"They Took Into Partnership" [VALL]

With BBC's Sherlock and CBS' Elementary, the idea of contemporary stories and modern reinventions of the Great Detective does not seem as radical as one might perceive. However, a recent comic series by New Paradigm Studios (whose Kickstarter campaign was featured on this site, and which has been the subject of an episode of I Hear of Sherlock) reveals an extremely similar - yet similarly radical - recasting of Holmes and Watson in contemporary times.

Watson and Holmes is a series written by Karl Bollers, and drawn by Rick Leonardi, that recasts the duo's adventures in contemporary New York. However, there is a slight racial switch, as the series takes place specifically in Harlem: John Watson is a medical intern, and Sherlock Holmes is a private investigator. Although it may lack the canon-influenced snap of the BBC series - or even the more procedural aspects of CBS's efforts - Watson and Holmes sparkles with a straightforward narrative drive, having a kind of propulsiveness that characterized the best of Conan Doyle's work. There are slight nods and variations to the canon, but Bollers' writing captures the spirit (if not the letter) of canon.

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"Six Cases Which I Have Added to My Notes" [BLUE]

It didn’t take long after the short stories began appearing in the pages of The Strand Magazine in July 1891 for Sherlock Holmes to be not only a hit, but something of a phenomenon. Robert Barr’s parody, “Detective Stories Gone Wrong: The Adventures of Sherlaw Kombs’’ appeared in The Idler in May 1892. In November, 1893, Holmes first trod the boards in the musical satire “Under the Clock” at London’s Royal Court Theatre, just before “The Final Problem” hit the newsstands.

After his supposed death at the hands of Moriarty at the Reichenbach, other authors tried to fill the void with their own more-or-less brilliant detectives—with or without more-or-less dullard sidekicks assisting them. Holmes appeared on the silver screen before he returned to the pages of the Strand to battle a demon hound in Sherlock Holmes Baffled (1900). He is the most filmed fictional character in history. His appearances in fiction, radio, stage, screen and advertising are legion. While his presence in the popular culture has waxed and waned, he is a perennial; always present to help those in need.

Holmes-inspired investigators that sprang up on American TV like problem-solving weeds in the first decade of the 21^st century culminated in his return to the movies in the hugely successful Robert Downey Jr./Jude Law franchise and the small screen with BBC Sherlock and now Elementary.

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"Each of These Wore Some Scarf" [VALL]

At the PBS Masterpiece/Sherlock question-and-answer event held on May 2 in New York City that brought Sherlock co-creator Steven Moffat, wife and producer Sue Vertue and star Benedict Cumberbatch in close proximity to several hundred avid fans, event host and Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton asked Vertue (at about the 21:40 mark) about the rumors floating around that she had some connection to CBS’s upcoming Elementary. Mention of the show brought boos from the crowd. After Vertue dismissed any link with the American production, Eaton added, “And we don’t necessarily wish it the best, right?” Cumberbatch replied:

Well, Jonny’s a friend, you know, and as we know with the Robert Downey, Jr. franchise there’s room enough for two, so why not three? It’s fine. It’ll be different and I don’t think it will take away the love from ours and there’s no need to be churlish…about it or what they’re trying to do.

The crowd responded with applause. It was a high point for Cumberbatch in an afternoon that had quite a few for him.

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"Interesting, Though Elementary" [HOUN]

As you're no doubt aware, the CBS show Elementary airs at 10 p.m. on Thursdays beginning on September 27 (the day this post went live). We've covered the show previously, from breaking news to an analysis to what it might be. And of course, the program has generated its share of controversy as well as assumptions about the quality of the representation of Sherlock Holmes.

But today, we're honored to be joined by Rob Doherty, the executive producer and writer of Elementary. Rob has a solid CV when it comes to television writing and production. His credits include Star Trek: Voyager, Point Pleasant, Medium and Ringer, to name a few. We had an opportunity to sit down with him and briefly put some questions to him that we thought you might have on your mind as well.

If there are additional questions that you think we should have asked, let us know! We may have an opportunity to host Rob on an episode of the podcast at some point in the future.

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"Not Quite So Bad as That" [SIGN]

On May 16, amid the flurry of Sherlock buzz hitting the web, CBS announced its fall schedule and Elementary made the cut, set to air on Thursdays at 10:00 pm, the time slot currently occupied by the Sherlock Holmes-inspired “The Mentalist” (which will move to Sundays).

The initial chatter was limited, due largely to the fact that there wasn't much information available about the series other than its stars, Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu. When compared with the impressively successful "Sherlock," it was natural for some commentators to wonder if the American production was simply borrowing heavily on the British hit.

We'll know for certain on September 27, when the series will premiere on CBS. Now we're seeing a fuller synopsis of Elementary than we’ve yet had, including this tidbit; “Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father forces him to live with his worst nightmare – a sober companion, Dr. Watson.”

There was also three minute trailer of  Elementary that Sherlockians  no doubt combed through for clues on the quality of the show as if it were the Zapruder film. In the last couple of weeks, CBS has posted a longer  trailer (video embedded below the jump).

Steven Moffat, co-creator of BBC’s Sherlock told TheInsider.com in May, "What we did with our Sherlock was just take it from Victorian times into modern day. They've got three big changes: it's Sherlock Holmes in America, it's Sherlock Holmes updated and it's Sherlock Holmes with a female Watson. I wonder if he's Sherlock Holmes in any sense other than he's called Sherlock Holmes.”

For months Moffat held the threat of lawsuit over CBS’s head if their Holmes incarnation was not noticeably different from the BBC; now he wonders if the very differences he called for make it anything but Sherlock Holmes. Politics lost a fine spin doctor when Moffat entered show business. Of course spin is a major part of a producer’s job and Moffat is very good at what he does, as even a cursory review of his résumé will confirm.

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"It's Lucy That Brings Me Here" [STUD]

As we've previously shared, CBS is planning a New York version of the 21st century adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories, in the spirit of the BBC's "Sherlock." It is titled "Elementary" and the release date has not yet been determined.

While we already knew that Jonny Lee Miller would play Holmes as a recovering drug addict, Hollywood Reporter has just noted that Lucy Liu - you read that correctly - of "Charlie's Angels" fame would play his sidekick as Joan Watson.

HR dubiously states that this is the first time that Watson would be "played by a woman." We say "dubiously," because we would take issue with this technicality. Of course, Joanne Woodward portrayed Dr. Mildred Watson, who was treating George C. Scott's Justin Playfair who believed he was Sherlock Holmes in "They Might Be Giants." And Margaret Colin played Jane Watson, a descendant of the good doctor, who brought a cryogenically frozen Holmes back to life in the 1987 CBS (yes, CBS!) television movie and pilot "The Return of Sherlock Holmes."

And lest you think CBS is new at this, in addition to the never picked up pilot of 1987, they also inflicted upon us the 1990 movie "The Hands of a Murderer" with Edward Woodward. Brace yourselves.

Don't say we didn't warn you.

Image credit: bethany.egan (Flickr)

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"Elementary" [CROO]

     "Excellent!" I cried.
     "Elementary," said he.

Of course, any Sherlockian considering him or herself worthy of the name knows that one particular instance in "The Crooked Man" is the only time Mr. Sherlock Holmes uses the word “elementary” in that context. Never in the canon does he actually say “Elementary, my dear Watson.”

Nevertheless, it appears that CBS has hit upon the entirely original idea of updating the Sherlock Holmes stories for the modern day, and will title this show, ahem, Elementary.

Deadline is reporting that CBS has greenlit a pilot that would air in 2012 and would transport the Victorian detective to 21^st century New York.

This news comes, unsurprisingly, after the success of the second series of BBC’s Sherlock, as well as Guy Ritchie’s recent sequel, Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows.

As Holmes would also say, “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data” [SCAN] and so far, data is drastically lacking about this upcoming series. Aside from the screenwriter - Robert Doherty - nothing is yet known, making any speculation about the quality of the series difficult. One hopes, however, that the script and acting will transcend the title and be something rather than “elementary.” 

Anastasia writes at The Itinerant Bookworm. This is her first contribution to the Baker Street Blog.
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