I'm usually not a fan of the procedural shows that can so often be churned out on the TV networks, but for some reason "Elementary" struck the right balance of variety and familiarity to keep me watching for the 7 season run.
A contemporary adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories, "Elementary" sees the iconic character (Jonny Lee Miller) operating as a consulting detective for the New York City Police Department. Into his life comes Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) a former surgeon, now working as a sober companion. Holmes discovers that Watson has a knack for detective work and with her medical background the pair form a formidable crime fighting team.
I'm not sure why this one ended up being the procedural show I stuck with. I think a lot of it had to do with the charm and chemistry of the two leads. They've been a brilliant pairing and expertly portrayed a growing and then loving relationship that never became romantic. The supporting cast have been good too; both the regular NYPD cops, played by Jon Michael Quinn and Aiden Quinn and the wider cast, Rhys Ifans as Mycroft, John Noble as Holmes' father, and Natalie Dormer as Moriarty.
Admittedly, it does have that same problem that this sort of show always has with being formulaic. It's largely the same story beats in each episode and it's often predicated on one of the pair knowing something extraordinary, rather than the art of deducting. From there they accuse the wrong person, who has an alibi, before the culprit is revealed to be a person they interviewed earlier in the show. I'm being reductive, but only a little bit. Fortunately there are some overriding story arcs that provide some variety to the proceedings and the odd change in set up across the run that freshen things up. It was a tad disappointing that the seventh season didn't provide us with another proper run with Moriarty, but what we did have was OK.
Sad to see the show end, but happy that it ends before running itself into the ground.
A contemporary adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories, "Elementary" sees the iconic character (Jonny Lee Miller) operating as a consulting detective for the New York City Police Department. Into his life comes Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) a former surgeon, now working as a sober companion. Holmes discovers that Watson has a knack for detective work and with her medical background the pair form a formidable crime fighting team.
I'm not sure why this one ended up being the procedural show I stuck with. I think a lot of it had to do with the charm and chemistry of the two leads. They've been a brilliant pairing and expertly portrayed a growing and then loving relationship that never became romantic. The supporting cast have been good too; both the regular NYPD cops, played by Jon Michael Quinn and Aiden Quinn and the wider cast, Rhys Ifans as Mycroft, John Noble as Holmes' father, and Natalie Dormer as Moriarty.
Admittedly, it does have that same problem that this sort of show always has with being formulaic. It's largely the same story beats in each episode and it's often predicated on one of the pair knowing something extraordinary, rather than the art of deducting. From there they accuse the wrong person, who has an alibi, before the culprit is revealed to be a person they interviewed earlier in the show. I'm being reductive, but only a little bit. Fortunately there are some overriding story arcs that provide some variety to the proceedings and the odd change in set up across the run that freshen things up. It was a tad disappointing that the seventh season didn't provide us with another proper run with Moriarty, but what we did have was OK.
Sad to see the show end, but happy that it ends before running itself into the ground.