It’s usually the case that television procedurals that start concentrating on the heroes’ private lives make the rest of the show go soft--sentimentality creeps in. So far, thanks to the crisp, dry performances of Noble, Miller, and Liu, Elementary avoids that danger quite nicely.

It doesn't take long before Morland proves his worth as a story device and Noble proves his worth as a scene partner. The cases Sherlock and Watson solve in these first two outings don't amount to much, but their relationship does.