Thank goodness for the wonderful folks at Granada Television. In the mid 1980s, they created the absolute best Sherlock Holmes ever to make it to the big or small screen. Unlike all the previous versions, which LIBERALLY deviated from the Conan Doyle stories, the Granada films tried to be perfect in every detail.
Unlike the caricature of Holmes that you see in previous films where he wears a deerstalker hat, smokes a curved pipe and spouts "elementary, my dear Watson", this Holmes is true to the original character. Additionally, Dr. Watson is not the bumbling idiot as portrayed by Nigel Bruce (Bruce should burn in Hell for how he ruined this character).
The first mini-series by Granada was exceptional and Jeremy Brett was the greatest Holmes ever. Oddly, they did switch actors who played Watson, but the series went on otherwise as before--exceptional and wonderful in every way. One person commented on the bland dialog, but it was very true to the stories--I am GLAD they didn't "spice it up" but chose to remain true to Conan Doyle's vision.
Intelligently written and wonderful throughout.
