Sherlock, the TV series

Surely the renowned author Arthur Conan Doyle couldn’t have imagined to what extent his writings would still be enjoying enduring success. What would the creator of the most intrepid consultant detective think of an incarnated adaptation of his most popular work? I’d guess he’d be impressed.

First broadcasted in mid 2010, Sherlock, a TV series starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the eccentric Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as his sidekick, Dr. John Watson, gives a new lease of life to the original adventures, without failing to include the traditional elements that made the first appearance of these characters so famous. It brings these old adventures up to date keeping the essence of the main characters intact. Holmes remains to be an assertive and resilient investigator, proficient in unraveling mysteries, who lacks formation in common knowledge so that he retains most of the invaluable information he collects to be processed deductively. He also has rather uncommon hobbies and an extraordinary sense of humor (since he finds, for instance, a murder as most entertaining). As regards Dr. Watson, he fulfills his function of shedding some light in the cases as well as being an extremely useful companion in the moments that require it. Other appearances include those of Mycroft Holmes (Sherlock’s brother), inspector Lestrade and Dr. Jim Moriarty, Sherlock’s archenemy.

In order to solve the adapted crimes, the new Sherlock employs modern technology, such as Internet, cell phone texting and GPS tracking systems. What is interesting about the modern day version is that this idea also conforms to the old character’s sophisticated manners, as he would take advantage of any device and logical mechanisms related to it in order to elucidate the mysteries surrounding him.

The first season of the series is now over, but luckily there is more to watch in the near future: a second series of three 90-minute episodes is scheduled to be broadcast in late 2011, including the highly acclaimed Doyle’s novel, “The Hound of the Baskervilles”, and the most intricate puzzle the old Sherlock has ever encountered, “The Final Problem”, which was originally published in 1894 as part of the collection “The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes” and in which Sherlock presumably dies as a result of the longest confrontation with his archenemy, criminal mastermind Dr. Moriarty.

All in all, the series is a must for ardent fans, who in my opinion will not be disappointed at all, and it is of course worthwhile watching for those who are into the genre and seek for entertainment.