While Netflix’s latest series, The Irregulars, dropped this week to mixed reviews from audiences and critics alike, fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary fictional detective may still be interested to see how the spinoff ties into the events of the main story.
As you may already know, the new show follows a group of vagrants in London who serve as a collective spy network for the Clever Detective in the Funny Hat. Of course, disregarding the modern adaptation by the BBC, which didn’t exactly go in-depth in this particular regard, this homeless web goes by another name in Doyle’s original work: the Baker Street Irregulars.
This is where creator Tom Bidwell initially got his inspiration. Netflix’s The Irregulars follows the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson but through the POV of these street beggars, woven together in an intricate yet supernatural narrative that does away with the source material’s iron chain of reasoning from cause to effect.
Interestingly enough, Bidwell didn’t stop there, further imagining The Strand heroes as creepy and cruel, and instead crediting the kids with solving most of their cases. But unfortunately, the way this new adaptation brings back the famous characters might end up unsettling more than just a few fans.
For one thing, this version of Sherlock is a full-on drug addict whose personality borders on manipulative, while Mrs. Hudson is depicted as being a mean slumlord and DI Lestrade as cocky and uncaring. In fact, Mycroft is the one who actually runs the group, representing a secret society called the Golden Dawn. Within the plot, he gives the kids the assignment of infiltrating the inner circle of the mystic organization to figure out the persons behind the assassination of the last grand mage.
So, as is evident, barring some familiar faces that pop up every now and again, The Irregulars is very much a reimagining of the story, one that fans haven’t exactly been keen on if the reception is anything to go by. Have you had the chance to watch the series yet, though? If so, what were your thoughts? As usual, let us know in the comments down below.