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Elementary (TV series)

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Elementary
Title card for Elementary
GenreCrime drama
Created byRobert Doherty
Based onThe works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Starring
ComposerSean Callery
Country of originTemplate:TVUS
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes25 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Robert Doherty
  • Sarah Timberman
  • Carl Beverly
  • John Coles
ProducerAlysse Bezahler
Production locationsNew York City, NY
London, England (season 2)
CinematographyNelson Cragg
EditorJoe Hobeck
Running time46 minutes (pilot)
43 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 27, 2012 (2012-09-27) –
present

Elementary is an American crime drama series that premiered on CBS on September 27, 2012.[1] It presents a contemporary update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's character Sherlock Holmes set in the United States. It stars Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson. Holmes is a former consultant to Scotland Yard,[2] and also a recovering drug addict. He travels to New York City to check into a rehabilitation center[2] then lives with Watson, who becomes his sober companion[2] and eventually his apprentice.

On October 23, 2012, CBS picked up Elementary for a full season.[3] On November 15, 2012, the network ordered two additional episodes to its current season, bringing the total number of episodes to 24.[4] On March 27, 2013, the series was renewed for a second season.[5]

Plot

Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock Holmes escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father forces him to live with his worst nightmare – a sober companion, Dr. Joan Watson. A successful surgeon until she lost a patient and her license three years ago, Watson views her current job as another opportunity to help people, as well as paying a penance. However, the restless Sherlock is nothing like her previous clients. He informs her that none of her expertise as an addiction specialist applies to him and he’s devised his own post-rehab regimen – resuming his work as a police consultant in New York City. Watson has no choice but to accompany her irascible new charge on his jobs. But, Sherlock finds her medical background helpful, and Watson realizes she has a knack for playing investigator. Sherlock’s police contact, Capt. Thomas Gregson, knows from previous experience working with Scotland Yard that Sherlock is brilliant at closing cases, and welcomes him as part of the team, which includes Detective Marcus Bell. Groomed as Gregson's protege, Bell is a top-notch investigator with sharp intuition and formidable interrogation skills. Although initially skeptical of Holmes and his unorthodox methods, Bell begins to recognize Sherlock as an asset in their investigations. With the mischievous Sherlock Holmes now running free in New York solving crime, it’s simple deduction that he’s going to need someone to keep him grounded, and it’s elementary that it’s a job for Watson.

Cast and characters

  • Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes, a former Scotland Yard consultant who now lives in New York City after receiving drug rehabilitation there for his previous drug-related problems in England. Holmes is a deductive genius with a variety of interests and enthusiasms that assist him in his investigations. Feeling that the more interesting criminal cases are in America, he stays in New York. He contacts an old associate, Captain Thomas Gregson of the NYPD to resume his previous job as a consulting detective. He is forced by his father to live with Dr. Joan Watson, his "sober companion" who provides him with aftercare. Miller's Holmes displays many canonical aspects of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's character, while his familial relations, especially his resentment for his father, have been added into his narrative. It's hinted that his exodus to the United States was not simply drug rehab or an interest in American crime, but that it was due to a woman named Irene as well.[6]
  • Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson, Holmes' "sober companion". Watson was a successful surgeon, which adds to her complement of skills. She comes to Holmes when she is hired by his father as his sober companion,[7] to help him remain abstinent after his release from rehabilitation. After her contracted time is finished she remains on after lying to Holmes, telling him that his father had retained her services. He comes to rely on her input and grows to trust her as she helps him come to terms with his life after addiction. After a while, Holmes reveals that he found out that she was no longer being paid to stay as a companion. He offers her a position as an apprentice, telling her how much she means to him and how she helps him to focus. Watson accepts and starts her training as a detective with Holmes.
  • Aidan Quinn as Captain Thomas "Tommy" Gregson[note 1] of the New York City Police Department; Once, when assigned to Scotland Yard to observe their counter-terrorism bureau, he crossed paths with Sherlock and was impressed with Holmes' work as a detective. He genuinely likes Holmes and the two have mutual respect for each other, though he admits that Sherlock is a "pain in the ass."
  • Jon Michael Hill as Detective Marcus Bell, Gregson's assistant; while initially against the idea of getting help from Sherlock, he comes to realize Sherlock's talent as a detective and readily takes advice from him, although his attitude towards Sherlock seems barely tolerant. He criticizes Sherlock's theories often, but seems to envy Sherlock's deductive reasoning.

Recurring

  • Ato Essandoh as Alfredo Llamosa, Sherlock's sober sponsor. A recovering addict himself, Alfredo is also reformed from a life of crime stealing cars.[13]
  • Natalie Dormer as Irene Adler/Moriarty, a criminal mastermind who became Sherlock's lover in order to better understand him as an adversary.[14]

Development

Writer and producer Robert Doherty created the show. Doherty has commented that it was Carl Beverly who "initially was the one who brought up the possibility of developing a Sherlock show."[15] Beverly spoke about the relationship between Sherlock and Watson in the show in July 2012:

Rob [Doherty] often calls it a bromance, but one of the bros just happens to be a woman. He said that from the very beginning and I think it's really an apt description. There's this idea that a man and a woman can't be together on a show especially without needing to be together sexually or in love or whatever, and this is really about the evolution of a friendship and how that happens. Watching that should be as much the story of this show as the mysteries that you see week in and week out about who killed who.[15]

Casting

Liu was cast by February 2012.[16] That July, she said that Watson is not "someone who's on the sideline; she's his sober companion, she's engaged in him, not the mystery, [...] From that point on you get to see how that blossoms out. The foot-in-the-bucket and that kind of Watson happens because in entertainment, there's got to be a sidekick. In this case, that's not the direction we're going in. Ask me in six episodes and if I have a foot in a bucket then we'll have a discussion."[17]

Relationship to BBC's Sherlock

Sherlock, a contemporary reworking of the Sherlock Holmes story, began screening in the UK just over two years before Elementary premiered in the United States. The British show has since sold to more than 180 territories. In January 2012 Sherlock producer Sue Vertue told newspaper The Independent "we understand that CBS are doing their own version of an updated Sherlock Holmes. It's interesting, as they approached us a while back about remaking our show. At the time, they made great assurances about their integrity, so we have to assume that their modernised Sherlock Holmes doesn't resemble ours in any way, as that would be extremely worrying."[18] The following month Vertue said that "We have been in touch with CBS and informed them that we will be looking at their finished pilot very closely for any infringement of our rights."[6]

CBS made a statement on the issue: "Our project is a contemporary take on Sherlock Holmes that will be based on Holmes, Watson and other characters in the public domain, as well as original characters. We are, of course, respectful of all copyright laws and will not infringe on any stories or works that may still be protected."[6]

Creator Robert Doherty discussed comparisons between Sherlock and Elementary that July, pointing out that a tradition of updated Holmes stories dates back to the Basil Rathbone films of the 1940s, and that he didn't think it was the case that Elementary took anything from Sherlock, which he described as a "brilliant show" having watched its first series.[15]

Series overview

Main article: List of Elementary episodes
Season Episodes Originally aired DVD release date
Season premiere Season finale Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
1 24 September 27, 2012 (2012-09-27) May 16, 2013 (2013-05-16) August 27, 2013 (2013-08-27)[19] TBA TBA
2 TBA September 26, 2013[citation needed] — — — —

Reception

The pilot episode received positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Metacritic gave it a score of 73/100 based on 29, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[20]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2012 New York Women in Film & Television Muse Award Actress Lucy Liu Won
People's Choice Awards Favorite New TV Drama Elementary Nominated
Satellite Awards Actor in a Television Series Drama Jonny Lee Miller Nominated
2013 ASCAP Film & Television Music Awards Top Television Series Sean Callery & Mark Snow Won
Edgar Allan Poe Awards TV Episode Teleplay "Child Predator" Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Main Title Theme Music Sean Callery Nominated
Outstanding Main Title Design Elementary Nominated
Prism Awards Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline – Substance Use Elementary Nominated
Female Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Lucy Liu Nominated
EIC President’s Award Elementary Won
Saturn Award Best Network Television Series Elementary Nominated
Sentinel for Health Awards Primetime Drama/Major Storyline Episode Compilation/Pilot Pending
Seoul International Drama Awards Best Actress Lucy Liu Won
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress: Action Lucy Liu Won
Television Critics Association Awards Outstanding New Program Elementary Nominated
The Voice Awards Television Shows Elementary Pending

Broadcast

Elementary premiered in Canada on September 27, 2012 on the Global Television Network.[21][22] It began airing in the United Kingdom on October 23, 2012 on Sky Living.[23] In Australia, Network Ten began airing the show on February 3, 2013. The series aired in New Zealand on Prime (New Zealand) from 27 February 2013.[24]

On February 3, 2013, Elementary was broadcast after Super Bowl XLVII. The episode drew 20.8 million viewers despite running out of prime time in the Eastern time zone as a result of a game delay.[25][26]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Gregson was originally identified as Tobias Gregson in the media, and the name was used briefly in early reviews of the show.[8][9] The show's writers and CBS media site have subsequently confirmed the character's correct name is Thomas.[10][11][12]

References

  1. ^ "CBS Announces 2012-2013 Premiere Dates". The Futon Critic. July 11, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (March 7, 2012). "Aidan Quinn To Co-Star In 'Elementary', 'Descendants' Amara Miller In '1600 Penn'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  3. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (October 23, 2012). "'Vegas' & 'Elementary' Get Full Season Orders From CBS". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  4. ^ "'Guys With Kids' and 'Elementary' get more episodes, 'Vegas' cut by one". Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  5. ^ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/03/27/the-good-wife-elementary-person-of-interest-2-broke-girls-ncis-la-the-mentalist-mike-molly-blue-bloods-renewed-by-cbs/175317/
  6. ^ a b c Sherwin, Adam (February 15, 2012). "Jonny Lee Miller to play Sherlock Holmes in US series". The Independent. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  7. ^ CBS. "About Elementary". CBS. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  8. ^ Hale, Mike (September 27, 2012). "A Sherlock Holmes, Out of Rehab and Teaming Up With a Lady Watson". The New York Times. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  9. ^ McNamara, Mary (September 26, 2012). "Television review: 'Elementary' puts new Sherlock, Watson on the case". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  10. ^ https://twitter.com/ELEMENTARYStaff/statuses/323560000381403136 Elementary Writers (@ELEMENTARYStaff) April 14, 2013
  11. ^ http://www.cbspressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/shows/elementary/about
  12. ^ http://www.cbspressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/shows/elementary/bios
  13. ^ http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/10/copper-star-ato-essandoh-joins-elementary.html
  14. ^ http://tvline.com/2013/05/16/elementary-moriarty-is-irene-adler-finale-recap/
  15. ^ a b c Roberts, Sheila (July 17, 2012). "Comic-Con: Executive Producers Robert Doherty and Carl Beverly Talk New CBS Series ELEMENTARY, Comparisons to SHERLOCK, and More". Collider. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  16. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 27, 2012). "Lucy Liu to Play Watson in CBS's Sherlock Holmes Drama Pilot". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  17. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (July 29, 2012). "TCA 2012: 'Elementary' Showrunner Says Most Shows Have a Sherlock". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  18. ^ Sherwin, Adam (January 21, 2012). "Legal thriller looms as Sherlock takes his caseload to New York". The Independent. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  19. ^ Lambert, David (May 28, 2013). "Elementary - The CBS Take on Sherlock Holmes is Scheduled to Ship this Summer". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  20. ^ "Elementary: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive.
  21. ^ "GLOBAL TELEVISION UNVEILS 2012/13 PRIMETIME LINEUP". May 30, 2012.
  22. ^ "From 'Survivor' to 'Elementary', CBS sets Fall 2012 premiere dates".
  23. ^ Munn, Patrick (July 3, 2012). "BSkyB Acquires UK Rights To 'Arrow', 'Elementary', 'The Following' & 'Vegas'". TVWise. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  24. ^ "Prime TV and CBS Studios International Conclude New Deal". May 30, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  25. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 3, 2013). "Updated: Bad News for 'Elementary' As Super Bowl Power Outage Delays Game ~34 Minutes". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  26. ^ Bibel, Sara (February 5, 2013). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: 'Super Bowl' Tops Week 19 Viewing Among Adults 18-49 & With Total Viewers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
Preceded by
The Voice
2012 		Super Bowl lead-out program
Elementary
2013 		Succeeded by
New Girl
2014
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