Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century

Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century is a 26-episode animated television series placing Sherlock Holmes in a science fiction setting taking place in the 22nd century. Many episodes are direct rewrites of the original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle—such as "The Empty House", "The Speckled Band", "The Five Orange Pips", "The Red-Headed League", and "The Engineer's Thumb" — while others are drastically different from the stories they're supposed to be based on. The series itself seems to be a sci–fi pastiche.

Overview

Sandy Ross, a Scottish Television executive, came up with the concept while skiing in Aspen. The show was a 1999 co–production by DiC (then an affiliate of Disney) and Scottish Television. In 2001, it was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Special Class Animated Program. (The second season didn't air in the US until 2001.)

The programme was re-aired in 2009 on wknd@stv - a children's television strand on Scottish television channel, STV.

Story

In New London, the space-scrapered London of the 22nd Century, Inspector Beth Lestrade of New Scotland Yard is chasing grotesquely deformed French rogue geneticist Martin Fenwick, when she realizes that his companion is none other than the 19th century criminal mastermind, Professor James Moriarty. (This is not the original Moriarty but in fact his clone, created from cells taken from his corpse, which Holmes had buried in a Swiss ice cave.)

Famous biologist Sir Evan Hargreaves (who looks just like Doyle) has just invented cellular rejuvenation. Beth knows that Holmes survived and actually lived to a ripe old age, and further knows that his corpse is preserved in a glass-walled, honey-filled coffin in the basement of New Scotland Yard. (This may be both a reference to the legend that Alexander the Great's body was preserved in honey, which does not rot, and also to the fact that, as stated in the original stories by Doyle, Holmes became a beekeeper once he retired.) She takes the body from the basement and delivers it to Sir Evan. The biologist then uses his cellular rejuvenation technique to return life and youth to Holmes's body, so that the detective can combat Moriarty.

As a descendant of the original Inspector Lestrade, Beth has inherited Doctor Watson's journals. When she has her law enforcement compudroid (whom she calls Watson) read them for information about Holmes, it ends up emulating the personality of the good doctor. Holmes also ends up getting his old Baker Street rooms back (they'd been preserved as a museum).

Lestrade's compudroid assumes the name, face, voice, and mannerisms of Dr. Watson to assist Holmes in both his crime-solving duties and his difficult assimilation to England in the 2100s. During the series, Holmes and Watson often work on retainer for New Scotland Yard, with Beth Lestrade as their supervising officer and Superintendent Greyson as hers, but they also work for private citizens. They are often assisted by the new Baker Street Irregulars: black soccer player Wiggins, the Eliza Doolittleish Deidre, and the paraplegic Tennyson, who communicates through electronic beeps only Holmes seems to comprehend (ironically). However, Wiggins and Deidre understand and communicate with Tennyson in The Adventure of the Dancing Men. The primary villains are Moriarty and his henchman Fenwick, but they only appear in about half of the episodes.

Interestingly, in The Adventure of the Deranged Detective, there are two references to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. One is when Holmes is reluctant to take a case for New Scotland Yard, Lestrade jokingly says, "Or should I call on Dr. Arthur Doyle?" Holmes replies, "Oh, I will never live down that pseudonym!" Later on in the episode, Holmes introduces himself to a suspect as "Dr. Arthur Doyle" and introduces Watson as "Conan".

TV Universe

The world of the 22nd century includes lots of flying cars, monorails, and speedy journeys to resorts on the Moon. But it also includes crypnosis (brainwashing criminals to not want to commit crimes), prison starships, and organlegging. Holmes adapts to new technology strikingly well, piloting 22nd century vehicles and operating complex computer systems with relative ease. He even determines that nanomachines would be complex devices created on a microscopic level, simply by translating the Greek root words.

Notes

A similar concept sent Sherlock Holmes into the 23rd century in a two-part episode of the Filmation series BraveStarr, first aired in 1988. In the story, based on the Sherlock Holmes short story The Adventure of the Final Problem, Sherlock Holmes falls down Reichenbach Falls after a struggle with Professor Moriarty, falling through a natural time storm, hurtling him forward in time and imbuing him with electrical powers. Professor Moriarty in turn uses cryogenics to follow Holmes into the Future.

This show's method for preserving Professor Moriarty and bringing him back to life should not be confused with the cryogenic method used by the 1987 Michael Pennington/Margaret Colin TV movie/failed pilot, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, or the suspended animation in the 1993 Anthony Higgins/Deborah Farentino Sherlock Holmes Returns TV movie.

Episode list

The Holmes story on which the episode is based is enclosed in parentheses. The first season uses the "Kid in Bed" logo. The second season uses the "IWoD Globe" logo.

First Season (1999)

• 1- 1 #101 18 September 1999 The Fall and Rise of Sherlock Holmes (The Final Problem)
• 1- 2 #102 25 September 1999 The Crime Machine (The Valley of Fear)
• 1- 3 #103 2 October 1999 The Hounds of the Baskervilles (The Hound of the Baskervilles)
• 1- 4 #108 9 October 1999 The Adventure of the Empty House (The Adventure of the Empty House)
• 1- 5 #122 15 October 1999 The Crooked Man (The Adventure of the Crooked Man)
• 1- 6 #120 23 October 1999 The Adventure of the Deranged Detective (The Adventure of the Dying Detective)
• 1- 7 #111 30 October 1999 The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire Lot (The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire)
• 1- 8 #105 6 November 1999 The Scales of Justice (The Adventure of the Speckled Band)
• 1- 9 #104 13 November 1999 The Resident Patient (The Adventure of the Resident Patient)
• 1-10 #121 20 November 1999 The Sign of Four (The Sign of Four)
• 1-11 #114 27 November 1999 The Adventure of the Dancing Men (The Adventure of the Dancing Men)
• 1-12 #125 29 November 1999 The Musgrave Ritual (The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual)
• 1-13 #112 11 December 1999 The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle (The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle)
• 1-14 #119 31 January 2000 Silver Blaze (Silver Blaze)
• 1-15 #106 7 February 2000 The Five Orange Pips (The Five Orange Pips)
• 1-16 #113 14 February 2000 The Red-Headed League (The Red-Headed League)
• 1-17 #118 21 February 2000 The Man with the Twisted Lip (The Man with the Twisted Lip)

Second Season (2001)

• 2- 1 #109 31 March 2001 The Secret Safe (His Last Bow)
• 2- 2 #115 21 April 2001 The Adventure of the Second Stain (The Adventure of the Second Stain)
• 2- 3 #117 28 April 2001 The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb (The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb)
• 2- 4 #123 12 May 2001 The Gloria Scott (The Adventure of the Gloria Scott)
• 2- 5 #124 19 May 2001 The Adventure of the Six Napoleons (The Adventure of the Six Napoleons)
• 2- 6 #126 26 May 2001 The Adventure of the Creeping Man (The Adventure of the Creeping Man)
• 2- 7 #107 23 June 2001 The Adventure of the Beryl Board (The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet)
• 2- 8 #110 30 June 2001 The Adventure of the Mazarin Chip (The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone)
• 2- 9 #116 21 July 2001 A Case of Identity (A Case of Identity)

Broadcast History in the USA

• Fox Kids (1999-2000)
• Syndication (2001), (2002-2005), (2006)

External links

• Homepage at DiC
• Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show