SherlocklivesinOH wrote:

In the original stories, Sherlock did have an older brother named Mycroft, even smarter than Sherlock himself...however, Mycroft was too lazy to be a detective. He did have a job with the British government and brought Sherlock a few cases of (inter)national significance. Emphasis on few.

Does his expanded role in this series upstage Sherlock a bit? In other words, does it become "the Holmes brothers" instead of Sherlock? Mycroft seems to direct Sherlock a lot, and many of the most brilliant ideas area his, so it's almost like Sherlock is the "second" on the team of Holmes brothers.

If you introduce too many characters as smart as Sherlock, it diminishes Sherlock.

 
In canon Sherlock says that 'again and again' he has consulted Mycroft about problems because his brother is even better than he is; canon Mycroft's limitation is his unwillingness to get out of his chair, hence our Mycroft's complaints about how much he hates fieldwork.

So, there is canonical justification for the view that Sherlock was close to his brother; I agree that there is a potential risk of upstaging Sherlock but the actors do know that risk exists. I think Benedict is up to the job, don't you?

I love the interaction between the brothers. I was very happy to see Mycroft's role expanded in series 3. I hope it will continue into future stories.