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Time to talk about my most recent favorite BBC series: “Sherlock.” If you haven't watched this show yet, you should definitely give it a shot. It brings the well-known detective and his sidekick to the future. Many of Doyle’s stories are used with a modern twist. In fact, the first episode of the series is called ‘A Study in Pink’ which is in fact a play on Doyle’s first Sherlock Holmes’ story ‘A Study in Red.’ They did a great job of bring Sherlock Holmes and Watson to the future. The use of modern technology does not take away from the grandeur of Sherlock’s deductive reasoning. Honestly, his ability to reason out the minutest details without employing the tools of today makes it more impressive. Besides its modern twist on these 1880s stories, the show also provides a great mix of humor and detective story. 

Benedict Cumberbatch does a great job as Sherlock. He is a mixture of Robert Downing, Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes and Sheldon Cooper’s blunt personality from “Big Bang Theory.” One joke of the show is every time Sherlock gets excited about something, usually a murder, Watson is always telling him to stop. Very Sheldon-esque if you ask me. This is the first show I’ve seen Cumberbatch in and honestly he’s fantastic! I couldn’t be more impressed! 

Martin Freeman, who also played Arthur Dent in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, does a fantastic job as Dr. Watson. As Watson, he presents the same attitude as Arthur Dent in some ways but is much more competent. When I first heard he was playing Watson, I wasn’t entirely sure he could pull off the part of a war vetern. I guess I saw him as more of a dorky character but he really does a great job with the part and is really believable. I was very impressed. 

My main interest in this show began with a desire to see these two actors in action. This December, both actors will be playing key roles in a film that has caught my interest as a HUGE Tolkien fan. Yup, The Hobbit: Part I. Martin Freeman plays Bilbo and Benedict Cumberbatch does the voice of Smaug and also plays the Necromancer. As soon as I heard Freeman would be playing Bilbo, I was thrilled. I knew he would do a great job! To be honest, I had my doubts about Benedict Cumberbatch. I’d never heard his voice or seen him act at the time. I had only seen pictures of him and honestly he doesn’t look like he has the voice of a scary dragon, but after seeing Sherlock, all my doubts went away. His craftiness as Sherlock will transfer perfectly to Smaug. Also, you shouldn’t judge a person’s voice by their picture. Cumberbatch’s voice will be perfect for Smaug. The show “Sherlock” really revived my hopes for The Hobbit. While I was excited to begin with, my excitement increased a great deal since seeing this show. 

The fact that “Sherlock” was able to rid me of my fears involving the casting of The Hobbit really makes me love this show even more. In comparison to other Sherlock Holmes films that have inundated the screen nowadays, “Sherlock” is definitely one of my favorites. While I can’t compare it to Doyle’s stories, it is definitely worth seeing! It definitely makes me want to read the Sherlock Holmes’s short stories.

Hopefully this post has made you want to watch “Sherlock.” 

Happy readings!

P.S. I got all of these pictures from Google Images. Also, Benedict Cumberbatch is rumored to play Khan in the next Star Trek movie. Could be interesting!