This The Irregulars review contains minor spoilers…
The Irregulars is a strange beast, and it has many faces. One moment, it felt like I was watching a teen drama or an old episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark?. The next, I was entrenched in a psychological thriller/horror gore-fest. Now, that might sound like a good thing – perhaps the show is versatile and draws on different styles to appeal to as broad of an audience as possible? Except I don’t think that’s the case. The Irregulars just can’t decide what it wants to be or who it’s trying to appeal to.
Set in Victorian London, The Irregulars comes to us from the mind of executive producer, writer, and creator Tom Bidwell and follows a gang of street teens who wind up solving supernatural crimes for atypical versions of Doctor Watson (Royce Pierreson) and Sherlock Holmes (Henry Lloyd-Hughes). Right off the bat, it’s clear this isn’t your typical Sherlock story. He doesn’t even come into it until mid-way through the season. The focus is squarely on the kids. And with that comes fairly standard teen humour, budding relationships, and an abundance of hints at their troubled backgrounds.
The gang’s leader is Bea (Thaddea Graham) – she’s the older sister of Jessie (Darci Shaw). Bea looks out for Jessie and is given the role of the typical ‘badass’ type, which comes across a little forced. Jessie has mysteriously developed psychic powers and is plagued by disturbing dreams. She’s a bit of a wimp, and curiously darts from struggling to comprehend her newfound abilities to fully understanding how they work and how she must use them. The sisters are joined by Spike (Mckell David), Leo (Harrison Osterfield), and Billy (Jojo Macari), each of whom are given their own angsty backstories. But not all of the characters receive equal time or attention. Spike’s history is particularly lacking while Leo (who is based on the real-life Prince Leopold) is examined closely as a member of the royal family and long-suffering haemophiliac.
After a while, Bea is recruited by Doctor Watson to investigate sinister goings-on around the capital beginning with a series of baby abductions. The gang are struggling to pay their rent, so Watson offers substantial financial reward to incentivise their help. Despite this, Watson is such a thoroughly unlikable character that it’s difficult to understand why Bea would continue to support his aims whatever the monetary benefit might be. He’s abrasive, self-interested, and borderline abusive towards the group – but oddly enough, there’s moments where he’s referred to fondly as a trusted advisor of sorts. Towards the end of the season, Bea pleads with Watson to think about everything they’ve been through together – which wasn’t actually a whole lot by my account. He barked orders at her, she went and did what he said, and he was awkward and difficult during every interaction.
Henry Lloyd-Hughes’ Sherlock is a drug addicted and fame hungry former genius. Whatever spark he once had has long since faded – although through a series of flashbacks we’re provided some insight into what he used to be like. Think Jack Sparrow crossed with Matt Smith’s Doctor. He was a pretty cool guy by all accounts, but there’s little of that Sherlock on display and instead we’re left with a generally unpleasant shell of a man who provides the teens with little to no help. I don’t have a problem with these characters being unlikable – it’s just that they don’t grow or develop. They barely reform by the end and are so unpleasant that it’s difficult to get invested in their stories. They’re just dickheads for the most part and it feels like a missed opportunity to truly reinvent these iconic characters. Plus, certain plot revelations regarding Holmes and Watson serve more to shock the audience rather than add any real value to the story. It’s all largely superfluous and predictable. I won’t mention any major spoilers here, but I’m sure you’ll see the twists and turns coming a mile off.
One of the highlights of The Irregulars is its ‘Monster-of-the-Week’ approach to its episodes and stories. While each instalment feeds into the overarching narrative, there’s a different supernatural villain every time and they all have their own little backstories and motivations. It reminded me of The X-Files and that’s always a positive in my book. I wasn’t surprised after watching the series to learn that The X-Files was actually a big influence for Tom Bidwell and the series itself, and I think he did the formula justice.
The series hits its stride three or four episodes in (there are eight ‘chapters’ in total) after a dull start, and there are some glimmers of hope for it along the way. But, ultimately, its conclusion is a plodding disappointment. This isn’t helped by some hit-and-miss performances and jarring use of Victorian English and modern-day slang. The CGI – while OK in places – leaves quite a lot to be desired, too.
The Irregulars isn’t a bad show. It’s fine. If you want something in binge-watch in a weekend, it might do the job. Just don’t expect anything too thought-provoking or ground-breaking. It’s largely inconsistent – some episodes stand out more than others, and its obnoxious versions of Holmes and Watson hold it back. In its conclusion, there were allusions to a possible second series and it seems there might be more stories to tell in this fictional universe. I think I’ll pass on that, though. And I expect many others will, too.
Final score: 5.5/10
The Irregulars is available to stream on Netflix from 26th March 2021.
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Featured Image Credit: Matt Squire/Netflix
the irregulars review
