Keeping things in moderation: 'Sherlock'
Your local TV critic will be heading to New York to talk about a London detective
The new season of "Sherlock," with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, will premiere on PBS on Sunday May 6.
Turns out Thursday night's "Boardwalk Empire" Emmy panel (which I hope to post clips of sometime in the next few days) wasn't the only TV-related event I'll be moderating over the next week or so. This Thursday, May 3, at 6 p.m. Eastern, I'll be in New York at the Apple Store SoHo to talk about "Sherlock" with writer Steven Moffat and his producing partner (and wife) Sue Vertue, in advance of that show's American premiere on PBS on Sunday, May 6.
Where the "Boardwalk" event was streamed live, my understanding is that this "Sherlock" Q&A (some with me, some with the audience) will be available to download as a video podcast at a later date. I'll offer those details when I have them.
I've seen all three parts of "Sherlock" season 2 and am very excited to have this show back. (Though, as with the first season, the middle episode lagged behind the other two.) Based on the response last year, and my "Doctor Who" coverage during the period when there was a lag between British and American airings, my guess is that many of you have already watched the entire second season, so I'll ask you to be vague in the comments out of respect for both my spoiler policy and the American viewers who haven't seen it yet.
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Login or create a HitFix account Login Signupr1pvanw1nkl3
April 30, 2012 at 11:15AM EST Reply to Commentooh, I can go to this! :D
Chanter
April 30, 2012 at 11:16AM EST Reply to CommentThe second season was a big improvement over the first, however I'm still not convinced of the format. The pacing feels a little off in almost all of the episodes, as if they're trying to stretch a 60-minute plot over 90 minutes. Or maybe it's just that you've been conditioned to certain TV rhythms, after so many years with episodes at 60 minutes maximum?
Jon88 Except that a U.S. 60 minutes is really only about 40 minutes. I confess to watching online, not so much from impatience as from wanting to see the uncut (or unaccelerated?) versions. I do hope Moffat and Vertue have the opportunity to address the shorter PBS broadcast length.
April 30, 2012 at 11:25AM ESTChanter Not true for all series - both Boardwalk empire and Game of thrones clocks around 60+ minutes of screentime.
April 30, 2012 at 11:29AM ESTJon88 Granted, cable is different.
April 30, 2012 at 11:33AM ESTRay
April 30, 2012 at 11:22AM EST Reply to CommentReally? Most people during the viewings, I think, thought it was the first episode that was problematic.
A Nope, the first 10 minutes of the first ep are problematic. The rest is just fantastic
April 30, 2012 at 12:04PM ESTmoway79
April 30, 2012 at 11:24AM EST Reply to CommentI really liked season 1, but I loved season 2. Most of all, the first episode of season 2 was just a great one and a half hour of TV.
I can't get enough of this series,
DonBoy
April 30, 2012 at 11:57AM EST Reply to CommentI found the first season surprisingly dark, in that two out of the three featured long scenes with terrified people who either were about to die or threatened with it. Does this continue?
whistlingmtn
April 30, 2012 at 12:38PM EST Reply to CommentInteresting that everyone seemed to dislike the 2nd ep in comparison to the others. I don't think it had a lower quality, but it was an X-Files monster episode. It didn't have to do with the series arc.
I was never a fan of the X-Files monster episodes, but I liked the 2nd Sherlock fine. I thought the first episode of the 2nd season was the best.
Will
April 30, 2012 at 12:43PM EST Reply to CommentI'm excited to check out series 2. There are so many great aspects of this show, though I confess that the first episode of series 1 was really the only one that worked completely for me. The second episode actively made me uncomfortable with its Chinese mysticism.
Action_Kate The Blind Banker was the only ep without any strong, clear ties to an ACD story. The three S2 episodes are either retellings or close updates of original Holmes tales. If you liked eps 1 and 3, you will really enjoy season 2. Cumberbatch and Freeman are in amazing form, and the writing just crackles.
April 30, 2012 at 2:38PM ESTEd G.
April 30, 2012 at 2:04PM EST Reply to CommentThanks for letting us know when this is airing. I enjoyed Season One very much.
keith
April 30, 2012 at 3:04PM EST Reply to CommentI actually preferred the middle episode. The stuff with villains and geniuses everywhere can get a bit megalomaniacal and boring for me, like Moffat's Doctor Who.
odessasteps
April 30, 2012 at 3:11PM EST Reply to CommentI will be curious to see if the response to episode 1, both from Alan and other people, will be as polarizing as it was when it aired in the UK.
I had no idea about the cult following Irene Adler had out there and how rabid they became over how Moffat wrote her in the episode.
tossit
April 30, 2012 at 3:28PM EST Reply to CommentI agree with Alan the second episode was not as good as the other two. It just didn't further the story, it was sort of standalone. The first one was my favorite though...completely awesome.
Cathy
April 30, 2012 at 4:15PM EST Reply to CommentThis new season of Sherlock is smart, sexy, witty, scary and heart-breaking. Benedict and Martin have chemistry to burn.! Enjoy!
JedyKnight
April 30, 2012 at 6:02PM EST Reply to CommentSaw them all, love them.. And if we are getting ep by ep reviews, i'll see them again. Brilliant TV.
Viginti
April 30, 2012 at 8:13PM EST Reply to CommentFly into NY the night before, sweet! Assuming of course that this is open to us plebs? I don't actually expect you to allow any audience interaction with Moffat but getting to see/meet you would be amazing enough. Consider me coming.
Joe
April 30, 2012 at 11:07PM EST Reply to CommentMy biggest problem with the 2nd episode of S2 was just that it was my favorite Sherlock Holmes story, so in my mind, they completely butchered it.
The first episode was better than the second, but the last was probably the best out of all 6.
nic919
April 30, 2012 at 11:28PM EST Reply to CommentI watched the second series not long after having seen the RDJ Sherlock sequel and the difference in quality is astounding.
Action_Kate As in, "Holy cow, the BBC version is a thousand times better"? Yes, I agree entirely. Downey is a fantastic actor, but Benedict Cumberbatch was born to play Sherlock.
May 1, 2012 at 10:58AM ESTC.O.Z.industries
May 1, 2012 at 9:42AM EST Reply to CommentI think it's interesting people thought the 2nd of each series was the weakest (but seriously, we're talking 1% differences here!). My favourite episodes are certainly A Scandal in Begravia and The Reichenbach Fall, and The Hounds of Baskerville is probably the one I connected with a teeny bit less in the series, but I honestly think that's just because the two surrounding it were my favourites episodes of any series, ever. I also preferred the music in the other two, and the music in episodes does often sway me. Sherlock has a fantastic soundtrack.
In the first series though, I have to disagree. I really liked The Blind Banker, in fact I watch it quite a lot (I am in love with the music from that episode!), the one I watch least from that series is actually The Great Game!
When it comes to episode length, I am so glad the episodes are 90 minutes. I'm constantly complaining about how shows like Doctor Who are less than an hour and it doesn't give the opportunity for any plot development. It might be a different pace (I wouldn't call it slow though. Imagine Reichenbach in 60 minutes and try to tell me that would work!), but Sherlock has the quality to hold you for that long.
Sherlock is by far my favourite TV show and I'm glad it's coming to America properly because I'd like it to get some of the recognition it deserves on a wider scale.
@WHISTLINGMTN - The original Sherlock Holmes stories are pretty unrelated, they're not all about Sherlock v Moriarty or anything. So there should really be an obvious arc like some other shows.
Ben
May 1, 2012 at 9:52AM EST Reply to CommentIt is truly excellent and proves it's not about the idea since Sherlock Holmes is hardly an original or untried premise, but in the execution. If any American viewers haven't seen it and are on the fence, you really must.
Ben
May 1, 2012 at 9:53AM EST Reply to CommentSherlock is truly excellent, if any US viewers are on the fence about it, it is well worth it. Proves that success lies in the execution over the premise.
mgrabois
May 1, 2012 at 2:18PM EST Reply to CommentSo each "season" (or series) is only 3 episodes? That's more lIke a US miniseries. Never got a chance to see the 1st series, is they anything I should know before watching S2?
jgb Reply to comment...
May 1, 2012 at 5:32PM ESTjgb Yes, you'll be better off watching the 1st series if you can get hold of it. People I know who went straight into watching the second series in the UK didn't enjoy it much and gave up on it. This is less for actual plot points, and more because a lot of the relationship between the main characters and habits of interaction have been built up.
May 1, 2012 at 5:37PM ESTm In the US, season one is available as a stream to Netflix users.
May 8, 2012 at 5:14PM ESTAnd Sepinwall's Q&A with Moffat is now up on iTunes as an audio podcast: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/steven-moffat-sherlock-meet/id525786162?i=114854225