96 replies to this topic

[Christian]

Sarah and I watched season one a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it.

My "Season One" set was two discs, with three 90-ish-minute movies spread across the discs. Does that constitute a "season" on Masterpiece Theater these days? I'll take it; it's nioe to be able to knock out a "season" of TV in a week's time. But I kept thinking the two discs must represent "Part 1" of Season One, or some such thing.

Is Season Two longer than Season One?

[Peter T Chattaway]

British TV shows tend to have short "series" (their word for "seasons"). I think most comedy shows, like Fawlty Towers, produced only six half-hour episodes at a time. So it wouldn't surprise me if a dramatic show was longer, but not by much.

[Tyler]

Each series (season) of MI-5 (British spy show, like 24 but better) is 10 episodes. I think that's pretty standard over there.

The IT Crowd (comedy) usually has around 6 episodes per series.

[NBooth]

Yeah, there's only three episodes in this next season. Of course, when you factor in that each episode is ninety minutes, what you get is the equivalent of six 45-min episodes. So in terms of actual run-time, these three-episode seasons are pretty close to the run-time of most British drama TV (Misfits only had six episodes in each of its first two seasons, and I think Luther did, too; Doctor Who has run thirteen episodes a season until this year, and I think I'm not wrong in saying that its seasons are considered longish for a tv drama over there; this year we get a two-part series consisting of seven and six episodes, respectively).

Edited by NBooth, 18 May 2011 - 10:56 PM.

[Christian]

I'm usually at least a year behind when catching up with series that have already aired. Has there not already been a second season? Having seen Season One, am I fully caught up at this point? The idea that I might actually watch Season Two on broadcast television boggles the mind.

[opus]

Christian, on 19 May 2011 - 08:24 AM, said:

I'm usually at least a year behind when catching up with series that have already aired. Has there not already been a second season? Having seen Season One, am I fully caught up at this point? The idea that I might actually watch Season Two on broadcast television boggles the mind.

Yes, you are caught up. There has only been one season to date.

[NBooth]

Not to post every burp that comes out about the next series, but how cool is it that Russell Tovey is playing Henry Baskerville?

(It took me seeing his face to realize this, but Tovey is the werewolf in the British version of Being Human. )

[NBooth]

NBooth, on 30 June 2011 - 09:56 PM, said:

Not to post every burp that comes out about the next series

Ok, I lied. Here's Irene Adler: Lara Pulver (of Spooks and Robin Hood).

Honestly, I'm not convinced; she's got too much Rachel McAdams and not enough Gayle Hunnicutt/Alex Kingston (River Song being, in some ways, a Doctor Who version of Irene Adler). With Moffat's track record of interesting female characters, I'm hopeful, but still. Since we've got an active Spooks thread, I'm assuming someone here has seen her in action. Is she any good?

Edited by NBooth, 03 August 2011 - 12:17 PM.

[Tyler]

NBooth, on 03 August 2011 - 12:12 PM, said:

Since we've got an active Spooks thread, I'm assuming someone here has seen her in action. Is she any good?

She's joining the series for the 10th season, which hasn't aired yet.

[NBooth]

Tyler, on 03 August 2011 - 02:47 PM, said:

NBooth, on 03 August 2011 - 12:12 PM, said:

Since we've got an active Spooks thread, I'm assuming someone here has seen her in action. Is she any good?

She's joining the series for the 10th season, which hasn't aired yet.

Ah. The story at the link read to me like it was currently airing. My mistake.

EDIT: In other news, we're not getting Sherlock series two this year; it's coming next year instead.

Quote

The eagerly anticipated second series was originally due this Autumn. However, on Wednesday, after the repeat of the Series 1 finale, the BBC announcer said the show will not return until next year.

Sherlock’s producer Sue Vertue took to Twitter shortly after and explained: “Please don’t blame the poor BBC schedulers for the wait for Sherlock. They can’t [transmission] it till we deliver and we’re still filming – Sorry!”

My guess is that this has much due to Freeman's (and Cumberbatch's, too, I guess) need to film at certain times in order to get back to New Zealand for that little B-picture he's making there. Still, it's a shame.

Edited by NBooth, 03 August 2011 - 06:53 PM.

[NBooth]

CBS has a brilliant idea

Quote

CBS has bought Sherlock Holmes, a drama project from CBS TV Studios and studio-based Timberman/Beverly Prods., which is described as a modern take on the cases of the pipe-smoking private eye created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Rob Doherty is writing and will executive produce with Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly. Timberman/Beverly has 2 new series on CBS this fall, Unforgettable and A Gifted Man.

CultFix quotes the Moff's tweeted response:

Quote

Dear CBS. A modern day Sherlock Holmes? Where, oh where, did you get THAT idea? We’ll be watching!

My take: Rip-off? Probably. But it's one more item indicating that Holmesian stuff is seeing a resurgence, and I can't really find the heart to be too upset. Besides (who knows?) it could be brilliant. Given that it's airing on CBS, the odds are low (though I love me some Mentalist), but still.

Besides...if it runs American-length seasons, it'll give something (even if it's a very small something) to fill the gaps between series of Sherlock.

Edited by NBooth, 14 September 2011 - 03:17 PM.

[Anna J]

ANOTHER Holmes adaptation and still no Mary Russell? Blergh.

[MattPage]

Perhaps they'll cover a more Holmesian range of cases rather than just murder, murder and (yawn) more murder.

Matt

[NBooth]

MattPage, on 15 September 2011 - 12:39 PM, said:

Perhaps they'll cover a more Holmesian range of cases rather than just murder, murder and (yawn) more murder.

Matt

It's CBS. I doubt it.

[NBooth]

Here come the Russians!

Quote

Shooting for a new screen adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes has started in Russia's northern capital.

The series will consist of 16 episodes. Sherlock Holmes will be played by 34-year-old Russian actor Igor Petrenko, while the role of his devoted friend and assistant Dr. Watson was given to Andrey Panin.

This happens every couple of decades or so, yes? Suddenly everyone in the world wants a piece of the Holmes pie. (What I mean to say is: it's been pretty quite on the Holmes-Adaptation front for the past couple of decades. There's been a Canadian series and a couple of BBC movies, but that's it...and then bam I hear of Sherlock everywhere. Must be part of the cultural cycle--or the upcoming anniversary--or something).

Edited by NBooth, 20 September 2011 - 06:01 PM.

[NBooth]

Laura Pulver (Irene Adler):

Quote

"[Executive producer] Steven Moffat's written an episode about Sherlock dealing with what love is, rather than Sherlock really knowing what being in love is," she hinted. "We're both very much playing a mind game with each other. We've met our matches with each other."

Asked if there could be romance between the pair, Pulver teased: "It's kind of deeper than romance. It's kind of infatuation."

FWIW, there's some pics floating around Tumblr that purport to be Pulver in-costume as Adler. Unfortunately, Tumblr's down so I can't post them right now. But she looks cold as ice--should be interesting to see her go up against Cumberbatch. It'll be like a snowstorm.

EDIT: Here we go:

Edited by NBooth, 05 December 2011 - 12:02 PM.

[Anna J]

NBooth, on 05 December 2011 - 11:56 AM, said:

Laura Pulver (Irene Adler):

...

EDIT: Here we go:

I love everything about this post.

[NBooth]

Apparently "A Scandal in Belgravia" screened today at the BFI. Den of Geek has a spoiler-free review:

Quote

A Scandal in Belgravia is what happens when an already great show gets a well-deserved confidence boost. Working on series one, Moffat and Gattiss must have had the inkling that they had something special on their hands, but no idea how warmly Sherlock would be welcomed by the viewing public, or how eagerly awaited a follow-up would be.

EDIT: And here's the Radio Times with what some might consider a spoiler about Irene:

Spoiler

Conan Doyle’s adventuress has become a dominatrix for this latest reworking and she certainly makes a big impression. But don’t go thinking that this is a mere sexing up of Sherlock.

“Well, she’s gay and he’s only interested in brainwork,” says co-creator Mark Gatiss at the Q&A that follows the screening. “And yet something happens. But it doesn’t have to be something as mundane as a love story. It’s far more interesting than that.”

So it looks like they're keeping Sherlock asexual, which is fine by me. If I want Holmes romancing Adler I can pop in the Ritchie movie.

Edited by NBooth, 08 December 2011 - 07:20 AM.

[NBooth]

Cultfix has clips from A Scandal in Belgravia

[opus]

Those two clips put a huge grin on my face. "I'm not the commonwealth... Laters!"