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Sherlock Holmes updated: Sherlock on PBS

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Lance Charnes:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/index.html

Knowing the hue and cry on these pages surrounding the Guy Ritchie/Robert Downey version of Sherlock Holmes (2009), I'm surprised no one has raised a ruckus about the Dr. Who team's reimagining of a modern-day Sherlock.

All in all, IMO, the conceit works pretty well. Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) is still a high-functioning sociopath; Watson (Martin Freeman) is still a recovering veteran of the Afghanistan war. Just as Holmes V1.0 dabbled at the leading edges of Victorian science, Holmes V2.0 is comfortable with computers and mobile phones and knows his way around a police forensics lab. Watson's accounts of Holmes' adventures are now blog entries. The black London taxi has taken the role of the hackney, and TV the role of the twice-daily mail delivery.

Before you roll out the tar and feathers, remember this isn't Holmes' first foray into the 20th Century; during WWII, several Holmes films featured Basil Rathbone fighting Nazis.

While there's plenty for the traditionalist to dislike, the experiment does show that like Shakespeare and Jane Austen, Doyle's characters and stories can survive and thrive in new settings and different periods. If the shows aren't playing on your local PBS station, you can still watch them online for a limited time.

TheDeeMan:
I loved the updated version. I can't wait to see more.

Dee

MTH:
I loved the new episodes as well. When I first read about the changes I worried they'd make the series
into Die Hard with Watson or something, you know, constant violence, car chases, explosions every five minutes, etc.
The two lead actors did a splendid job, I think.
Recently, we bought a set of CDs from the BBC which have some very, very old Sherlock shows, from the
1950s and also very early films. It's interesting to see the various takes on the original concept.

TheDeeMan:
Is there going to be a second season of Sherlock here in the US? Does anyone know?

Dee

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