It’s no secret thatSherlockwas a game-changer, but another modernization of Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective graced the airwaves several years earlier. The modern Sherlock Holmes TV show,starring Benedict Cumberbatchand Martin Freeman, brought the iconic detective into the 21st century with sleek visuals, razor-sharp dialogue, and clever twists on classic Doyle stories. The series became a global phenomenon and redefined what a contemporary Holmes could look like. However, whileSherlockwas undeniably a fresh and thrilling take on the source material, it wasn’t the first show to successfully reimagine Holmes in a modern setting.
In fact, one of thebest modern-day Sherlock HolmesTV shows actually aired six years before Cumberbatch donned the famous coat and scarf. It didn’t feature pipe smoke or murderers in foggy alleys, but it did have a brilliant, drug-addicted antihero solving mysteries with biting sarcasm, intellectual superiority, and an uncanny ability to crack impossible cases. He even had a loyal, straight-laced friend and a name that sounded suspiciously familiar. That show wasHouse, and its titular doctor - played by Hugh Laurie - wasn’t just inspired by the 19th-century sleuth; he was a modern Sherlock Holmes.
House Was Heavily Inspired By Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes
Dr. Gregory House Was Always Meant To Be A Modern Sherlock Holmes In Disguise
From the momentHousepremiered in 2004, creator David Shore made no effort to hide the fact thatGregory House (Hugh Laurie) wasmodeled after Sherlock Holmes.In interviews, Shore has openly credited Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective as the foundation for the character. House’s methodical, logic-first approach to diagnosis, his love of puzzles, his standoffish attitude, and even his penchant for drugs are direct nods to Holmes.
Rather than copying Holmes beat for beat,Housetranslates his genius and eccentricity into the world of medicine
Even House’s name is a play on Holmes.“House” sounds like “Holmes,” and the character lives at apartment 221B, just like Doyle’s original detective. House’s best friend and confidant is Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), a compassionate oncologist who acts as House’s moral compass, mirroring the relationship between Holmes and Dr. John Watson. These aren’t coincidences; they’re intentional parallels baked into the show’s DNA.
What makesHouseone of the best modern-day Sherlock HolmesTV shows is how thoroughly it channels the spirit of Conan Doyle’s character while completely shifting the setting and genre. Rather than copying Holmes beat for beat,Housetranslates his genius and eccentricity into the world of medicine, making the show feel fresh while still paying homage to its roots.
House Gave Us A Taste Of What Modern-Day Sherlock Would Be Like
House Transformed The Medical Procedural Into A Subtle Sherlock Holmes Mystery Show
ThoughHousewas marketed as a medical drama, it was structurally a detective show, and not just any detective show. Each episode functioned like a murder mystery, but the crime was an undiagnosed illness, and the killer was an invisible pathogen. The team gathered clues (symptoms), interrogated suspects (patients and their families), and tested theories until the mystery unraveled. This core setup was a clever modernization of the classic Holmes formula, delivered in a lab coat instead of a trench coat.
Gregory House didn’tjust resemble Sherlock Holmes- he practically was Holmes. Both characters were gruff loners, unmatched in intelligence and analytical prowess. House’s abrasive bedside manner and frequent clashes with hospital staff mirrored Holmes’s distaste for social norms and authority figures. Both struggled with addiction, House to Vicodin, Holmes to cocaine (or morphine, depending on the adaptation). Both played musical instruments: Holmes the violin, House the piano and guitar. Their personalities were often off-putting, but their brilliance was undeniable.
By grounding Holmesian storytelling in a contemporary hospital setting,Houseoffered viewers a modern Sherlock Holmes TV show long before it was fashionable.
Then there’s Dr. James Wilson, who stood by House through thick and thin, much like Watson did for Holmes. Wilson offered emotional grounding and often translated House’s genius into something more palatable for others. The dynamic between the two was one of the show’s strongest elements, echoing the classic Holmes-Watson bond without ever feeling like a carbon copy.
By grounding Holmesian storytelling in a contemporary hospital setting,Houseoffered viewers amodern Sherlock Holmes TV showlong before it was fashionable. It showed how the timeless appeal of Holmes could thrive in a different context, replacing the foggy streets of Victorian London with fluorescent hospital halls and MRI machines. This wasn’t a parody or pastiche; it was a reinvention.Housedidn’t just borrow from Holmes - it embodied him in a way that felt natural and compelling.
Is Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock The Best Modern Version Of The Character?
Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Is Iconic, But He’s Not The Only Great Modern Holmes
Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal of Sherlock Holmes inSherlockis arguably the most iconic modern interpretation of the character. With its fast-paced deductions, stylized visuals, and clever updating of classic stories, the BBC series redefined what a modern Sherlock Holmes TV show could look like. However, whileSherlockdominated the cultural conversation, it wasn’t the only modern retelling, and it certainly wasn’t the only good one (and neither wasHouse).
Takethe slick CBS proceduralElementary, which ran for seven seasons and starred Jonny Lee Miller as Holmes and Lucy Liu as a gender-swapped Watson. While it lacked the stylistic flair ofSherlock, it offered a more grounded and emotionally resonant take on Holmes’s struggles with addiction, relationships, and self-worth. Then there’s Robert Downey Jr.’s steampunk-flavored version in 2009’sSherlock Holmesand 2011’sSherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which leaned into action and spectacle while still highlighting the character’s intellect.
Beyond direct adaptations, TV has been filled with Holmes-inspired detectives.Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) fromMonkbrought obsessive attention to detailand eccentricity to the forefront. Even characters like Patrick Jane inThe Mentalistand Shawn Spencer inPsychowe a debt to Holmes’s legacy. Still, among this crowded field,Houseremains one of the most unique and effective interpretations, so subtle that many viewers didn’t even realize they were watching a Holmes story.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s version inSherlockmay be the most celebrated, butHousearguably did the most impressive work by embedding Sherlock Holmes so thoroughly into an entirely different genre. For that reason, it deserves recognition as one of the best modern-day Sherlock Holmes TV shows ever made.
