Last Friday a new show popped up on Netflix called “The Irregulars”. The show is loosely based on Sherlock Holmes but follows four teenagers living in 19th century London. Shows like Elementary and Sherlock often mention Sherlock’s network of informants on the streets and these four are basically that. They get paid by Dr Watson to solve crimes somehow linked to supernatural circumstances so that he and Holmes can take the credit.
The show puts a lot of spin on the original formula by adding tons of dark magic, mystery, and gore. It doesn’t go overboard, though! The magic portrait here feels fresh and exciting yet fits the setting very well. Usually, shows around Sherlock Holmes focus on his intelligence and complexity while here it’s all about occult relicts and events with only some connections to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters. It was refreshing to see a completely arrogant Dr Watson and a broke Sherlock Holmes while someone else fights forces of evil.
If I wanted to criticise something it would be the soundtrack during the first couple of episodes. Some sequences consist of modern/trance music, which simply doesn’t fit too well with 19th century London. That being said, that music doesn’t destroy the atmosphere, it’s just weird. It fits well, though, with the primary characters. The teenagers and their behaviour would also fit into the early 21st century 😉
To summarise: I really enjoyed this show and would definitely watch another season 😀 It’s not remotely as deep as Sherlock but still extremely entertaining!
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