Next up is perhaps the most controversial new series of the upcoming season, Elementary, a modern-day retelling of the Sherlock Holmes saga.
Sound familiar? Therein lies the controversy - Elementary's broadcaster, CBS, and producer, Hartswood Films, are under threat from the BBC over similarities between the show and its own successful version, Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the eponymous hero. The BBC claims that it had previously held discussions with Hartswood about remaking Sherlock for the US market , a prospect that ultimately failed to come to fruition.
Hartswood counters that its new version is sufficiently different: Holmes (Brit actor Jonny Lee Miller) is based in NYC, not London, while sidekick Watson is a WOMAN (Lucy Liu)!
Expect that topic - as well as the ongoing Holmes film franchise with Robert Downey Jr. - to come up in today's panel, which will also include a screening of the pilot episode.
Note that all times in this live blog are Pacific, which is eight hours behind UK time and three hours behind East Coast.
5.48pmAnd that's it for this panel. Join me again in a few minutes for the Dexter session!
5.47pmLiu is spouting some more nonsense about adding pressure to coal to get a diamond.
5.46pmJLM adds: "You can go through all this reading material and you can take what you feel hasn't been seen before. Discover new stuff, disregard the older stuff, or modernise. Like a sport that Holmes was into, we can change it into a modern sport. Like in the books there's also a lot of mentions of guns."
5.44pmHow difficult was it getting into character with such high expectations? JLM: "In a way, the fact that there have been so many interpretations actually takes the pressure off a bit in my mind. But you always go back to the source material you have, which is the books." Oh not this again!
5.42pmAudience Q&As. Controversy of Watson being a woman. Liu: "Firstly this is the first time I've heard anything about criticism, thanks for letting me know. My entire career has been about criticism. You have to be a pioneer, which means doing things that are not scheduled and different. It's not always to please other people, it's to please yourself. The more individual make something the more universal it can be." This is wank.
5.41pmLiu sucks up the audience before commenting on Watson's damaged past. "She is somebody who is flawed and is using this companion to distract her from dealing with her own issues. She is doing her job and he is incredibly charming, she is trying to keep it together but it's very hard."
5.39pmJLM: "He struggles with the control of his emotions, and control generally. That can be a trait with addiction and stuff like that. I found that a very interesting part of the character, and the Watson relationship is really gonna help that. I really like the fact that he was not in control, because he's got such a genius for solving mysteries and crimes. Hopefully that might be relatable for people."
5.38pmNew stories or draw on the old? Doherty: "We loved the original stories and the original books - what we love is the relationships, the mythology. Primarilty we're looking to craft new stories. We have him in a new city, surrounded by new people." Well with 22 episodes a season they have little choice.
5.38pmDoherty adds that initially the relationship between Holmes and Watson needs to be established.
5.37pmExec producer Carl Beverly on whether we'll see his brother or Moriarty: "We want to keep some secrets to ourselves. It would be a great shame to do a Sherlock project and not have Moriarty there at some time. I think it's something we will be looking at as we move through this first season. As far as other characters, Mycroft, love him but might hold off on him for a bit. As you saw in the pilot, Sherlock's father will cast a scary shadow over things. We will eventually get to build him and make him part of the series."
5.36pmLot of mentions of the original books here. I will turn off my cynicism.
5.35pmCreator Robert Doherty: "I did a lot of research, a lot of psychological assessments of the original characters. I realised Holmes struggled a lot with women, and where he didn't seem to get the fairer sex. It made me laugh, what would be worse for Holmes than put him with a female Watson? I recognise it's a challenge of the series not to turn it into a will they - won't they. That was never the intention."
5.34pmLiu on a female Watson: "I think it's wonderful when people turn things on their heads. It was wonderful to be considered. The gender change also creates a chemistry change between the two. I'm not saying it's romantic, I just think it gives it a different shift. A little bit of a tingle."
5.33pmThe moderator notes that JLM starred with Cumberbatch recently in Frankenstein. Did he seek out advice? "It's a conversation we had. He's been very supportive. We wanted to be sure it was going to be very different. It was a private conversation we had. I went back to the books really. That's where I got most of my information from."
5.32pmThe cast and a host of execs are out.
5.32pmAlso very similar to House, which is great timing as that's just finished up.
5.31pmOverall it's much more comedic than the BBC version but clearly heavily influenced by it. The US will love this, it's going to be a hit.
5.31pmJLM is pure class as always. He plays it much more comedic than Cumberbatch, in fact he's got more of the childlike enthusiasm of Matt Smith in the role.
5.30pmWell that was very, very good. I'd go as far as to say 9 out of 10.
4.44pmWhen I talk to my friends so quietly, "who's he think he is?"
4.43pmAnyway, we're gonna watch the pilot so I go quiet for a while now. In the meantime, enjoy this extended trailer and I'll see you in around 40:
4.42pmGet this man off stage. The hashtag for this panel is apparently #ItsElementary. I don't care.
4.41pmDalton Ross of EW has interrupted the second verse of Beyonce to introduce the pilot of Elementary.
4.40pmIn between panels, Beyonce's 'Crazy In Love' is being played over the speakers. I'm seat-dancing.
4.38pmMy prediction is that I'm going to quite like this pilot, even though the shameless nature of its genesis riles me somewhat.
4.36pmIf you missed my panel for Beauty and the Beast just now, click here for a recap.
4.35pmRight, we're cookin' on gas. Coming up imminently...
Follow us on X/Twitter and like us on Facebook for the latest entertainment news alerts.
Media Mole Black Friday Offer: Get Sky Entertainment, Sky Stream & Netflix for just £19 a month + £0 upfront fee for 24 months!
Prices may change during this period. Ends December 3, 2024
