BBC’s modern update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock, became a global television phenomenon thanks to its unique take on the Sherlock Holmes mythology and characters, providing a fresh coat of paint with its contemporary setting, plus the amazing casting of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as the iconic crime-solving duo of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. However, in 2012, while Sherlock was on hiatus and awaiting its third season, CBS debuted its own modern update of the Sherlock Holmes series with Elementary. Elementary may not have surpassed Sherlock in terms of popularity or awards prestige, but it still provided its own bold and refreshing take on Holmesian lore. It’s time to explore how Elementary forged its own path as a quality series.
‘Elementary’ Tried Something Refreshingly Different With Holmes and Watson
Elementary and Sherlock were both modern-day adaptations of Sherlock Holmes stories, with one major difference: Sherlock kept its main protagonists, Holmes and Dr. Watson, as platonic male characters. However, Elementary featured the first-ever gender-flipped Dr. Watson, with Lucy Liu portraying Joan Watson. Joan is initially introduced as a former E.R. surgeon turned sober living companion, hired by Holmes’ family to live with Sherlock (Johnny Lee Miller), a recovering drug addict and consulting detective for the NYPD.
Elementary utilizing a female Dr. Watson put a fresh new take on the character, freeing the show up to try different things. Plus, since the series was primarily set in and around New York City, it possessed a unique vibe compared to Sherlock, which was generally set in London. The American setting and alternate cast imbue Elementary with its own refreshing flavor. The series was so different from Sherlock that it never felt like it was trying to emulate its BBC counterpart or rip it off. Sherlock and Joan came off less like co-dependent platonic life companions and more like a master detective and apprentice. Eventually, Sherlock morphs into a teacher of sorts for Joan, who becomes a great detective in her own right and starts taking her own cases, independent of Sherlock.
Even though Watson’s gender was altered in Elementary, the series thankfully never attempted to experiment with a romance between Sherlock and Joan. They form a unique bond and friendship, but they never share any type of romantic spark or chemistry. If Elementary had gone that route, it would have been a series-breaking moment, but instead, the series explores a romance between Joan and Sherlock’s brother, Mycroft (Rhys Ifans). There is also a wild romance between Sherlock and another iconic character of Holmesian lore that even the BBC’s Sherlock never dared to try.
‘Elementary’ Took an Even Bolder and Radical Approach With Its Version of Moriarty
Sherlock was well known for its modern take on the great detective’s nemesis, James Moriarty, with Andrew Scott portraying the gleefully megalomaniacal and flamboyant Jim Moriarty. Scott’s version provided a much more manic and wild take on the character, with Scott at times resembling DC Comics’ The Joker to Sherlock’s Batman. However, Elementary took an even bolder and wilder approach with Moriarty than Sherlock’s version, trying something that had never been done before. What if Moriarty and Holmes were more than just enemies? What if they were also lovers?! Yeah, Elementary went that route with the characters.
Much like Watson, Elementary gender-flipped the Moriarty character, but the series took it one step further, essentially mashing up the characters of Irene Adler and James Moriarty, creating Jamie Moriarty, as wonderfully portrayed by the amazing Natalie Dormer. The series initially reveals Dormer as Irene Adler, Holmes’ one-time lover who was believed to have been murdered by the underworld crime boss, Moriarty. After Adler is found miraculously alive, Holmes eventually deduces that she faked her death and must be working for Moriarty. Well, he was close because Irene Adler was, in fact, the true Moriarty the entire time, assuming the Adler identity to get closer to Holmes and seduce him.
Making Moriarty both Holmes’ love interest and archenemy was a refreshing new spin on the longtime dynamic between Holmes and Moriarty, raising the stakes in their cat-and-mouse game. Unfortunately, Moriarty never got enough spotlight episodes in the series, only appearing in a few episodes throughout the show’s seven-season run. It always felt like the show could have done more and tested the lines Holmes and Moriarty were willing to cross. Regardless, it was a bold take on the Holmes and Moriarty relationship that had never been attempted previously, and no other adaptation has ever tried it again.
‘Elementary’ Forged Its Own Path
Elementary may not have been as critically acclaimed, popular, or prestigious as BBC’s Sherlock, but it certainly forged its own unique identity as a worthy entry into the Sherlock Holmes pantheon. The series was a genuine hit, lasting for seven seasons and 154 episodes, with only a few drawbacks. One of the series’ shortcomings lies in its overall pacing as a typical television network procedural drama. Sometimes the show suffered because Sherlock and Joan dealt with cases that were rather mundane and boring. In Sherlock, whenever Holmes and Watson had a case, it always featured a unique twist, making the case appear mysterious and unsolvable. However, in Elementary, some of the weekly cases the duo tackled make the viewers question why the NYPD is wasting its resources hiring Holmes and Watson when the detectives in their own department likely could have solved them. The NYPD’s Captain Thomas Gregson (Aidan Quinn) and Detective Marcus Bell (Jon Michael Hill) never appeared as bumbling or incompetent, and the series would have benefited from a stronger justification for utilizing Sherlock and Joan’s expertise.
Regardless, Elementary still provided a fun adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories with a different type of energy than Sherlock. It embraced the unique dynamic of its own versions of Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson that benefited the show throughout its run; plus, it tried something wildly new by making Sherlock and Moriarty both lovers and archenemies. Also, the series is readily available to stream, with all seven seasons of 154 episodes streaming now on Hulu.
- Release Date
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2012 – 2019
- Directors
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Guy Ferland, John Polson, Christine Moore, Seith Mann, Jerry Levine, Lucy Liu, Larry Teng, Aaron Lipstadt, Andrew Bernstein, Michael Slovis, Sanaa Hamri, Alex Chapple, Michael Pressman, Jennifer Lynch, John David Coles, Jonny Lee Miller, Peter Werner, Jeremy Webb, Adam Davidson, Aidan Quinn, Colin Bucksey, Craig Zisk, David Platt, Helen Shaver
- Writers
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Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Tamara Jaron, Kelly Wheeler, Jordan Rosenberg, Arika Lisanne Mittman, Peter Ocko, Mark Hudis, Nick Thiel, Brian Rodenbeck, Cathryn Humphris, Paul Cornell, Richard C. Okie, Christopher Hollier, Andrew Gettens, Lauren MacKenzie
