US: Elementary

I've been putting off watching this because I enjoyed Sherlock so much and the thought of it being in NY with a female Dr Watson (who has to live up to Martin Freeman's portrayal) was just wrong. However, after seeing the video above, I think I may well give it a go - thanks :)
 
Very good, but it(and a lot of tv) is trying so much of the put current media story into an episode as soon as possible. Episodes that stick out, anonymous, 3d printing, mostly irritating rather than good. It's forcing a story and usually about a premise that the writers don't understand because it's new. So many internet/hacking/groups like anonymous stories writers have no clue what they are doing and they just come out as pretty rubbish episodes.

Most of the rest are between okay and excellent. Cast is great in general, most of the stories good, the arc's are a bit thin. With only really one serious episode to episode arc, that while good, it's missing more.
 
I watched the first episode tonight and really enjoyed it. It isn't up there with Sherlock but I wasn't expecting it to be but it does seem very good in it's own right.
 
It's sufficiently different from Sherlock that I don't compare the 2 and I really enjoy it. I do like their take on Moriarty and I do prefer Elementarys Moriarty to Sherlocks
 
I haven't seen Sherlock so I've never had reason to compare it to the British version myself. Do keep meaning to but unlike every other channel, BBC don't seem keen on repeating stuff.
 
Been watching it since it first aired and I think it's better than Sherlock which is a bit too quirky for me. Plus I love Lucy Liu.
 
I've watched the first three episodes of Elementary and I have to admit that Lucy Liu is definitely growing on me :D
I do still much prefer the format of Sherlock, each episode is 90min without any adverts, which allows plenty of time to develop a story. With the 42min format the stories seem a bit rushed.
 
Elementary has become ridiculously predictable this season, probably started towards the end of last one, rather mimicking the English version. Where after the first third of the second season it started to go downhill and played up tech/modern/current stories a lot more.

Personally for everything I like about the English 90 min format, the direction style irks me massively and, well if Elementary has two terrible episodes a season there are still 20 others to be good, when Sherlock had two **** episodes... that was the entire season gone.

As you say though you can tell a more complex story over a longer time, as such Elementary should have more arcs. I think they've had realistically only Moriarty as an arc, and I guess his addiction(though in reality they talk about it a lot but it's never been an issue). They could do with tracking a few serial killers over multiple episodes which I think would fill it out and bring back a bit more complexity to it.

Filmed well with a very strong cast but it should be aiming for a bit more challenge for the viewer to work out who is guilty. This weeks ep was exceptionally obvious who was guilty and why and ridiculously early into the episode. ultimately I think the general theme of Sherlock being the only one who can work it out and letting in Watson/the viewer in stages till the end is the general premise. It's become a bit "generic cop show" where they still pretend like Sherlock is a genius but he missed the patently obvious guilty party which is usually shown to the viewer way way too early now.

Does anyone know what the general history of Sherlock is, was Watson ever anything beyond a sidekick? In Sherlock(the eng show) Watson gets smarter but never really solves anything and rarely picks up anything major that Sherlock doesn't. In the american show they've rather stormed through from Watson being a smart doctor to a top notch detective who is now often pointing out things Sherlock misses. Doesn't quite feel right.
 
I don't think Watson was ever more than Holmes' assistant and biographer, so I think Sherlock is a lot more true to the original than Elementary in that respect.
 
as people have said..its unique enough in its own right to be sufficiently different

its pure entertainment rather than a brain teaser like the uk version

the leads are good..Sherlock is hilariously rude and thick skinned
lucy liu growing into the role and easy on the eye

guest spots have been good..john hanna, rhys ifans

I enjoy it a lot..its very watchable..just not as convoluted as the uk sherlock..buts its american so you will have to just forgive them for that
 
I love it. Classic light entertainment. Totally blasphemous to the true Sherlock Holmes fans but its better to have the brilliant main character as a modern Sherlock than to just rip off the style.
 
I just can't get my head round Lucy Liu ever finding Sherlock's brother even remotely attractive, he's just looks gross!
 
robgmun said:
I just can't get my head round Lucy Liu ever finding Sherlock's brother even remotely attractive, he's just looks gross!
Click to expand...

Yup, the story line is ludicrous and they've just forced it. Must find brit to play the brother.... list of iffy looking brits of the right age plying their trade in the states is small so get him in. He plays the role as creepy and weird, and in no stage did they generate a believable story there, the "you slept with him" bit came out of no where and the forced relationship angle, well, feels forced and odd.

Vinnie Jones surprisingly was okay in his role(except for as usual every role he plays has to involve him has a football fan), but I feel like Mycroft, the english detective guy and Mycroft's fiancee were poorly cast and two of them terrible in their roles(Mycroft is okay except for he doesn't suit the love story angle at all).
 
I hope they go the way I think they are going with it and Mycroft being involved with gangsters. That way Joan would end any involvement with Mycroft period and that's the end of it.
 
Well look at Mycroft Holmes in the books and in Sherlock to see what he does for a living. If they are going the most obvious route, given the good old English accent of the one covert type guy who spoke at the end, I suppose this whilst unexpected, makes sense
 
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