Shorts: Elementary - Season 1 (2012)

Last Friday I reviewed Sherlock. This time I review the another Sherlock Holmes tv show. I don't think this has any official connection to Sherlock. However this feels like this copies the British show. Like it is reimagination of reimagination. There are so many similarities to Sherlock that this couldn't have been made if there wasn't Sherlock and its popularity.

This time Sherlock Holmes is recovering drug addict who has moved to New York. Doctor Watson is his sober companion who lives with him for six weeks trying to prevent him  relapsing. It is no spoiler when I tell that Watson stays with Holmes after that six weeks period. After all they are one of best known teams in popular culture.

Elementary takes as much as it dares from Sherlock and changes things just enough not to be total rip-off. In Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes is genius with little social skill. In Elementary he has real life mental disorder that makes in genius but socially awkward. I don't know if he was written that way or was it something Jonny Lee Miller brought to the role.

Lucy Liu is doctor Joan Watson which means gender and race change for Watson. It is interesting that more people think Holmes and Watson are couple in Sherlock than in Elementary. I am not biggest fan of gender or race changes for famous characters but this time it works. Lucy Liu as Watson goes to same category as Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury or Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin.

Elementary doesn't have as interesting supporting cast as Sherlock. No-one is as interesting as Mycroft Holmes, Molly Hooper or Landlady of Sherlock. Even Watson has smaller role than in Sherlock. However Elementary has better Moriarty than Sherlock. Sherlock doesn't have bad Moriarty but Elementary's Moriarty is more complete character.

Over all Sherlock is better of two. Elementary is good for more serious substitute for Sherlock. If we got more than three episodes every other year of Sherlock I might think otherwise. Now Elementary works as substitute. It is similar enough for Sherlock fans but different enough to be its own thing.