Elementary,
My Dear Watson
In
recent years, Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch have joined an elite
club located at 221b Baker Street. Both
men have taken on the role of Sherlock Homes (originally brought to life by Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle) on CBS’s Elementary
and BBC’s Sherlock,
respectively. Each show takes a
drastically different approach to both the detective and his faithful sidekick,
Watson, played by Lucy Liu (Elementary)
and Martin Freeman (Sherlock).
BBC’s
Sherlock is aired in three-episode
seasons. So far, there have been
two. The series adheres rather closely
to Doyle’s original works. The cases
that Cumberbatch and Freeman solve are based on the cases of the fictional
detective in the novels. The dry British
sense of humor is also apparent in the writing.
Sherlock is portrayed as an absolute genius, and far from modest. The portrayal of how his mind works in this
series is depicted as being rather computer-like. As an episode progresses, viewers get to see
Cumberbatch solve various clues as they come together in Sherlock’s mind. The
similarities between this interpretation and Doyle’s original range from Irene
Adler to Watson’s recording Sherlock’s cases, albeit in a blog.
CBS’s
Elementary is an Americanized version
of the adventures of Holmes. A former
surgeon Joan Watson (Liu) is hired by the father of a recovering addict,
Sherlock (Miller), to be his sobriety companion and keep him on track. This interpretation lacks the wit and over
the top eccentricities that, in my opinion, Sherlock, requires. Elementary
is more of a high-drama crime show, like NCIS
or CSI. This version of Sherlock is sort of badass in
a macho way, but still lacks that genius quality that Cumberbatch’s
interpretation nails.
Essentially,
if you’re trying to be faithful to the books, tune in to BBC’s Sherlock. If you’re looking for
something more suspenseful and considerably more American, then check out CBS’s
Elementary. But don’t be fooled –
while the characters remain the same, they’re brought to life in completely
different ways.
By Kaitlyn Coddington
