My Take on "Sherlock"

I will make no bones about it, I am a fan of Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle's super-sleuth and his partner Dr. Watson.  I have read all of the stories, I even transfered some to my Kindle, after I got it at Christmas, so I could, when the time seemed appropriate, re-read the stories.  This was all before I found out about the series, simply titled Sherlock, that aired on BBC, and can be seen on PBS's Masterpiece Mystery on the next two Sundays at nine pm.  My youngest child, Jacki, actually brought the series to my attention, giving me the DVD set for Season 1, for Christmas.  Mary and I watched the first episode, A Study in Pink, and have been "hooked" ever since.  The producers are making three 90-minute episodes per season, and we are currently getting Season 2 on PBS.
The series stars Benedict Cumberbatch (how's that for a Brittish name) as Mr. Sherlock Holmes, Esq, and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson, who chronicles the exploits of the world's first "consulting detective," a position that Holmes proudly creates himself.  The story lines are straight from the Conan-Doyle manuscripts, but that is where all similarities to the "old Sherlock Holmes" ends.  Rather than dashing about 19th Century London, the writing team of Steven Moffat, Steve Thompson, and Mark Gatiss have brought the detective team into the 21st Century, making Dr. Watson an Afghanistan veteran (rather than India), who blogs about his amazing roomate at 221B Baker Street.
I'm not one to sit and nitpick, so I haven't compared things like dialogue against the original works, I'm not much of a purist in that regards.  In fact I didn't even flinch when the famous Sherlock Holmes line, "The game is afoot!" was changed to "The game is on!"  I noticed it, surely, but there probably isn't a person in the world who uses "afoot," so the adaptation seemed perfectly natural, to me.  With Sir Arthur's stories as a framework, this new Sherlock is well worth watching.
One of the most notable features of this new series is the use of the digital technology that allows the viewer to "see" what the world's greatest detective sees.  It doesn't give you what he observes, but it helps the viewer to understand how he collects clues.  In the end, as Sherlock explains the crime, it seems logical enough to appeal to another fictional character, this one of Vulcan origins.
The acting is supurb.  Cumberbatch is a delightful Sherlock, who is referred to by the people at Scotland Yard as "The Freak".  He denies an accusation of being a psychopath by claiming, "I am a high-functioning sociopath, learn the difference."  The dynamics between Sherlock and the often befuddled Watson is very engaging, and is often the source of much of the "dry Brittish humor" that many Americans find so delightful (me included).
I am a fan.