Ten steps to cash in on a successful foreign TV Show

[swanpride]

Let’s imagine that you own a network. And there is this TV show, which wins countless prizes and is a worldwide success. Sadly, it’s not one of your own. So how do you manage to make money out of it after all? Well, there is a

Comments

[swanpride]

Which rating site do you frequent? I checked at TV by the numbers, and according to them, the ratings were the lowest so far...I think I checked before the DVR adjustments, though.

Well, the boards is big, and I'm not particularly close to anyone there, so I don't really know who you are talking about. Personally, I was opposed to the unprofessional conduct of the CBS before the show aired and annoyed that they acted as if a female Watson is something new despite the fact that they tried to do that twice already in the past (with mixed results). With the show itself, I don't think that there is enough Sherlock Holmes in it to call it an adaptation. I especially think that the character of Joan Watson is problematic. While Nigel Bruce erred on the site of acting too stupid for the role, this version is too intelligent to really work. She would be a way better Holmes. On top of this, I found the portrayal in the pilot unbelievable sexist...something which got better later on, but I don't see Joan Watson as the feminist icon she is supposed to be. She is barely okay.

I also found the CBS version of Irene Adler even more problematic and insulting than the BBC version.

I don't like the Elementary fandom because it is impossible to discuss the one thing the show really should be about: Sherlock Holmes. In my experience Elementary fans don't care about canon at all and act all offended when someone points out the weaknesses of the series. I don't join a fandom in mindless celebration, I do it because I want to discuss the show, the good and the bad (but then, I'm not really a fan, so it's not the right place for me either way). Also, in my experience it is currently mostly the Elementary fans who want to claim that their show is somehow "better", while the Sherlock fans were mostly appeased when it turned out that it wasn't a remake after all. I actually don't get the need of the Elementary fans to compare the show to Sherlock, instead of using canon as a measurement, like they should. Never mind that there are a lot of other adaptations to discuss out there (I did a couple of articles about them, if you are interested).

I think that Elementary might be enjoyable if you are either a fan of Miller or Liu (I'm indifferent about both actors), or if you have a thing for the usual CBS format. To me, the show feels like they are constantly rehashing crime plots from Castle or The Mentalist (and I stopped watching both shows because I got tired of them). I thought it might at least be enjoyable for a little bit New York feel, but other shows (especially White Collar) do that way better. So there is really nothing for me there, and their version of Mycroft really was the last straw. I simply don't see Sherlock Holmes in this show, not at all. But if the Elementary fans enjoy it, all power for them. I will nevertheless call BS on the manipulations of the CBS.