DYNAMIC DUO
Long-awaited ‘Elementary’ returns to prime time
Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller, “Trainspotting,” 1996) and Watson (Lucy Liu, “Ally McBeal”) are back in the new season of “Elementary,” premiering Monday.
Detectives are a dime a dozen in prime time, but one crime-solving sleuth is worth his weight in gold. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic Sherlock Holmes has been reimagined for a new generation of fans and he’s returning to the airwaves — finally.
Jonny Lee Miller (“Trainspotting,” 1996) reprises his role as a modernday Sherlock in the sixth-season premiere of “Elementary,” airing Monday, April 30, on CBS and Global. It’s been a longer-than-usual wait for fans of the series, which co-stars Lucy Liu (“Ally McBeal”) as Sherlock’s partner, Dr. Joan Watson. “Elementary” was noticeably absent from the CBS fall schedule, and it wasn’t until January, when the season premiere was officially announced, that fans could breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Few details have been announced for the new season, but at the summer CBS press tour, creator and executive producer Robert Doherty hinted that the upcoming season may feature the return of someone from Sherlock’s past.
“With respect to Sherlock, we’re working hard to see an old f lame come back to the show,” Doherty said.
Industry pundits have speculated that that flame could be Moriarty, played by Natalie Dormer (“Game of Thrones”), but so far the show’s cast and crew have remained mum on the subject. As for now, fans can be assured that both Miller and Liu will return to their roles as Sherlock and his sidekick, Watson, who was hired as Holmes’ sober companion after the brilliant Scotland Yard consultant’s stint in rehab.
They may be back, but it’ll be anything but smooth sailing for prime time’s dynamic duo. At the end of last season, Watson put everything on the line and made a proverbial deal with the devil when she approached nefarious thug Julio “Halcon” Zelaya (Jon Huertas, “This Is Us”) to help her bring a killer to justice. While she seems to believe her debt to the gangster has been repaid, it may not be that simple.
“Halcon may not see it the way Joan sees it,” Doherty teased in a June interview with Entertainment Weekly. “He may think she owes him a favour, not the other way around. Gang leaders are funny that way.”
While Halcon may cause some trouble for Watson, he may not be the only character to shake things up this season. In July, it was announced that Desmond Harrington (“Dexter”) would join the cast as Michael, a fellow recovering addict who offers support to Sherlock in his time of need. Fans may remember that the sleuth has been experiencing memory lapses and hallucinations involving a mysterious woman, and his health problems have put a strain on his relationship with Watson because he doesn’t want to burden her. As a result, he’s forced to look elsewhere for support. Michael claims to want to help Sherlock because he was inspired to get sober thanks to something Sherlock said to him when they met long ago. However, rumours abound that Michael may have ulterior motives for approaching the police consultant.
The season 6 cast also includes series regular Aidan Quinn (“Legends of the Fall,” 1994) as Capt. Thomas Gregson of the NYPD, who often pulls in Holmes and Watson as consultants to crack tough cases. One of Gregson’s colleagues at the 11th Precinct is Det. Marcus Bell ( Jon Michael Hill, “Detroit 1-8-7”), who’s frequently paired with Holmes and learns a great deal from him.
Unfortunately, Holmes may have to take some time off from consulting to focus on his health this season. At the end of season 5, he underwent a brain scan to investigate the cause of his neurological issues, and the test revealed that he may have a brain tumour. His health troubles are just the latest in a long list of challenges faced by the famed detective. Over the course of the first five seasons of the show, he’s tackled some formidable foes, not the least of which are his addictions.
Miller’s portrayal of the iconic character has earned him high praise from critics, as well as a Satellite Award nomination in 2012. Liu has also been honoured with a number of accolades for her work on the series, including three People’s Choice Award nominations and a 2013 Teen Choice Award win. “Elementary” was nominated for a 2012 People’s Choice Award in the Favorite New TV Drama category, and has since snagged two Emmy nods, multiple Prism Award nominations and much more. The show’s success is particularly sweet because it was the subject of scrutiny from fans of the BBC’s “Sherlock,” which was also a contemporary take on the classic character, played in that series by Benedict Cumberbatch (“Doctor Strange,” 2016).