Elementary – TV Series Trailer

After I gushed over the BBC’s hugely successful and coolly modernised Sherlock Holmes series, Sherlock I thought I should at least write my first thoughts on the little we have seen of US broadcaster, CBS’s upcoming take on the detective: the whimsically titled, Elementary.

There seems to be a lot of hesitation around the series (including from myself) but there is also something infinitely cool about the fact that Johnny Lee Miller, who (in Danny Boyle’s  2011 Frankenstein play) switched between the roles of Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s Monster with Benedict Cumberbatch nightly, making this the second time the pair of them will be ‘sharing’ a role.

In the new three-minute preview (below) we don’t seem to be offered anything gobsmackingly revolutionary or particularly interesting, but if one thing is clear it is that Elementary certainly looks like it will be quite different in look and feel from Sherlock.

I don’t know whether to start with the fact that Englishman, Miller’s Sherlock puts on an uncanny impression of David Hyde Pierce (“Niles Crane, Private Detective!”) or that Dr John Watson has sex-changed into Lucy Liu.

Past the quirkiness of Rubik’s Cubing the discovering of corpses whilst cops blather about how amazing the ‘world’s most famous detective is’ it seems evident that the show is going to also heavily revolve around the chemistry and friendship of Holmes and Joan Watson (I see what they did there) – who appear to meet in a rehab centre after Sherlock’s drug problem takes him to New York.

That chemistry between the leads is arguably one of the greatest things about the BBC’s series, with Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch’s ambiguous harmony creating excellent character-driven storytelling. Worryingly, from the trailer alone, sexual tension seems pretty apparent in Elementary. Hmm, I spy my first major qualm with the show. I don’t oppose to romantic interests in Sherlock Holmes tales, just romantic interests in Sherlock Holmes tales who aren’t Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch.

From the trailer CBS’s Sherlock Holmes looks and feels more human and therefore potentially more vulnerable than the BBC’s which could allow for some great drama if he isn’t going to always remain in a Cumberbatch-bubble of non-existent emotion. Elementary has stuck with an English Sherlock but seems to have changed just about everything else so I am ready to give it a fair chance. In all the Sherlock hype at the moment it is a shame that FOX’s long-running television series, Sherlock Holmes M.D. ends next next week, too.

Anyway, never mind my rubbish opinion, watch the trailer and decide for yourself:

The Future of US TV – The CW

Our last network with new shows is The CW, a network that caters for a heavily young and female audience and combats low ratings with low budgets. This is the home of Gossip Girl and 90201. Oh and Supernatural for some reason. Frankly this network could do with a few good new shows… We’ll see.

The Future of US TV – CBS

We’re nearing the end of our journey through the TV shows hitting American screens this year. Our penultimate channel is CBS, not so much of a heavyweight but better than tomorrow’s network. CBS actually has quite a full roster already, plenty of CSIs and other dramas along with comedies including How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory and the rejigged Two and a Half Men. Because their plate is so full we only have five new shows to peruse, and they’re mostly terrible.

The Future of US TV – ABC

ABC is the third American network in our preview of the new US shows coming this autumn. ABC currently have a mixed bag of sitcoms, two good and two bad, and some positively vintage soapy dramas along with a few newer, crime-based dramas. ABC needs all it can get which is why it has so many new shows coming. With every instant classic there’s a comedy about men in drag that no UK channel will touch.

The Future of US TV – FOX

Today we take a look at upcoming shows on US network FOX. To set the scene FOX has just one regular sitcom, Raising Hope, but also all of Seth MacFarlane’s cartoon comedies and The Simpsons to boot. In the drama department FOX is strong with Glee, Bones, Fringe and House. What it needs are a couple more sitcoms and maybe a few new dramas to replace its veterans before they leave. Let’s see what they have coming…

The Future of US TV – NBC

Last week while we weren’t at Cannes, America’s big networks unveiled the shows they will be launching this Autumn. Some will be cancelled after a handful of episodes and others will run for years and years. Either way they will trickle through to the UK, filling up the endless digital channels and providing an alternative to yet more Two Pints of Lager. Every day this week we’ll look at each network’s new shows to prepare you for your channel hopping future.

Today we begin with NBC, currently with a strong comedy block made up of Community, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock and The Office. With only a few successful dramas they have gone mad with the new shows.