I wanted to like CBS' "Elementary," really I did. But, it’s pure and utter tripe. It has the framework of the Sherlock Holmes novels, but the acting and speedball pacing of a high-energy sugar addict. "Elementary"’s lead might be called Sherlock, but he is no Sherlock Holmes.

Because of the kickbutt Sherlock Holmes TV derivatives, like Monk, Psych, Castle and The Mentalist, and the recent Sherlock Holmes re-imaginings from Guy Ritchie and Michael Robert Johnson’s Sherlock Holmes (2009) to Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat’s Sherlock (2010), I assumed CBS’s version would equally amaze me. After all, it’s a century-old story about a brilliant British detective and a loyal best friend; how can you destroy a proven formula? Well … it’s Elementary, my dear readers.

Elementary’s framework is smart, the actors are good, and the production values are excellent, but the writing, the directing and the characterizations are bad. Correction, they’re not bad — they’re just trying too hard. In creating their own series, CBS produced an aimless, unplanned show that has Sherlock’s skeleton, his actions, and his hobbies, but not his heart. The previous reconstructions worked because the directors/writers’ re-boot included a focus for Doyle’s century-old detective. They knew how to re-imagine him; they connected with him; and they created scripts with tightly drawn plot arcs. CBS’s Elementary has none of that. It feels like the writing staff quickly sped through the novels, gathered the bare essentials and brainstormed ways to make their Sherlock seem cool and new.

Photo Credit: CBS