The Irregulars
Given how many times the Sherlock Holmes canon has been adapted there is surprisingly little out there with regard to the Baker Street Irregulars. There was the series written by Robert Newman which I didn't know was a series until a few years ago and another series written by Doctor Who writer Terrance Dicks, and they were used abysmally by Anthony Horowitz in The House of Silk... but other than that, they haven't really been explored. Which is why The Irregulars is such an interesting take on Conan Doyle's work, because I really do mean his whole body of work, not just his casebooks on Holmes. Here we see Sherlock and Watson through the jaded eyes of a gaggle of kids on the street, and to put it mildly, they don't hold the two famous detectives in high esteem, in fact they rather think that Watson is a villain. Supernatural phenomena has been occurring in London and Bea and her gang, Jessie, Bea's gifted younger sister, Billy, a fellow orphan from the workhouse, Spike, and Leo, Prince Victoria's son hiding out from Royal duties, take it upon themselves to figure out what is going on. At first it's more a job, but then it becomes personal. The supernatural aspects are a nice backdrop, because they separate this show from the rest of the Conan Doyle canon, but at the same time tap into that which he firmly believed in, mediums and the ability to talk to the dead. So this is literally Conan Doyle to the max! The series does have a rocky start, the first few episodes seem determined to show that it's "hip" with out of place dubstep music, but thankfully once you get to "Chapter Three: Ipsissimus" the show finally comes together in a country house bottle episode that features Mycroft and a cult that he just happens to be in. This is the show at it's strongest, showing the relationships between the young cast and how much they need each other. In fact, I'd say this is the closest you'll ever get to Sherlock Holmes with heart. I look forward to more of their adventures now that they are somewhat out of the shadow of Sherlock. But they will still have to grapple with his legacy.
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