Sherlock & Daughter is an intriguing, albeit a bit unrealistic reimagining of an old character. The premise initially put me off a bit: Sherlock Holmes meets a young woman who claims to be his daughter and the two of them get drawn into stopping the nefarious crimes of a multi-continental crime syndicate. The whole father-daughter thing seemed to be a bit too soapy for me, and we have seen these large crime syndicate stories before. But based on initially positive reviews, I decided to give it a try, and I actually quite enjoyed myself while watching the show.
Despite the soap-like premise, I decided to give it a try, and am glad for it
In Sherlock & Daughter, the American network the CW presents a new version of a character few would be unfamiliar with. Sherlock is played by David Thewlis, whose acting is on point throughout the entire season. His maybe-daughter Amelia Rojas is played by Blu Hunt, who is clearly not as experienced as an actor, but makes a nice apprentice to Sherlock. He is in need of one, because his trusted partner Watson has been abducted by a crime syndicate known as ‘the red thread’, who make their presence at a crime scene known by leaving, you guessed it, a red thread.
The season then revolves around finding out who is part of this syndicate and how to get Watson (and Mrs. Hudson) back. Amelia is smart, but needs to be taught how to be a good detective. Throughout the season, Sherlock and Amelia grow closer together, while they move in on the red thread.
The series paces this plot well. We move around in London’s high society, making this show a nice period piece for the late 1800s. Politics and power are central themes, as the show navigates class and gender differences. The sets seem well cared for, which always helps with these period settings. Unfortunately, the series also uses cheap-looking layover text and maps, which makes the whole look cheap at times.
The story is not too original, but well-executed
The story is not too original, but well-executed. At times, it is a bit improbable (or maybe downright unrealistic), but that is not uncommon in the genre. If this type of mystery is not your thing, I would skip this show, because it will only leave you disappointed. Luckily they managed to stay away from making the whole daughter-thing too much of a soap. It helps that the main characters are quite down-to-earth.
The end of the season managed to close off most story lines, but left an opening for a next season. If it comes, I will be sure to watch.
About the writer, Nienke de Boode
She started with watching NCIS, CSI and Bones, but over time her passion for TV shows has grown to what it is today, with dozens of shows that need to be watched. You can always wake her up for a good crime show, but she is also open to different things. Comedy and fantasy are on her list of favourites as well. Since October 2014, she also writes for MySeries to combine her love for TV shows and writing.
