Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century

Overview

The concept series was created by Sandy Ross, a Scottish Television executive, who came up with the idea while skiing in Aspen, Colorado in 1996. DiC Entertainment and Scottish Television had previously worked together to create other series and this continued the trend. Some issues were raised about language carrying different connotations between cultures, but alternative action and dialogue were used to overcome this. There is an episode from the cartoon BraveStarr that aired in September 1987 that has similar idea in it.

Story

Set in the 22nd century in New London, 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. They go on to discover that this is not the original Moriarty but in fact his clone, created from cells taken from his corpse, which Sherlock Holmes had buried in a Swiss ice cave. Lestrade 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. She takes the body from the basement and delivers it to biologist Sir Evan Hargreaves (who looks just like Doyle), who has just invented a process of cellular rejuvenation. The biologist then uses his cellular rejuvenation technique to return life and youth to Holmes's body, so that the detective can combat Moriarty. Holmes also returns to his Baker St rooms, which had been preserved as a museum. Lestrade's compudroid reads the original Watson's journals and assumes his name, face, voice, and mannerisms in order to assist Holmes in both his crime-solving duties and his difficult assimilation to England in the 22nd century.

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: soccer player Wiggins, the Cockney Deidre, and the paraplegic Tennyson, who communicates through electronic beeps only Holmes seems to comprehend. The primary villains are Moriarty and his henchman Fenwick, appearing as they do in almost half of the produced episodes.

Each episode is inspired by one of the literary works of Arthur Conan Doyle. Many of these are direct rewrites of the original stories, 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 on which they are supposed to be based.

Visually, the series is a blend of traditional 2-D and 3-D CGI animation.

Essential voice cast

Episode list

The show premièred in the UK in late spring of 1999 and premièred in the USA in the autumn.The show was also the DIC Entertainment series to use the "Kid in Bed" logo.

DVD release

On February 21, 2012, Mill Creek Entertainment released Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century- The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.

United States

United Kingdom

Australia

Italy

Romania

Asia