During the last (2010-2011) TV season, PBS in the US picked up a modernized version of Sherlock Holmes from the BBC. I watched it expecting it to be dreadful, but came away impressed. With one notable exception, the series does an excellent job of translating the tale to the present. The classic Holmes had all sorts of reference books and scrapbooks. The modern Holmes uses a smart phone and the Internet. He also has a similarly difficult personality and Dr. Watson is even a MD who has returned from fighting in Afghanistan.
The one exception is a dreadful one. Here’s Holmes’ brother Mycroft as described on Wikipedia:
That contrasts with the modern Sherlock, whose brother is a covert, powerful, active mover and shaker inside the British government. And in the classic tale, the two get along well. In the modern adaptation, they clash constantly.
[b]I wondered if the BBC would continue to produce episodes and they have. There’ll be three coming to the U.S., starting in Seattle on the evening of Sunday, May 6 and continuing on May 13 and May 20.
If you get the chance, you might check your local times and watch them. If the second set is as good at the first, they provide a good illustration of adapting a classic tale to contemporary times.[/b]
It is indeed an excellent programme, managing to be both unexpected and satisfying while leaving the audience wanting more (it’s a rare trick to combine all of these). And Series 2 was just as good as Series 1. The character interpretation and casting are superb: Holmes, Watson, Moriarty… Interestingly, the Mycroft character is played by one of the two writers. Well worth watching.
The Holmes character, Benedict Cumberbatch will be both Smaug the Dragon (motion capture) and the Necromancer (voice) in the Hobbit. The Dr. Watson character, Martin Freeman, will be playing Bilbo.
This link will get you a PDF of the series with dates and a plot summary: