'The Irregulars' spins out Sherlock Holmes' sidekicks with an 'X-Files' twist

Holmes himself, in fact, remains merely a shadowy presence through much of the series, which focuses on a highly resourceful group of street urchins, recruited by Holmes sidekick Dr. Watson (Royce Pierreson) to assist him in probing matters of the paranormal. Those strange occurrences add up to a larger threat, one that unfolds via a series of cliffhangers that make “The Irregulars” perfect fodder for a regular old binge.

The teens are a diverse lot, including a pair of sisters, Bea and Jessie (Thaddea Graham and Darci Shaw), the latter exhibiting eerie psychic powers. Adding to the soapy qualities, Bea encounters a slumming prince (Harrison Osterfield) who has defied his handlers by venturing out into the city, becoming an unlikely member of what amounts to this Victorian London-era version of the Scooby gang.

Street boys called the Irregulars were featured in a few of the original Holmes stories, but any similarity pretty much ends there. Indeed, the eight-episode series quickly takes on a life of its own, building toward a somewhat messy (perhaps inevitably, given the subject matter) conclusion that provides a degree of closure while leaving the door ajar for further adventures.