"hardly ever with their meeting scene intact."

TV Probably the best, certainly the most comprehensive review I've seen of the BBC's new Sherlock is this escapade from Dave Rolinson which offers close comparison with a range of previous screen versions noting one of its more valuable attributes:
"A Study in Scarlet was the first Holmes story written and published, and through Watson’s prose we experience Holmes and his methods through their first meeting – however, despite being the subject of the first full-length Holmes adaptation in 1914, it is rarely adapted, and hardly ever with their meeting scene intact. It was written quickly during March and April 1886, but Doyle found the story difficult to sell, and it eventually appeared in Beeton’s Christmas Annual in December 1887. Although it and its follow-up The Sign of Four were successful, it was the episodic short stories in the Strand, illustrated by Sidney Paget, that cemented Holmes as a household name and form the basis of many adaptations."
Serial characters rarely inspire faithful adaptations. When Casino Royale was originally suggested as a Bond reboot, for a brief moment it was going to be a period piece recreating the details of Fleming's original novel with the rest of the franchise flowing from that. Then, unfortunately, the producers appear to have seen the Bourne series, and we've seen the results.

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