Hot on the heels of the first promo image from CBS' Sherlock Holmes show, Elementary, the network has now released a behind-the-scenes video with a few minutes of footage from the show.

The clips mostly focus on the relationship between the analytical, not-so-sensitive Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and his more emotionally-aware counterpart, Lucy Liu's Dr. Joan Watson.

Oh, and we get a good look at Sherlock Holmes' heavily-tattooed(!) torso.

What do you think? Potential winner, pale imitation of the BBC's version, or somewhere in between?

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CBS has released the first promotional photo from its modern-day Sherlock Holmes series, Elementary, which stars Jonny Lee "Zero Cool" Miller as the world's greatest non-Batman detective and Lucy Liu as Dr. John Watson.

The photo also comes with the official synopsis of the show, which clarifies the Holmes-Watson relationship:

Elementary stars Jonny Lee Miller as detective Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson in a modern-day drama about a crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD's most impossible cases. Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father forces him to live with his worst nightmare — a sober companion, Dr. Watson. A successful surgeon until she lost a patient and her license three years ago, Watson views her current job as another opportunity to help people, as well as paying a penance. However, The Restless Sherlock is nothing like her previous clients. He informs her that none of her expertise as an addiction specialist applies to him and he's devised his own post-rehab regimen — resuming his work as a police consultant in New York City. Watson has no choice but to accompany her irascible new charge on his jobs.

Despite an initial spot of controversy, it sounds like Elementary is distinguishing itself from the BBC's Sherlock.

Will it be anywhere near as good, though? CBS has officially picked up the show for a first season, so we'll find out this fall.

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The first set photos from Elementary, CBS' modern update of Sherlock Holmes may not do much to dispel the impression that the show is attempting to piggyback on the success of the BBC's Sherlock.

Jonny Lee Miller, who plays Holmes, was spotted walking with Lucy Liu's Dr. Joan Watson, and the outfit he was wearing had quite a bit in common with Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock wardrobe -- particularly in the scarf department.

Of course, the BBC can't copyright the idea of wearing a scarf -- they can't even copyright Sherlock Holmes, as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories and characters are now in the public domain -- but that doesn't make Sherlock showrunner Steven Moffat any less peeved at CBS.

"It isn't a version of our show," he said. "They've just decided to go off and do one of their own, having been turned down by us to do an adaptation of our version. So how do you think I feel about it? Annoyed is in there."

Moffat admitted that "we don't own Sherlock Holmes" and that updating the legendary detective has "been done before," but he's still on the lookout for anything in Elementary that copies the new elements he and Mark Gatiss have introduced to the Holmes story.

"I hope they know their Sherlock Holmes very, very well indeed because we know what's in our show and wasn't in the original. So if we did discover our material had made it into somebody else's show we would have a problem with that," he said.

On a more positive note, Moffat said that Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch is keen to continue playing the lead role, which bodes well for a fourth series of the BBC show.

[blastr / ontd]