mentioned, Watson is great, too. Recently I stay away from buying DVDs but this was one show, like Firefly, that I had to own so I could watch it over and over.

    Apparently both lead actors had movie commitments this year and, let’s face it, this series is three movies in a year, so it will be sometime next year before we see season 3. But just think how much we’ll enjoy it when it comes back!

    I have not seen the RDJ versions, having a strong bias against his behavior in his earlier years. I also haven’t seen Elementary, mostly because I haven’t thought about it or looked for it.

    Other favorite shows – Castle. There were some pretty awful episodes of that last year, but the season opener this past Monday was great.

    Okay, time to get back to writing tasks and, ummm…, I seem to have some Scrivener homework to do, too.

    • Reply

      Jolyse: I recently read that the next series should start in Fall 2013. Wish I didn’t have to wait that long, but glad it’s coming back. The show’s on BBC1. Do they do reruns?

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