A new Arthur Conan Doyle TV adaptation is in the works, and it’s a lot more exciting than watching Benedict Cumberbatch’s return in Sherlock season 5. After Sherlock Holmes first appeared in print in 1887, he was portrayed for the first time in an audio-visual medium in an 1899 play. This was followed by the character’s first screen appearance in a 1900 Mutoscope film, Sherlock Holmes Baffled. Since then, Sherlock Homes has been portrayed by over 75 actors, holding a world record of being the most portrayed human character in television and film.
Even though so many Sherlock Holmes adaptations exist in film and television, it is hard not to associate the character with a few actors like Jeremy Brett, Robert Downey Jr., Peter Cushing, and Benedict Cumberbatch. Since Cumberbatch’s portrayal of the character in BBC’s Sherlock became one of the most mainstream depictions of the iconic detective, the actor sustains the benchmark against which other iterations and adaptations are measured. Despite this, a new upcoming Arthur Conan Doyle story is far more interesting than Sherlock season 5 happening with Cumberbatch returning, despite the hype that would surround that should it eventually happen.
Mark Gatiss’ Lot No. 249 Adaptation With Kit Harington Is Better Than Sherlock Season 5
Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss is adapting Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story Lot No. 249 in a new ghost (or mummy) story Christmas 2023 special, which will have a more supernatural element to it than the usual adaptations of the author’s works. Lot No. 249 revolves around a pair of Oxford University students – Abercrombie Smith (Harington) and Edward Bellingham (who’ll be played by Freddie Fox). The former notices some strange goings-on around the latter’s Ancient Egypt research, which seemingly includes re-animating a mummy. It’s one of the first mummy horror stories, and a major influence on Universal’s The Mummy movie with Boris Karloff, among many other movies, books, and more.
As well as its exciting premise that’s ripe for a TV adaptation, what makes this particularly exciting is Gatiss’ stellar run of festive ghost stories for the BBC. These have largely been adapting the works of M.R. James, including “The Tractate Middoth,” “Martin’s Close,” “The Mezzotint,” and “Count Magnus.” Gatiss really knows how to craft a brilliant ghost story adaptation that’s both spooky and yet perfect for Christmas, and combined with his previous experience in adapting Doyle’s works, makes this a really tantalizing prospect. Things may have gone wrong with Sherlock seasons 3 and 4, but this is a chance to remind audiences just how good he can be at adapting the author, without the same expectation of Sherlock season 5 or all the baggage that comes with it. It can be something fresh, and deliver a great new take on an old classic.
Sherlock Season 5 Shouldn’t Happen – But Movies Or TV Specials Could Be Better
BBC’s Sherlock‘s first two seasons cemented their place among the best adaptations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s works by creating an immersive experience for viewers with their unique portrayal of the titular character’s chain of thought and deductive skills. Both seasons encouraged viewers to become armchair detectives themselves as they followed Sherlock Holmes and John H. Watson’s adventures. Unfortunately, in an attempt to outperform the first two seasons, seasons 3 and 4 stretched the suspension of disbelief a little too far, proving that the show had outstayed its welcome.
Although there continues to be talk of Sherlock season 5, especially if everyone’s schedules can work, the dip in quality means this would be better off being avoided – but that doesn’t mean Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman shouldn’t return at all along with Gatiss and co-creator Steven Moffat. Movies and TV specials would still do justice to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories because they would be able to present some never-seen-before Sherlock Holmes narratives without being held back by the potential plot holes and subpar character beats set by Sherlock‘s third and fourth seasons.
While that could be recasting, it would work with Cumberbatch and Freeman coming back. Without the same scheduling and production challenges for making three feature-length episodes, and perhaps with a bigger budget for a movie, then that could avoid some of the problems of those seasons. There remains potential with Sherlock, especially because Cumberbatch and Freeman’s versions of Holmes and Watson did once work so well, and this could be the path to unlocking it.
