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Ron Miller's DARK CORRIDORS VOL. 13, No. 28 |
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On Television |
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"ELEMENTARY"  LUCY LIU as Dr. Watson with JONNY LEE MILLER as Sherlock Holmes. |
New CBS series re-invents
"Sherlock" one more time
of TheColumnists.com
Sherlock Holmes. The
great, legendary British detective was the centerpiece of a series
of late 19th century and early 20th century stories and novels
by author Arthur Conan Doyle. The tales of Holmes, and his trusty
companion Dr. John Watson, have intrigued readers for more than
a century so far.
Then came the movies about his exploits, starring a wide variety
of Englishmen (Basil Rathbone, Clive Brook, Arthur Wontner) and
the occasional Americans (John Barrymore in 1922 and Robert Downey
Jr. today). Holmes and Watson have also been on the small screen,
probably best remembered in the 1980s series of Holmes tales
on PBS starring Jeremy Brett. And more recently in PBS’
very popular “Sherlock,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch
and set in modern-day London.
Now there is “Elementary,” a new CBS series about Sherlock
Holmes set in present day New York City. It premieres at 10 p.m.
Thursday (Sept. 27). British actor Jonny Lee Miller stars as
Sherlock, and his Dr. Watson is a woman, played by Lucy Liu.
Both this Sherlock and Watson come with baggage. Sherlock’s
been exiled to New York City by his wealthy father following
a stint in rehab and has to live with a sober companion, Dr.
Watson, who is there to keep him on the right track. Watson’s
a former surgeon who lost a patient and her license to practice
medicine and views her current job as an opportunity to help
people.
Executive producer Rob Doherty said the genesis for “Elementary”
came during a meeting with Carl Beverly, who's also an executive
producer on the show.
“Carl and I would meet every once in awhile to kick potential
projects around," Doherty said in an interview. "Carl
said he’d been thinking about Sherlock Holmes in New York
City, sort of an Englishman in New York, that kind of vibe. I
was immediately attracted to the idea because I’ve just
always enjoyed the character. So I was intrigued but also wanted
to make sure that if we were doing this that I had my own take
on it.”
Doherty's take, he explained, meant checking out the source material—Doyle’s
stories—and that in turn led him to look at Sherlock’s
drug use in relation to the series plot.
“It was absolutely his drug use, which I know has been
mentioned and acknowledged once or twice outside of the stories.
One of the things that jumped out at me was that it [the
drug use] never really dictated plot. It never really informed
or altered the course of the story. Early in a story Watson will
mention his [Sherlock’s] drug use or that Sherlock
got bored today and used cocaine, and that’s it.”
That led Doherty to look at drug use as what he calls a “handhold” for the series.
“It’s a handhold in our take
on the character and on the franchise,” he said. He said other “handhold”
elements for the series were Sherlock’s uneasy relationship
with women and setting the show in New York City.
Actor Miller, who worked with Benedict Cumberbatch in a British
theater production of “Frankenstein,” said he was a
fan of the PBS’ “Sherlock.”
“I would call him up like a groupie after every episode
came out and want to talk to him about it. And we had a discussion
about this project as well. It was a private discussion. Benedict
has been very, very supportive — and I wanted to reassure
him about how different this script and project were,”
said Miller.
Liu, most recently seen on TV in “Southland,” said
she was offered the part, but at first was not sure if she wanted
to “sign on to something that was also another Sherlock
Holmes and Watson.” But after meeting with the producers
and Miller she changed her mind.
“I thought it was really brilliant [the Miller casting] and it changed the color
of the project for me. And then I met Rob and Carl and they were
the nicest people on the planet. And I just thought when you
work on a show, on a series, you really are there all the time
and it becomes a family to you. And it becomes important to have
that connection with somebody and that you have a trust with
them and you care about them,” she said.
Liu stressed the importance of the writing in her new role.
“I think that the writing is essential to create the
foundation for where the characters are going. I think flawed
characters, having a history and having sort of a mysterious
past, is always going to keep the audience engaged,”
she said.
What about being a woman cast in a previously man-only role?
“I think that Rob brought up something really wonderful
at Comic-Con, which was that he could have made Watson a man,"
said Liu. "That was kind of a given. And the only reason
he didn’t is because in the stories themselves you’ll
see that Sherlock Holmes has a bit of an awkward relationship
with the other gender. And so bringing that into play, it’s
a constant reminder of that awkwardness and that division between
being friend — but it’s a woman. It’s like having
an itchy sweater. You know you have it on, but there’s a
little bit of something going on. So I think that’s a nice
thing to have, that uncomfortability,”
The writing also was crucial to Miller.
“Good writing makes characters
accessible to the audience,"
he said. "It’s the writing that forms the connection
and it’s a very subtle connection. And I feel that there
obviously are human issues going on with Watson and Holmes, but
timeless issues that everyone can relate to. They have some problems
and I think people really appreciate seeing the heroes dealing
with problems.”
Doherty says this Sherlock is a puzzle solver.
“I see him as someone who is driven to solve puzzles,
to do the right thing, to help people," he said. "I
really do think, at the end of the day, he believes in justice.
It’s not just putting bad guys behind bars. Helping people
and doing the right thing are factors that play into it as well.”
Doherty feels that drive to solve puzzles has turned into what might be called an addiction.
"I think in many senses he has something of an addictive personality," he added. "In the source materials, obviously, that turned into a real kind of addiction. The original Sherlock dabbled with cocaine, dabbled with opiates. Our Sherlock has those same problems but I think one of the big differences is that our Sherlock hit a serious wall. Something terrible happened to him in London and he spiraled out of control. And I think our Sherlock has emerged with what I think is, at his core, just a tiny kernel of self-doubt where one previously never existed. It’s not something we are going to speak to very often, but I think it’s one of the things that drives him.”
©2012 by Donna J. Plesh. The photo is courtesy of CBS. This column first posted Sept. 24, 2012.
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