To the untrained eye, “Inspector Koo” appears to be a gender-swapped, Korean version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s well known creation. The main character is a brilliant investigator plagued by self-destructive tendencies, anti-social behavior and questions about whether they actually want to help people or just enjoy matching wits with like-minded giant intellects. There’s a put-upon sidekick that tries to mitigate the inspector’s vices and acts as an intermediary with the rest of the world. And notably, there’s a genius criminal on the loose.

Lee Young Ae plays the Inspector, Koo Kyung Yi, while Kim Hye Joon plays the killer “K”, Song Yi Kyung. At the beginning, Koo is in a deep rut of alcohol and video games and takeout food. K is, outwardly, a failing stage actor. Soon, however, Koo has been pulled into action by Kwak Sun Young’s character, Je Hee, to investigate a suspected life insurance scam. Before too long, the battle of brains between Koo and K begins.

And this is where the path diverges from the one trod by Doyle.

First, Koo might be an oddball, but she is fun and, below the unwashed hair and dilapidated wardrobe, an empathetic person. She is also, at times, not entirely convinced that she is the smartest and most brilliant person around and that she will ultimately prevail. Also, she’s got more than Watson alongside. There’s Jo Hyun Chul’s Kyung Soo who makes a first impression as a stereotypical insurance corporation drone, but has a competitive fire inside. There’s also fellow gamer, Santa, who speaks through a voice app on his phone who, for unexplained reasons, answers Koo when she messages her online compatriots for assistance in real life.

But where Holmes’ nemesis Moriarty has been typically portrayed as a purely diabolical evildoer that functions as a device to move the plot action forward, K is a fascinatingly complex character that merits equal billing to Koo. She is insidiously villainous without question and unwavering in her pursuit of mayhem, but she’s not wholly dark. She’s not seeking power or fame or simply mindlessly targeting victims. And from a purely entertainment perspective, Kim Hye Joon is a sugary delight as K.

Moreover, K has her own cohort in (literal) crime, Lee Hong Nae’s Keon Wook. For those looking for LQBTQ representation, which doesn’t show up in every drama, being the right hand man of serial killer might not seem like the preferred role. And Keon Wook is not a white knight on a white horse in shining armor. Oh but what a sublime character he is. Were a standalone prequel vehicle to be spun off from “Inspector Koo”, Keon Wook would be the ideal choice. The backstory between K and Keon Wook is unclear but that he has some psychological trauma is clear as well as that he does not imagine a life where he has a happy, more domesticated future. To be clear, these two are not at all portrayed as good people or heroes but there is a thread of tragic downfall woven into their arcs that gives them an additional layer and welcome texture.

The cast ensemble is excellent. The soundtrack and score are among the best produced this year. The direction allows the quirkiness of the characters to shine without allowing the show to devolve into kitsch. The finale may not be a blockbuster but it delivers and leaves open fertile ground for what would be a welcome second installment.

Despite an abundance of positive qualities, however, “Inspector Koo” affixes readily emotionally to K and Keon Wook but less effectively to Koo and her cohorts, despite this group having noticeably more time on screen. Not surprisingly, many of the characters have connections in their past but they are inconsistently illuminated. And the storytelling is a tad loose. There is a wide number of players in the build-up to the final confrontation and more than a couple of subplots contribute but not all of them are stitched back into the main thread. While “Inspector Koo” is consistently entertaining, it really only once manages to break out a legitimately shocking and thrilling moment.

Solidly recommended.