"I am serious. And don't call me Sherlock."

[captainsblog]

It's weird to realise that, after two years of waiting for the return of the Cumberbatch/Freeman series, the current run will be two-thirds over, barely 24 hours from now.  At least that's how it is for most of the civilised universe, with access to BBC1.  PBS is determined to stay behind the curve again, though this time only by weeks rather than months; the BBC DVD of the whole series will be released two weeks from Monday, the morning after "Empty Hearse" has its official United Statesian premiere. If it holds true to the form of the first two, it will have special features making the purchase even more worthwhile than it would otherwise be.

Some Good People are waiting for that, so I shall not speak about plots past or possible future, but I think I can say that the acting jobs are superb, the repartee between H&W is as witty as ever, and they've done a good job deepening some of the second-level characters as well as giving the fourth wall a thoroughly smashing SMASH-ing.

A couple of different friends have been working on different Sherlock-based writing projects, and I've dabbled with one (now on hiatus) while thinking, still, about sticking a deerstalker-covered toe into the other.  Things are either more complicated, or less, depending on who you talk to, now that a U.S. District Court judge has ended decades of speculation and ruled that the Holmes and Watson characters, themselves, are in the public domain.  (A limited number of ACD stories remain copyrighted, though.) No appeal from that decision has been filed as of today, and the deadline, I believe, is Monday, but it is binding precedent only in the immediate vicinity of Chicago in any event.

Should this become precedent on account of appellate or parallel decisions, it will certainly free up resources now handed over by creators large and small, who still routinely seek Doyle estate licensure.  Doubtless these include the Moff-Gatiss effort, the Downey films, and even that Elementary thing that I wanted so much to hate before learning how many trustworthy people actually like it.

Including, apparently, BC himself:

Have you taken any interest in Elementary?

Very much, well as far as I’ve been around to watch it and record it. Yeah, I think what Jonny’s [Lee Miller] done is remarkable, because he’s created an entirely different vein to what we’re plumbing and using and he’s really, really brilliant at it. To think of the volume of work he has to do, it’s a remarkable performance, as is Lucy Liu’s, I think she’s terrific and it’s nice to see him in New York. I like the qualities that they’ve played with in him, he’s sort of nearer a sort of Houdini version I think than... well no, actually no, maybe a Bell version, the voice is slightly lighter and not so deep but, I like it, I like it, I think it’s different enough from ours to have an audience that can love it as well as ours.

Hmmm. Maybe someday HE can take a crack at domesticating DCI Jane Tennyson.

Comments

[platypus]

I turned my nose up at Elementary when I first heard of it -- "Well, there's a soulless, cynical, derivative attempt to cash in on the current trendiness of Sherlock Holmes" -- but was astonished to find it my favorite show of the season. It's a very different take from Sherlock, and the two can easily coexist -- and it's got more heart than I've seen in many shows. Love.

[captainsblog.livejournal.com]

I was originally skeptical because it was announced so soon after the Prime Suspect faceplant- but that was just such a departure from the heart of the original series, where Jane hunted down, duh, a PRIME SUSPECT over a tight arc. Maria Bello's Jane was just another police proceduralist, despite how good a job she did of acting it.

In contrast, the Holmsiverse is big enough to sustain 20-odd stories at a time within the 44-minute format. House of Cards has also shown that the change in frequency and accent are also much easier if the basic premise isn't too limiting.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but can you really TRUST Benedict Cumberbatch's opinion on ELEMENTARY, given that he and Jonny Lee Miller are friends, and BC let Jonny wear The Scarf in an episode?

[captainsblog.livejournal.com]

Maybe someday they'll switch roles for an episode. That worked out well at the NT.

[ellettra.livejournal.com]

I love Elementary. I love Sherlock, too, but they're very different. So different, in fact, that they really can't be compared, as far as I am concerned. Over on the tumbls some folks were throwing a hissy in the beginning, claiming if you like the dreck that is Elementary you're probably also enjoying Coors in cans and eating cheezewhiz. I disagree entirely.

I have not yet watched any of the new season of Sherlock, although my mom says it is very good. I have you to thank for turning me on to the first season, as well!!

[captainsblog.livejournal.com]

I suppose, once the third Series 3 ep is in the can and over the pond, that I shall need to start catching up.

::goes, checks to see if Elementary S1 is available commercial-free either on DVD or streaming::

Ah, on disk. First four eps atop the queue:)

[ellettra.livejournal.com]

Yay!