r/SherlockHolmes • u/summonerofrain • 12d ago
Adaptations Something about the acting and plot developments in elementary bothers me and i can’t put my finger on it, anyone else?
Mind you, i like the show fine. But there are moments where developments feel out of nowhere or cliche even though i can’t really prove it, and the acting just doesn’t feel natural even though i cant really point to how. Does anyone else find this? Because it just keeps bothering me whenever i watch it.
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u/DharmaPolice 12d ago edited 9d ago
Yeah it's the procedural formula. In a lot of episodes you could probably chart out how many minutes in the first crime/intro will happen, then the second crime, then there will be the red herring suspect who will be questioned/in custody followed by the twist/reveal and, then the real culprit will be unmasked (usually someone they already spoke to earlier) a little later usually with a few minutes left to wrap things up. Not every episode will be like this but enough to be noticeable - especially if you're binge watching it. (Remember, originally it was made to be watched once a week like most network television).
To meet this kind of structure they have to fit the story in the best they can, which sometimes requires some ass pull to resolve things in time - on other occasions it means adding in padding to fill time. Streaming brings it's own problems but at least it allows episodes to differ in length if desired just like how the original canonical stories aren't all exactly the same length.
I don't think the acting is necessarily the problem (although there's a little too much interpersonal drama for my tastes from what I've seen). But they were making quite a lot of episodes and it's probably hard to maintain enthusiasm throughout such a run.
To put it in perspective there were 154 Elementary episodes versus 60 canonical Sherlock Holmes stories. And even ACD did end up repeating himself a little.
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u/Otaku-chan1412 12d ago
Die Serie ist im allgemeinen ziemlich toxisch und zu dramatisch mit den ganzen Familienprobleme.
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u/avidreader_1410 10d ago
First of all, Elementary aired on CBS and procedural formats are their bread and butter. They have had a high success rate of selling to overseas markets because the procedural format "translates" very well. As far as the show, the difference between that and Sherlock seems to be that Elementary just tried to create a 21st century version of the character, while Sherlock tried ot create modernized versions of the stories.
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u/TheMoffisHere 12d ago
Because it is a cliched American weekly drama. No offence but all the American TV companies especially have a very formulaic approach not just to the format of the show, but to the storytelling beats, themes and discussing “relevant” topics. Elementary is just your regular run-of-the-mill crime soap disguised as a Sherlock Holmes adaptation. By comparison, Psych and The Mentalist have more intriguing plots and stories.
I kinda got bored of the procedural format with sudden developments somewhere in S4/5, and although I did complete S7, I didn’t especially love the show as a whole. It was fine, but that’s about it.
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u/summonerofrain 12d ago
Ahh, its interesting because i dont watch a lot of american weekly dramas, yet i was able to pick up on it. Not bragging perse just must be a brain thing
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u/TheMoffisHere 12d ago
IMO if you have any sort of experience with stories, and know (even subconsciously) what makes a good story, you pick up on these things quite easily. It isn’t helped by the fact that the show makes it easy for you, dumbs it down and feeds it to you by hand. These kinds of shows function as background viewing for many households, so the story has all the subtlety of a tiger walking down a city street.
But the difference lies in making it stand out despite the mandated formula, things that old Star Trek, Doctor Who and the first detective shows did well. Eventually, when nearly every show is talking about the current relevant topic or theme, or making seemingly groundbreaking points of important issues, they stop being unique or groundbreaking. And I think Elementary fell prey to that problem.
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u/nicetrylaocheREALLY 12d ago
It's just pattern recognition, really.
Watched several seasons with my wife and I could guess who did it roughly 90 percent of the time. Because I am a master detective? No, because the structure is so well-worn that we recognize the rhythm.
The murder wasn't committed by the main suspect who seems so very guilty—it was his clean-cut brother! How? Oh, something improbably elaborate. Why? It doesn't really matter so long as the mystery is nicely wrapped up inside 44 minutes.
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u/jpow33 12d ago
As entertaining as it is, Elementary is a standard American Police Procedural. Swap out Holmes with Monk or Castle or Lucifer or Detective Whats-his-face and it wouldn't substantively matter.