‘Elementary’ returns for final season
“Elementary” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14) returns for a seventh and final season. The contemporary update of the Sherlock Holmes story has been overshadowed by the BBC production “Sherlock,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch. But it has none of that series’ frantic quirkiness.
The action resumes a year after the conclusion of season six, with Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) and Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) relocated to London. As fans of the series know, Holmes was forced to flee America after taking the fall for a murder case that has implicated Watson.
The story will flash back to New York as New York police captain Thomas Gregson (Aidan Quinn) or detective Marcus Bell (Jon Michael Hill) dig into that very case.
Watson has dyed her hair blond, but it does not reflect a sunny disposition. She’s not entirely thrilled to be working on Baker Street or removed from her friends and family. Her personal anguish pretty much sets the tone.
Look for Tamsin Greig as a British Scotland Yard detective who projects a passive-aggressive hostility for Holmes. Viewers may recall this deliciously deadpan comedian from her role in Showtime’s “Episodes.” Here she’s reduced to a bit of a drag, reflecting the rather downbeat atmosphere of the last season of “Elementary.”
› John Turturro and Rupert Everett star in the German-Italian miniseries adaptation of “The Name of the Rose” (10 p.m., Sundance, TV-MA), a best-selling historical detective novel by Umberto Eco set in a Benedictine abbey in 14th-century Europe as a religious war looms over a splinter papacy set in Avignon, France.
Both slow to move and hard to follow.
› June 25 marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of a TV icon. “This Is Farrah Fawcett” (8 p.m., ABC) recalls the actress’ career from early work for Ultra Brite toothpaste to her role on “Charlie’s Angels,” her turn toward more dramatic fare (“The Burning Bed”) and her final battle with cancer. Look for interviews with friends
and colleagues, including Jaclyn Smith and Alana Stewart.
Why are some celebrities remembered, seemingly forever, and others forgotten? For what it’s worth, the posthumous cult of Marilyn Monroe got a major boost in 1972 with many 10-years-gone retrospectives. It’s been with us ever since.
› Celebrities, comedians and musicians raise money for charity on “Red Nose Day” (8 p.m.,
NBC, TV-PG). The antics continue on “Hollywood Game Night” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14), hosted by Jane Lynch.
› Obsessive fans of the British mystery show “Midsomer Murders” now have their own channel. The free ad-supported streaming app Pluto TV has dedicated its channel 513 to the series, as bloody as it is bucolic.
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin .tvguy@gmail.com.