There’s a variety of detective TV shows to choose from, but in the early 2010s, that choice was a bit more difficult, as two identical detective shows came out around the same time. The list of the best TV shows of all time has a bit of everything, including a couple of detective TV shows. Among them are some Sherlock Holmes adaptations, such as Sherlock and Elementary.
The Great Detective is not only one of the most popular literary characters of all time, but also one of the most influential, with many fictional detectives taking a lot from him. Sherlock Holmes has been adapted to all types of media for decades, and in recent years, it has found great success on TV with the adaptations Sherlock and Elementary, which came out around the same time.
The BBC’s Sherlock & CBS’s Elementary Brought The Great Detective To The Modern World
Sherlock and Elementary are both modern adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, and while they would have definitely stood out on their own, they did so even more as they were released almost at the same time. First, it was Sherlock, created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, which premiered on BBC One in 2010.
Sherlock takes the audience to modern-day London, where Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman), who has just returned from military service in Afghanistan with the Royal Army Medical Corps, and is now looking for a flatmate. Watson is sent to Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch), a consulting detective who is also looking for a flatmate.
Watson not only becomes Sherlock’s flatmate but also his friend and partner, as he ends up accompanying him to solve different cases. Sherlock ran for four seasons, ending in 2017, and though its final two seasons weren’t the best, it still ranks among the best detective TV shows of all time.
In 2012, CBS released Elementary, created by Robert Doherty. Elementary is set in New York City, where Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) has moved after falling from grace in London and spending some time in rehab due to his substance-use disorder. Now in New York City, Holmes works as a police consultant, but he’s also forced to live with a sober companion.
This companion is Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu), a formerly successful surgeon until she lost a patient. Watson becomes friends with Sherlock, as well as his mentee, as she follows him in every case he investigates. Elementary ran for seven seasons, ending in 2019.
Elementary Was Originally Going To Be A Remake Of The BBC’s Sherlock
Given that Sherlock came out first and Elementary premiered shortly after, the latter was initially criticized for supposedly copying or trying to be like the BBC’s show. While they ultimately ended up being different despite their similarities, there is some truth in Elementary being similar to Sherlock, at least in its early development.
Speaking to The Independent in 2012, after CBS announced it had ordered the pilot for Elementary, Sherlock producer Sue Vertue shared that they were aware of the network’s modern take on Sherlock Holmes, and that they had been approached by the team behind Elementary about remaking the BBC show. Virtue added that they “made great assurances about their integrity”, so they were sure that their show would be different despite also being a modern adaptation.
There are no details on what stopped CBS from remaking Sherlock, but it was ultimately for the better. A Sherlock remake wouldn’t have felt right, as it would have simply changed the show’s location to make it an American version. By making its own modern take on Sherlock Holmes, CBS ensured that its show stood on its own and offered a different look at Holmes and Watson in the present day.
How Elementary Was Different From The BBC’s Sherlock
Sherlock and Elementary both bring Sherlock Holmes and his accompanying characters into the modern world, but in the end, they are two very different versions of what the detective would be like in the modern era. As mentioned above, Sherlock is set in London, thus staying true to the source material, while Elementary shook things up by taking Holmes to New York City.
Elementary gave Holmes a backstory with his fall from grace, substance-use disorder, and everything that led to his recovery and decision to move to the other side of the world. This made Elementary’s Holmes a lot more human, complex, layered, vulnerable, and deep, which also made way for some much-needed character development.
Elementary also had a gender-swapped Watson, but stayed away from giving her and Holmes a romantic bond, instead fully focusing on their unique friendship and partnership, while also giving her the development she needed.
One of the biggest differences between Sherlock and Elementary is their format, with the latter being a procedural drama, with longer seasons, and thus better pace and development of the cases and the characters’ stories. This also gave Elementary a more grounded tone, while Sherlock often prioritized style over substance.
Sherlock And Elementary Were Both Successful
Although there are some key differences between Sherlock and Elementary, especially when it comes to their overall quality and consistency, at the end of the day, both shows were successful. Sherlock was a huge hit and a pop culture phenomenon, to the point where it changed fandom culture forever.
Sherlock built an extensive and very passionate fandom, which took over social media (especially Tumblr) to share their art, theories, and thoughts on the show right after every episode. Sherlock was also a critical success, being mostly praised for its concept, performances, cinematic quality, and pace, even if it had a dramatic decline after its second season.
Elementary didn’t have a strong fanbase like that of Sherlock, but it was consistently good from beginning to end, which helped it win over both critics and general audiences. Elementary succeeded as a network TV show, even if its viewership began to decline towards the end, but its format, quality, and character development kept the audience engaged throughout its entire run.
Sherlock Or Elementary: Which Modern Sherlock Holmes Adaptation Did It Best?
Of course, comparisons between Sherlock and Elementary were inevitable, and with that, the question of which is the best modern adaptation of the Great Detective. It must be said that both are great modern versions of Sherlock Holmes as they had different ways of adapting the characters to modern technology, social issues, and more, but one is, ultimately, better than the other.
Elementary is generally considered the best modern Sherlock Holmes adaptation, thanks to how it focused on the human side of Holmes rather than just on his incredible deduction skills, how it approached his friendship with Watson, and its consistent quality throughout its seven seasons. That obviously doesn’t mean Sherlock is bad, but it had bigger flaws than Elementary.
In the end, Sherlock and Elementary are a must-watch for fans of Sherlock Holmes and detective shows, and every viewer will decide which is the best modern version of the Great Detective based on their own experience.
Source: The Independent.
