I’ll admit, I was skeptical at first. The idea of taking Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s sandbox and bringing it up to date for a modern audience seemed to me like another ‘been there, done that…let’s cash in on more nerdsplotation!’ opportunity. After all, half of the allure of Sherlock Holmes is the grit, foggy haze and subdued depths that clash against the majesty and elegance of the Victorian era. My friends and foes alike had been telling me that I had to watch this so, I did. Hey, I’m only two years behind the curve (Season one came out in 2010).

Steven Moffat, the show runner of DOCTOR WHO, is one of the masterminds behind this new series. While his name is enough of an endorsement for most, I approached season one with cautious optimism.

Ten minutes into the first episode, ‘A Study In Pink’, not a pipe, deerstalker hat or Inverness cloak in site. It didn’t matter though, the personas were so spot on that everything else that you assumed epitomized Holmes was quickly forgotten. Come to think of it, that made it even more enjoyable and easier for me to relate as a viewer.

Not only does Moffat and crew manage to update the characters in a way that parallels the original with the contemporary instead of changing Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson to fit in the 21st century but they have also written in originals that rival those of the stories.

The series comes alive with new material and a darker atmosphere but with surprising humor. There is a tip of the hat to the classic mysteries laced throughout season one. “A Study In Pink” pits Holmes against a crafty serial killer who talks his victims into killing themselves. “The Blind Banker” has Holmes doing a favor for a childhood friend that leads to an investigation spanning the elements of: a break-in, a graffiti epidemic, a locked room murder mystery and a circus. At last, in “The Great Game,” One of the most diabolically clever contests of cat-and-mouse that you’re likely to encounter is played with deadly results. Focusing on Holmes’ razor edged intelligence, observation and deduction it gives that sense of awe that makes you feel like you’re waking around with your eyes shut. The cases simply amaze.

Sherlock Holmes still runs circles around everyone and is very much the detached thinking machine. Only, as a nod to the sign of the times, the paramount sleuth makes use of today’s tech. We see him applying the Internet, Cell phones, GPS trackers, ETC. He even runs his own website: The Science of Deduction.

The show works on many levels, but one in particular are the casting choices. Benedict Cumberbatch exudes idiosyncrasies and makes a fantastic Sherlock Holmes. Playing the ‘everyman’ that is actually able to stand out, Martin Freeman as Dr. john Watson, is not at all dim-witted and is most adept as a man of action (as an ex-war vet). They play off each other masterfully and are compelling together.

Sherlock’s brother Mycroft, Lestrade, and Mrs. Hudson flesh out the Holmes and Watson stories.

And in the shadows, pulling the strings serving as the arch nemesis is Moriarty. His name carefully hushed within each episode leading to a climatic and intense meeting is finger-biting excitement.

One could spend hours breaking down each and every ounce of all the ins and outs on how they do or don’t translate to a modern audience…But the splendor of Sherlock’s mind; his method and his relationship with Watson are timeless. It is ultimate proof that literary genius is all century agnostic: regardless of medium, setting and time period.

Highly recommended.

-Dagobot