For the purposes of giving this text a punchy starter, I’m going to say I hate the phrase “Let me start by saying”. If most internet writers, hereby simply known as the deluded, were to genuinely ask for permission, the internet would be safe for children. However, you, the lurking silent observer, are far worse. You chose not to air your opinion in a public domain thereby not giving us a chance to ridicule your functional and self actualized lifestyle. For shame silent lurker…for shame…

Anywho, Let me start by saying, that I did not hate Elementary. I was fully prepared to, made sweeping declarations about my intent and was ready to get a notarized statement to this effect. Fortunately no one cared enough about my opinion, so I don’t have to go through the legal process of nullifying it now.

Elementary is no Sherlock. My deep and abiding love for Sherlock has not and will not ever fade. What Elementary did was serve as fitting distraction from the hard to get act Sherlock (Read Moffat and Gatiss) has been overdoing.

Jonny Lee Miller, ( yes without an H ) plays Sherlock, and Lucy Liu plays Watson. He’s a recovering drug addict and she is his sober companion. Wikipedia tells me that is a real thing, I for one am amazed that this convenient meet cute has not been used in more “Will they- Won’t They” TV situations. It seems to provide a plethora of go-to plot lines which would last well into season 8 of any self touted television drama. Elementary however, uses it as a cane rather than a crutch thus hopefully saving itself from the dastardly fate of being featured someday on afternoon TNT.

The two episodes so far have been interesting, there is no preemptive romantic chemistry between Holmes and Watson, which I was dreading. Neither have there been any nacho chips worthy comments from either character. CBS Holmes is still English, ( wise move CBS ), but hyper, edgy and borderline violent. This is a far cry from the literary and televised Sherlocks who have thus far been coolly detached, visibly asexual, poignant and cerebral.

The eventual “solving” of the cases has, till now, been resulted by either a chance remark that made Sherlock see the light, or a lucky glance by Watson over the case notes. Add to that the allusions to Sherlock’s romantic past and consequent spiral to drugs and you have got, quite simply, a watered down version of the great detective. He becomes someone understandably complex. Thus perfect for a weekly viewing after 30 Rock and The Big Bang Theory.

The cases themselves have been interesting, with good visuals and no get-out-easy plot lines. But the deductions themselves have been sadly run of the mill. The panache showcased by the deductive monologue pertaining to Watson, that thrilled anyone who watched BBC’s Sherlock unfortunately cannot be matched or outdone by CBS’s Sherlock’s slightly forced findings about lady Watson. One can’t help make comparisons between Cumberbatch’s perfectly executed “The police don’t consult amateurs” and Miller’s “Of course you have” response to a detective saying he had heard good things about him.

All in all, if Elementary was viewed in isolation without the shadows of any other incarnation of Holmes encumbering it, it would be a more than a good show. It garners interest, focuses on character development, is not rushed or overbearing and thus makes for good television. Unfortunately it brings on the comparisons by publicly flaunting the Sherlock Holmes tag, which has been made a tough act to follow. But for what it’s worth, I will be watching Elementary every week. It’s like wine in a box, quick, effective and perfectly apt for Thursday nights.

Just one last thought. The tag line, “New Holmes, New Watson, New York”, has no cadence to it. So to quote the surprisingly talented Justin Timberlake from the Social Network,- drop the ‘New’. Just Holmes, Watson, New York.

It’s cleaner.