BBC's "Sherlock" Series 1 infuses modern technology with Doyle's cleverness

As the world's most famous fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes is the ultimate geek's role model, a dork so hell-bent on being odd and brilliant that it's hard not to be impressed with his uncanny detailed insight.  BBC's updated take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary sleuth, Sherlock Series 1, fuses stories that are over a century old with a modern setting and technology, and the result is a marvelous entertainment for the eyes and the ears (especially the ears).

In the first episode, A Study in Pink, recently acquainted Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) and his new roommate, Scotland Yard's consulting detective Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch), investigate a series of murders in which the victims willingly committed suicide.  But how?  And who made them kill themselves in exactly the same way, using the same poison?  When Holmes questions the killer near the end about his employer, the man responds with, "Moriarty!", an omen of things to come.

The Blind Banker presents Holmes and Watson with a case where strange spray paintings turn out to be foreshadowings for bizarrely staged, mysterious murders.  Involved are Chinese smugglers, messages coded in ancient text, and another suggestion of the existence of the mysterious criminal, here presented only as "M".

The final episode of Series 1 places the two protagonists on a case where victims are forced to wear explosive vests and then recite the killer's words to the police over the phone from a secret location.  More than any episode so far, the climax of The Great Game finally pits our favorite detective against his arch nemesis, a super-villain known as Moriarty (Andrew Scott).  For those familiar with Doyle's original stories of Sherlock Holmes, they should know who this man is.

Creators and executive producers Mark Gatiss (who also stars as Sherlock's brother, Mycroft) and Steve Moffat have upgraded the original story some hundred and twenty five years into present day London, and the result is an engaging and intelligent detective show with very charismatic leads and clever, witty dialogue.  Also, London has rarely looked so sexy in the soft-focus/hard-focus establishing shots, playing not only a setting, but an important character in this crime-heavy universe.    And let's not forget the actors: Benedict Cumberbatch's depiction of Sherlock Holmes is this century's defining performance of a nineteenth century detective come to life, more eccentric and sarcastic than ever, in a world much more suited to his genius than the one he was originally born into.
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