As a consistent viewer of procedurals, I have come to enjoy the formula these shows subscribe to. A heinous crime is committed in the first few minutes of the episode, followed by the characters assessing the scene… Insert some witty banter, and by the end of the episode (with no regard for the time it takes to process samples, interview witnesses, or factor in other case loads) we have our suspect, guilty as charged wrapped up in a bow. “Elementary”, aptly named after Sherlock Holmes’ recognizable one liner “Elementary, my dear Watson!” follows a similar pattern.
A post-rehab addict, Sherlock Holmes (Johnny Lee Miller) works as a consultant with the NYPD accompanied by his sober companion Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu), a former surgeon who killed a patient and was sued for malpractice. While some would say that this idea of a consultant helping law enforcement is tired and overused, I personally enjoy “Elementary’s” quick pace, comical exchanges between the main characters, and less than predictable path the episodes take.
This show can be closely compared to “The Mentalist”, in that the consultant uses the tool of observation to deduce who the killer is. What sets “Elementary” apart is that Sherlock Holmes is a recognizable and well-known character. After a bit of establishing dialogue explaining how Holmes landed in NYC, we delve directly into his crime solving talents. The big conclusions made from the seemingly irrelevant observations that Holmes makes and rattles off leaves the audience waiting to see how they all fit together and ultimately lead to nabbing the bad guy.
"Elementary" is cast well, and moves at a strong pace. While there are an abundance of shows that solve crime, this show is a fresh take on an old character within a setting that is tried and true to draw in viewers. I enjoyed the first few episodes, and look forward to seeing how the characters develop throughout the rest of the season.
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