‘Elementary’ is the new 'Holmes’, but Moffat thinks it’s changed too much
Elementary will be the umpteenth re-telling ofSherlock Holmes, and one person in particular thinks that the Americans have diluted what could have been an otherwise interesting look at another Holmes/Watson interaction.
Steven Moffat, the man who currently writes a very modern Sherlock Holmes (and the awesome Doctor Who) is probably the best rendition of Holmes to date, not counting the movie version with Robert Downing, Jr. Both the actors who play Holmes and Watson respectively are spot on in both the movie and TV series, so it seems strange to try to bring not only another modern take on Holmes, but to put him in America.
Per the RadioTimes Moffat states:
“What we did with our Sherlock was just take it from Victorian times into modern day," he said. "[Elementary has] got three big changes: it's Sherlock Holmes in America, its 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.”
He goes on to say:
"It's a slightly odd situation because [CBS] approached us to do an adaptation and we declined, then, coincidentally, they announced they were doing an updated version of Sherlock Holmes," said Moffat.And although he says Elementary is different from Sherlock, he still has misgivings about the effect it might have on the Sherlock Holmes legacy: "I don't want it to sound like Mark [Gatiss] and I don't want other people to try this. We welcome it, but don't damage the brand," he said.
If you haven’t had a chance to catch Moffat’s version of Sherlock Holmes, you’re in luck. The first season, which consists of three episodes, is streaming on Netflix. It really is a good show, one that stands on its own. What I like is that Sherlock is not crazy so much as he is just so brilliant that it takes the rest of the world to catch up to him. And Watson, as a war vet is the perfect counterpoint to him.
In Elementary, Holmes (played by Jonny Lee Miller) comes off as an eccentric and a bit ocd in his mannerisms. And don’t get me started on Watson (played by Lucy Liu). I really don’t mind that she is a woman, but these two don’t seem to click like how Holmes and Watson are supposed. But this is only from the clip, that I am basing my opinion. I want this to be great TV, but I think this American version has an uphill battle, one that it may not win.
Elementary will air falls on CBS.
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