Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller) Directs ‘Elementary,’ A ‘Saul-Lodge’ Combo
A critical checklist of notable Monday TV:
Elementary (10/9c, CBS): Jonny Lee Miller steps behind the camera to direct an episode of the crime drama that presents a scenario perhaps better suited to The Twilight Zone. Sherlock (Miller) and Watson (Lucy Liu) investigate the murder of a robotics engineer, only to discover that his death could be linked to cutting-edge research in the field of teleportation. (Beam me up, Moriarty!) In a more grounded subplot, Detective Bell (Jon Michael Hill) is surprised to learn just why he’s been shut out of a class he needs to achieve his goal of becoming a U.S. Marshal.
Better Call Saul (9/8c, AMC): Is Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) overcompensating after the death of his brother Chuck? He seems awfully upbeat as he embarks on a job search, and if you suspect something else is motivating him, you could be on to something. Powerful work in this episode by Rhea Seehorn as Kim, whose showdown with Howard (Patrick Fabian) over Chuck’s will could leave psychic scars; and by Giancarlo Esposita as burgeoning drug kingpin Gus Fring, whose chilling delivery of lines like “I decide what he deserves” reminds us why this Breaking Bad character deserves a place in the pantheon of great TV villains.
Lodge 49 (10/9c, AMC): Stick around after Saul for a change-of-pace dramedy and get absorbed in the quirky world of a secret lodge which has seen better days, as it opens its doors and arms to the sweetly adrift Dud (Wyatt Russell). His sardonic sister Liz (Sonya Cassidy) isn’t as easily swayed, preoccupied with paying off the family’s $81,000 mountain of debt.
Inside Monday TV: Smithsonian Channel’s Sacred Sites (8/7c) launches a second season by exploring ancient religious and symbolic locations across Britain to separate fact and myth in tracing the legend of King Arthur and Camelot… The second season of hit Disney Channel sitcom Andi Mack (8/7c) wraps with Andi (Peyton Elisabeth Lee) and Bex (Lilan Bowden) prepping a special dinner for Bowie (Trent Garrett), but you know what they say about best-laid plans… Binge-watch alert: Comedy Central makes all seven episodes of Ronny Chieng: International Student available for viewing on the Comedy Central app. Loosely based on Chieng’s (Daily Show with Trevor Noah) own experiences, the sitcom stars Chieng as a Malaysian student (barely) studying law in Australia… Journalist Thomas Erdbrink is Our Man in Tehran, a special two-part Frontline documentary (9/8c, check local listings at pbs.org) that concludes Tuesday. Erdbrink has spent 17 years reporting from Iran, currently for The New York Times, and is one of the last remaining Western journalists in the volatile country. He spent the last four years with a Dutch TV crew to document on life within Iranian society, which doesn’t always reflect the harsh rhetoric of its leaders.
Conversation23 Comments
Please read the TV Insider Community Guidelines.
Comments are closed on this story.
-
B
Sonya Cassidy, the sister on "Lodge 49," looked vaguely familiar to me. So I looked her up and learned, first, she's British. That's not surprising anymore, despite the perfect American accent, since whenever I look up someone for this sort of reason, they're invariably British or Australian but playing American.
Second, she played a synth on S2 of "Humans," which is no doubt why she looked familiar. I wouldn't have recalled that though without cheating--different accent and different life-form were too much of a leap.
1
-
C
I don't know how you recognized such a minor character from a couple of years ago!
-
R
Obviously(?)...Rick has a GREAT memory...or...really LOVES "Humans"...(or...BOTH)...
-
-
R
Tonight will DVR 3 shows...but will probably watch later based on "enjoyment value"...1st. Lodge 49...2nd Better Call Saul...3rd Salvation...
Tonight will start out WATCHING (Sunday's) Get Shorty...then Preacher...
-
C
Ooh...Preacher was especially good last night! Wait until you see what they do with the new Messiah!
-
C
Are you enjoying "Lodge 49"(just one episode) more than "Better Call Saul"? I take offense! For me "Saul" is outstanding, I wasn't impressed by "Lodge 49" but will watch more and see where it's going.
-
R
Well...I AGREE that "Better Call Saul" IS outstanding...but...to me..."Lodge 49" is outstanding-er...
-
R
WOW!!! Can't wait!
-
-
G
After 3 nights of zero, I have Salvation tonight.
-
C
You mean you didn't watch the musical version of Freaky Friday on Friday? You didn't miss anything! It really sucked!
-
G
I already watched the 1977 Jodie Foster version and the remake with Jamie Lee Curtis/Lindsay Lohan. I wasn't interested in yet another version especially a musical one!
Message to producers: Not every title is ideal for a musical version!
-
R
It's 9:19, and I'm calling it: the eccentric Spanish guy is actually Tanz in disguise. 😉
-
G
Spoiler Alert!
Spoiler Alert!
That was SO obvious! From his very first scene leaving the cab (no face shown) I said to myself that's likely the "missing POTUS"
His scenes (fake looking disguise, mannerisms) at the Tess lab convinced me
Those so called smart scientists and other supposedly clever characters should have figured it out much more quickly . Other than that silly narrative the episode was gripping .
Still so many parts of it remind me of Designated Survivor. Although DS wasn't quite as outlandish.
That all said , I'll miss not having DS next season and this low rated summer gem probably won't be renewed either : (
-
R
Yeah, I think the cab scene is when we're SUPPOSED to think it might be Darius, but the fact that the guy paid the cabbie in pesos and we see old-man shuffling feet, is the way to tell viewers it's the other guy. But the VOICE. That is so obviously the same voice as Tanz. Of course, IRL the actor is fluent in Spanish (duh, his name is Santiago Cabrera, lol), and the tone/timbre of his voice couldnt be disguised. But I'm sure many people might not be as on-the-ball as you and I are, haha, so it probably fooled a lot of viewers.
Anyway, I think the story has kind of gone off the rails a little bit. It makes good drama but if anyone spends two seconds trying to apply logic, thing get a little silly. At the Tanz place, where Liam and the other scientists are, that Re/Syst girl (Rosetta?) she was so idiotic. One second she's about to shoot Liam to save the program, and the next second she had already packed up and gone? What about the men with the guns? What happened to all those other Re/Syst people? And I still can't figure out the deal with that cult Jillian joined. So far they haven't done or said anything dangerous (although I zoned out during that impromptu party), but still, everyone appearing at her house at once should have set off MAJOR alarm bells for her. For someone who's supposedly smart, she is really being shockingly stupid.
-
G
Your 100% on the money! Any scene with that cult gets me drowsy. Lucky it is just a tiny part of the show, most everything else compensates. This is my current top summer show now that Quantico (which you would love especially the retooled season 3) and Nashville ended their runs.
-
R
The thing is, it's obvious that the cult thing is going to become more important soon enough. Especialy since a season 3 isn't guaranteed. Now that Re/Syst has been de-fanged in one fell swoop, they might not be relevant anymore (although that would be stupid, imo), and common sense says that there will need to be another source of conflict, or as TV fans say, a "big bad," for the rest of the season. I'd hate to think that wimpy new-age brainwasher is going to be it.
-
G
We have 4 episodes left, right? I strongly doubt CBS will renew this. The ratings are even lower than NBC's Reverie and ABC's Take Two. None of these are even moderately successful. Although last week Take Two rise to acceptable summer ratings. My guess is that Take Two has the greatest chance for renewal.
-
R
Yeah, I realize most summer shows are "one and done." Too bad, some are halfway decent, and perfect for summer: Salvation, BrainDead, Hooten & the Lady, etc. I'm really glad that The Last Ship ha lasted as long as it had.
BTW, you probably already know by now, but I had to watch the opening scene to remember that The Outpost is a repeat tonight, and the next new episode is next week. Duh.
-
-
R
One one hand, I'm glad to see there's a new episode of Elementary tonight... especially after there was a new one last night (Sunday). Not sure why the network is doing it this way. On the other hand, it almost seems like "burning off" a bad product, which this show definitely is NOT. In any case, I'll watch this, as well as Salvation.
-
G
Lots of low rated shows (broadcast and cable) some of which have been burned off are not bad product. It's just that unscripted programs are by and large much more popular.
-
-
C
Salvation, Saul, and Lodge 49 for me.
jless: After just talking about it, my cable company (Comcast) is offering a free week of Acorn TV this week. I guess they're going to carry it as a premium channel now.
-
C
Also, AMC just bought Acorn, wish they make some series available on AMC.
-
C
I hadn't heard that. I can't keep up with all the who owns what (or who) anymore.
-
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services