- Network: PBS
- Series Premiere Date: Dec 17, 2013
Watch Now
Where To Watch
| Buy on |
|
Critic Reviews
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
A little long-winded in some stretches, not detailed enough in others but Holmes fans--and fans of cop procedurals--should like this.
-
The special relies very little, disappointingly, on footage from the BBC’s Holmes series; instead, it mostly uses murky reenactments, with actor Edward Cartwright playing the sleuth. More engaging is the enthusiastic testimony of various forensics specialists on how influential Holmes really was in the development of modern-day techniques.
-
Odd as it sounds, How Sherlock Changed the World argues persuasively that it was a crime writer, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who virtually invented the modern science of forensics by having his fictional detective employ it.
-
Even an ardent Holmes aficionado might find two hours singing the praises of a fictional character feel like a bit much.
-
The program overstates its case, suggesting that modern-day forensics wouldn’t exist without Holmes. That’s like saying there would have been no lunar landing without Jules Verne or no organ transplants without Mary Shelley.
-
Sadly, this program fails to be either compelling or diverting. Instead, it is a bloated and filler-stuffed waste of time.