Who needs Benedict Cumberbatch or Robert Downey Jr. when you can have Jonny Lee Miller?
No, that’s not a quote from Angelina Jolie circa 1996. It’s what CBS is surely hoping you’ll think after watching their new Sherlock Holmes inspired procedural “Elementary,” starring Miller as the latest incarnation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic investigator.
Since bringing Sherlock to the screen is all the rage these days, “Elementary” takes the unique approach of completely reimagining the character for the 21st Century. And giving his faithful assistant Watson a sex change in the form of Lucy Liu. Does that mean we can expect more overt sexual tension between Holmes and Watson than ever before?
Aidan Quinn rounds out the cast as NYPD Captain Tobias “Toby” Gregson, because, yes, in this version Sherlock has left London behind to help New York City’s finest crack their toughest cases. But Miller still gets to keep his British accent.
The pilot was directed by Michael Cuesta (who was at the helm for the pilots and multiple first season episodes of “Dexter” and “Homeland”) and written by Rob Doherty (“Medium”).
Unless viewers revolt over a less than reverent twist on Holmes, this looks like a slam dunk for CBS. That would be good news for Miller, whose previous attempts at series TV (“Eli Stone,” “Smith”) couldn’t deliver ratings to match their hype.
Take a look at the behind the scenes featurette and let us know what you think.
“Elementary” premieres Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET this fall on CBS