Elementary. Episode 1: "Pilot"

CBS

If you have any fears about how CBS's Elementary might rip off from BBC's Sherlock, now is the time to put those fears to rest. CBS knows that although Sherlock Holmes is part of the public domain, the Steven Moffat version isn't. And so rather than run the risk of infringing any existing copyrights, CBS went a totally different direction.

CBS

The way her legs went off in different directions.

Elementary more closely resembles a procedural than a traditional detective drama. And it's not just because of its CBS cousins CSI and NCIS. It's because the creator Robert Doherty thought that Sherlock Holmes would be just perfect for a procedural show. And he actually is, thanks to Johnny Lee Miller's excellent portrayal, looking nothing like a Benedict Cumberbatch clone.

CBS

"Me, a Cumberbatch clone? Bollocks."

Lucy Liu, on the other hand, is quite the enigma. I was totally against any portrayal of John Watson as a woman, thinking it could never be pulled off. Ever. Well, Ms. Liu has pulled it off, even taking into account the limited expressions her Asian features can convey.

CBS

"But I can smile rather nicely."

If you want to know how much of this show takes from the Arthur Conan Doyle canon, it's pretty much just the character of Sherlock Holmes. Nothing more. While the BBC version pays homage to Doyle by borrowing titles, motifs, and storylines from the canon, the CBS version doesn't. At least so far. It's just the series pilot, anyway.





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