Elementary: A Love Letter to the Perfect Sherlock

This fall, CBS will premiere Elementary, the latest adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's brilliant master sleuth Sherlock Holmes. Starring Jonny Lee Miller as Holmes and Lucy Liu as Joan Watson....

What? Wait a minute.

Joan Watson?

Okay. I'm taking myself off TV blogger autopilot. When American television starts to tamper with the beauty of Doyle's amazing mastermind Sherlock Holmes, I take umbrage. Yes. Umbrage. It's an outrage. I clutch my pearls and raise my monocle with a sneering eye to you, Sir CBS.

As a long time fan of the Granada Television's The Return of Sherlock Holmes series (1984-1994) starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes and Edward Hardwick as Dr. Watson (originally portrayed by David Burke), any other non-Brett version of Doyle's canon makes me uneasy.

This is the ultimate in buddy stories, and Brett's histrionics in his portrayal of Holmes fit like a velvet glove over the characteristics of this fictional, self made detective. Brett knew how to harness the deep dark vat of mystery that was Holmes. He made him manic depressive, hyper, dark, histrionic, sexually ambivalent, difficult, intelligent, a first rate chameleon. His chemistry with Hardwick was perfection. Indeed, Hardwick portrayed the side kick to Holmes with wit and intelligence. Dapper, father-like, he was the yin to Holmes' yang. An injured veteran of war, he returned to London after fighting in Afghanistan in search of a room where he could convalesce. When he answered an ad for a room at 221b Baker Street,  Holmes befriended him in that prickly way of his, and ultimately grabbed him by the lapel to collaborate on sleuthing 24/7.

The production values of the Granada series was serious business. Much care was taken by the production staff at Granada in bringing Victorian London to life with realistic Baker Street sets, wardrobe, and a romantic, sepia color corrected feel to the project.

Years went by. Then BBC gave us the wondrous, modern day version, Sherlock, starring the wirey and handsome Benedict Cumberbatch as the Holmes of today, with the lovely, funny Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson.

For a Brett-Sherlock fan such as myself, Cumberbatch as the intense, neurotic wonder boy whose handsome visage and deep darkness also slips on like comfy slippers. His symmetric, sharp features underscores Holmes' genius. One gets the sense that Sherlock is the grown up version of a once petulant child, an outcast, an anti-social wunderkind, most likely met with curiosity and scorn by the boys at Eton or Cambridge. Freeman, who portrays a Watson, also back from Afghanistan, wounded and confused about his next step in life, is the level headed one, the opposite of his stolid partner. He's the human heart to Holmes' ever-thinking brain, as they solve crime with the help of an iPhone and GPS.

The concept of Sherlock and his world can be analogous to Doyle's creature, much like a Shakespearean play. The themes are universal. The players can be beamed down into any period, but the stories, the human emotions and the crimes will never change - just the wardrobe and points of cultural and technological reference differ.

So, why do I claim the Holmes stories can be analogous to today's world, yet bristle over the CBS version?  Because taking one of the greatest buddy stories in two centuries and making one member of that pair a woman, changes the dynamic of what makes Sherlock Holmes terrific. Because making Sherlock a modern day genius wrapped in a GQ-like bad boy, drug addled persona doesn't fly with me. Because the possibility of the same old boring sexual tension that will inevitably happen between Lee and Liu will complicate a good mystery.

I'm sorry. Cannot compute. CBS,with all the writers banging down their door to get a script bought and developed by you, this is what you come up with? A twisted version of Doyle's characters, when the BBC has it covered? I love that you shoot Person of Interest, Unforgettable and the now canceled A Gifted Man in NYC. So, producing Elementary in New York get s a thumbs up from me. But, I'd rather see this drama as a stand alone cop procedural perhaps using the concepts that Doyle wrote in a more self aware way. Why not have the protagonists use their dog eared copies of his books when deducing a crime?  Oh wait. Why would you take advice from a nobody?  Sorry.

What's on tap for mid-season? A modern day version of Downton Abbey? Betty White as the Dowager and Oliver Platt as Bates, set in modern day Los Angeles on a Scientology compound in the Hills?

Oh wait. That may be a good idea.

Two and a Half Men: The Kutcher Edition

As we all know, season nine of Two and a Half Men will be Sheen-less. With Ashton Kutcher as the new Malibu housemate, there's plenty of curiosity on how this new dynamic will work. Also, how will Charlie's absence be explained? Will Chuck Lorre have him die in a fiery accident on the Pacific Coast Highway? Or will Charlie travel to Borneo on vacation and be kidnapped by hot native women in skimpy bikinis, making him their sex slave until he dies? We'll all find out on September 19th on CBS.

Looking Ahead to Fall Season 2011-2012

Slowly but surely I'm getting on board with the new fall season. One show I'm looking forward to is 2 Broke Girls on CBS. Starring Cat Dennings and Beth Behrs as two waitresses, one working class, the other upper class and down on her luck, it was created by Sex and the City's Michael Patrick King and comedian and Co-Executive Producer Whitney Cummings. There is an edge to this three camera comedy that seems to fit the vibe of CBS' Monday night lineup. It will follow another three camera sitcom How I Met Your Mother. This show was also a hot commodity, having been the subject of a bidding war won out by the CBS.



Cummings also had her own sitcom picked up by NBC - Whitney. As per the NBC Fall previews there is a lot of "Oh, that Whitney!", and "What will Whitney do now?" and "Oh kooky Whitney always stealing the thunder - even in a wedding!" Your mileage may vary, but it feels like the show is bringing comedy back 30 years...and not in M.A.S.H or All in the Family way.

'Mad Love'

When I first clapped eyes on a screener of Mad Love a few weeks back, one thought popped into my head: CBS already has How I Met Your Mother. Mad Love has all the familiar components on the check list. 1) New York? Check. 2) Horny young professionals? Check. 3) Love at first sight? Yup. 4) Narration? Yes. So, why are they giving us the same boilerplate concept, especially, at least for now, on Monday nights? (And note that this show was created and ready for mid-season long before Sheen's troubles put Two and a Half Men in a tailspin.)

Mad Love feels like the kind of show a network puts on when they've run out of ideas. However, the cast is fine. Sarah Chalke looks great in this role, playing Kate, the love interest of Ben, portrayed by Jason Biggs. Judy Greer and Tyler Labine are pretty cute as a bickering duo who will undoubtedly fall in love with each other. The pilot felt mired by contrivances: boy meets girl, love at first sight, tired Empire State Building romantic meet up, men are jerks, or no they're not. Also, I don't see any real chemistry between Chalke and Biggs. Yes, she looks at him longingly with the sparkle in her eyes, but the undertow of attraction just isn't there. I don't feel it, nor do I believe they are characters in love.

I don't like being hard on a pilot episode. They are usually sketchy. They introduce us to the characters and the situation of their lives. The storyline is an idea that needs to grow on the viewer so we care and come back for more.

I'll give Mad Love a chance. Besides, with Two and a Half Men down four episodes due to Sheen's absence, CBS will need all the shows they can get their hands on right now.

The Defenders

I've been charmed by some shows this fall season (See Mike and Molly), and since my brain is a barren desert of stress, unicorns and daydreams, I'm inspired by some new shows that appear conventional on the surface, but enjoyable when digging in to view.

CBS unveiled their new law drama The Defenders a few weeks back, starring Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell as best pals and defense lawyers bending the rules to find justice in the Las Vegas court system. I'll admit, I wasn't expecting much from another law firm drama. Furthermore, although I like the guy, I was never a fan of Belushi's Life According to Jim. Yet, this show reeled me in.

Belushi plays Nick Morelli, a hard working soon-to-be single father who picks impossible lost cause cases to the bone by going beyond the usual legal methods. Alongside him is O'Connell as Pete Kaczmarek, a man with a hot woman in every corner, and is as relentless as his partner in the pursuit of justice at all costs.

Both Belushi and O'Connell have tight, comedic chemistry. The pace is fast, humorous, but dark when it's needs to be. Vegas is the setting, with big time corruption, crime and sex illuminated by the bright lights of the strip. The Defenders is entertaining. Contrived at times? Yes. It's hard not to roll your eyes when the first scene of the first few shows has Kaczmarek with yet another airline stewardess or babe undressing before or getting dressed after a night of humping. Yet, the show is still fun to watch. And I still can't believe the fit, handsome O'Connell was that chubby kid from Stand By Me.

The Defenders on CBS - Wednesdays at 10pm.

Mike and Molly

If there was one thing I was concerned about CBS' Mike and Molly, is that the fat jokes were going to fly at the expense of the two lead characters. In fact, there was a moment during the pilot that annoyed me: When Molly's skinny mom (played by Swoozie Kurtz) and her voluptuous sister (played by Katy Mixon) eat up a freshly baked chocolate cake while Molly is sweating it up on an elliptical machine beside them. Here we go, I thought. Skinny people indulging in something the key character of the show cannot have - dessert. But as the pilot continued, and as the past few weeks of Mike and Molly evolved with character development, I've grown to love this show.

Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy play Mike and Molly respectively - and respectfully. They both bring an honesty to their characters, are very likable, and you root for them. The writing is funny and the ensemble cast really gels. It's also refreshing to see two key romantic characters look like real people - not impossibly gorgeous, cookie cutter blonds with muscle and perfection to which most people cannot relate.

Watch Mike and Molly on Monday nights 9:30 pm et/8:30pm ct.

How I Met Your Mother Season Finale

Here's my shout out to the wonderful season finale of How I Met Your Mother last night. It was an episode of leaps of faith that defied the fear of plunging into the abyss. Ted's story with the surprise party, his dedication to a lame career boosting project, and the goal fight, really hit home for me. Sometimes you are so stuck on an old goal, an old vision, you begin to hate everything in your life. You have to change something, make that jump despite being frightened of the consequences, frightened of leaving your comfort zone, and frightened of abandoning a dream you're used to chasing, but had grown out of long ago. Thanks to Marshall's sudden decision to make his own jump across the precipice, and Lily's sage wisdom (mixed with eye rolls of snark), the message of this episode really put some thought in my mind. Seriously. This show. A sitcom I watch only occasionally, really made me think.

Barney and Robin's funny "Mosby" tango was also a great plunge into fearful territory, admitting their love, yet not admitting it. How I adore Neil Patrick Harris and his Barney ways.

I guess we are only seeing the beginning of how everyone's mother's were met. More to come next season.