MYSTERY
Lost Vs. Sherlock
What? You say you wanted me to compare
Sherlock to the American version,
Elementary? Ok, sure.
Sherlock wins. Both
Lost and
Sherlock are absolutely treasured in their respective countries of origin, as well they should be, as both are fantastic TV shows.
Lost stands out to be as being a show with a huge cast of very different and complicated characters, yet I remember absolutely all of them. There isn't one character I feel was pushed to one side or not developed properly, but more than that, I can't think of a single character I didn't like. Charlie, Claire, Locke, Jack, each one of these intricate characters I was transfixed by almost immediately, and I'm not even going to begin to describe the love I have for Hurley.
Sherlock, however, I feel is a bit hit and miss in this regard. Some characters work really well, such as Sherlock himself, and Moriarty is manic magnificence. Some others, though, I feel are a little lacking. I'm not a big fan of Martin Freeman, I'm sorry to say, and I don't find his Watson especially interesting. Gatiss' Mylock, too, I must confess I don't especially enjoy, ditto LeStrade. It's not that I think they are bad characters, or that I hate them or anything. Just when they are compared to the hugely interesting characters of Sherlock and Moriarty, it's inevitable they will come up lacking. This is where
Lost's well-rounded cast works in its favour. What both shows nail, however, is their atmospheres.
Sherlock pulls off a cool, suave, yet exciting atmosphere, while always coupling it with a great amount of intrigue. It retains the original spirit of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works, while successfully updating it for modern generations.
Lost, too, gets across its main atmosphere of desperation, survival and fear, as well as that same intrigue which keeps audiences coming back for more; they want to know just what exactly is happening on that damn spooky island. However...I'm giving
Lost the edge on this one.
Sherlock is great, and always has engaging mysteries, but
Lost re-defined what it meant to have a sustained mysterious atmosphere, adding layer upon layer to the intrigues of the island over the course of 6 seasons. I was always on the edge of my seat when a new development occurred that brought the islanders one step closer to revelation, so for that, America, I give you kudos.