The Doctor is In

A couple of years before putting together the brilliant BBC series Sherlock, co-creator Steven Moffat worked alone to write a modern take on another classic story by creating the mini-series Jekyll. And though it doesn't quite reach the lofty heights of the later work, it's still an incredibly strong, character driven piece of writing with an outstanding cast.

A key difference in the approach to Jekyll is that it is internally self-aware of its source material. Robert Louis Stevenson did write the classic novel in this world, and the characters are very much aware of its contents. The series also doesn't pander to the audience, knowing they too will have full knowledge of at least the rough concept of the original story; it wastes no time on explaining the relationship between the main character and his alter ego.

The cast includes a few people that sci-fi geeks will know from elsewhere. The doctor's assistant, Michelle Ryan, starred in the ill-fated redo of The Bionic Woman. Only two or three of the six episodes really give her a chance to shine, but it's enough to make clear that the failure of that other series had nothing to do with her. Appearing as a long time friend of the doctor is Denis Lawson, the reliable Rebel pilot Wedge from the classic Star Wars trilogy. Here he takes on a much darker role, and is quite entertaining.

But the entire series, naturally, depends on the skill of the actor playing the Jekyll and Hyde roles. James Nesbitt is simply amazing. He undergoes not only a radical behavioral transformation switching between parts, he even adopts a starkly different physicality. If you were to see any still frame of him from the series, you'd never question which role he was playing. Though he has appeared in a rather large number of British TV series, he's done no other work that I've seen come to the States -- a rather criminal overlooking of a really talented actor.

The first three episodes are a rock solid run through a tense story; the next two episodes weave in tantalizing backstory that deepens your appreciation for the writing. Unfortunately, the finale, while still good, doesn't quite pay off the entire series in top fashion. I'd still rate Jekyll an A- and give it my enthusiastic recommendation, but I'd also give a slight word of caution to anyone whose expectation might be justifiably high after watching Sherlock.