How has Elementary – The American Sherlock – gone down with critics?

Constantly dubbed ‘the American Sherlock,’ the CBS drama based on the British crime-solver, Elementary, premieres tonight (September 27th) at 10pm. So what are the reviews saying?

Well, first, we should say that this isn’t an official reimagining of the quintessentially British crime franchise, Sherlock, rather an unsanctioned drama which plays on the very core of the Sherlock stories, with its name based on the infamous catchphrase: “Elementary my dear Watson”. CBS, have twice before aired a modern-day series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic detective, but this comes right in the middle of the show’s on screen renaissance. IGN give America’s answer to Holmes a fairly good, 7.8 review, saying: “Cumberbatch's version still rules, but Elementary delivers a relatively fresh new take on the Sherlock Holmes story.” Not bad. Entertainment weekly were equally impressed, especially with Miller’s performance: “The primary pleasure of Elementary is Jonny Lee Miller's performance as a present-day Sherlock Holmes: a brilliant, jumpy, self-described ''recovering addict'' fresh out of rehab.”

So not quite a remake, but close enough to the original to be closely compared, and early indications suggest it compares well. The lead character’s rehab background sounds like an interesting addition to a tried and tested character, and given the positive reviews so far, it sounds like tuning in at 10pm tonight won’t be a total waste of time. If you watch the show, tell us what you think below.