The characters of the small blondes aren't remotely similar, and neither are their roles.

That's not my point. Of course they're not. We know that, because we watch closely, and we're invested in the characters. But I'd bet that most of the tv-watching public is like most of the people I know outside fandom - they aren't really paying attention. The show is on while they're doing something else, or they're being constantly interrupted and they don't go back to watch what they've missed. My family, for example - I don't know where I came from, really. My sister invariably falls asleep ten minutes into a show and wakes up for the last ten minutes. If a show has more than two main characters, she can't keep track of them, and she doesn't care. Her boyfriend did not know that the new girl wasn't JJ - he thought he was watching an old episode because she seemed so new on the job. This is the guy who didn't realize that "the dark-haired girl" who is now Emily was not Elle, and I'm fairly sure the only reason he knew Rossi wasn't Gideon was because he knows who Mandy Patinkin is.

WE know they aren't at all the same character. I feel confident in saying there are a lot of people who won't know, and even more who won't care. So yeah, the fact that they got rid of JJ for no reason at all makes me mad. The fact that they immediately hired another petite pretty blonde makes me think they traded blondes for a cheaper model, and that makes me mad on a whole different level. (Going by one of Joe Mantegna's tweets, he feels the same as I do.)

And on a different subject - I just watched the first of the new Sherlock Holmes! I adore it all and I'm about to go back in there and watch the rest. But I have to ask - and I'm whitefonting because I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't watched yet - am I the only one who was yelling, "It's a cab driver, you idiot!" from the minute they realized her suitcase was missing? I mean, jaysus, they actually lured him into a trap and didn't realize who it was! I felt very good about MarySueing myself into the episode to yell "You're an idiot!" at him, but he didn't hear me. Very frustrating. I wish the killer had been more of a surprise, really.

Okay, whitefont over. Bandysnatch Cummerbund is a long cool drink of water, isn't he? I feel thirsty.

You're not the only one. Poor people had to actually listen to/read my ranting on the subject when I first watched. Actually, if anyone is around when I rewatch again, they still do. But I don't text my frustrations. Not every time I watch.

It's the one weakness though and I find that I really just don't care enough not to love the show. It's really about so much more than the procedural portion for me.

Wasn't obvious to me but I can be thick that way.

It was obvious to me because I'd read A Study in Scarlet. Which was still fun in its way.

It does give a certain... fallability ...to the character that would otherwise not be there, and I'd doubt was intended.

If it had been one of the "unnecessary" things that Sherlock didn't know, I could go with it. But it was really more of a human nature thing that should come in super handy when solving crime.

Perhaps it could have been filmed in a way where I wasn't slightly boggled no one got there earlier, but the way it was? The dude's supposed to be smarter than me. And I knew right away. Still love it though.

And this was my first Sherlock experience of any sort. Hadn't read the books, hadn't seen any of the adaptations. Well, I saw Data playing on the Holodeck in a Star Trek once.

Why are we whitefonting? They aired US and ... are they drama or procedural?

They aren't cable so they fit better here than in Cable Drama.

Yeah, it is NAFDA fair-game.

This is the show that eated my brane. I am continually started at the huge range of readings of Sherlock. Less true with John: he's the character I want to draw sparkly hearts around, but he is fairly straight-forward. Of course, that variety is in keeping with the variety of re-interpretations since Doyle's day.

That this is your first Holmes is fascinating to me, and makes me want to ask you all sorts of questions (a nice way of saying "poke your brain with a stick"), but, really, at this point--and until I go back to the Doyle, which I never finished--they do stand separate from the others. It's interesting to see how elements are brought forward, but I don't expect things to conform to canon, particularly.

Wait, I had a point. Ah, yes: especially given the "Dumbass!" of the first episodes, one can support more of those readings than is true with most characters, which makes me want to go back and watch it all again and pick it apart more and take notes (Really, my brain? This is what we're fixating on?)

I've been thinking, as well, that the line between "that which would be useful in the solving of crimes" and "useless knowledge" would be incredibly hard to pin down, even without centuries-old supernovae.

(a nice way of saying "poke your brain with a stick")

Feel free.

I have grabbed A Study in Scarlet to read but haven't read it yet. And I have the Downey Jr / Law dvd from Netflix but, um, haven't watched it yet. So it's still the only Sherlock I've experienced.