There are many great detective shows, and the best one is about Sherlock Holmes, but as good as it is, it’s not the BBC’sSherlock. Detective shows are always popular, as their biggest hook is the mystery that the characters have to solve. The world of TV has seen many great detectives, but the best and most popular one continues to be Sherlock Holmes.
Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes made his debut in 1887 inA Study in Scarlet, and he went on to become one of the most popular literary characters ever. As such, the Great Detective has been adapted to other media for decades, and with the rights to the character allowing creative freedom, some adaptations have made interesting changes to the character.
Among the best adaptations of Sherlock Holmes to TV is the BBC’sSherlock, which brought the character and his cases to modern-day London. As good asSherlockis, it’s notthe best detective TV show, as another Sherlock Holmes adaptation takes that title.
Elementary Is The Best Detective Show Of All Time - Here’s Why
WhileSherlocktook a break between its second and third seasons, another Sherlock Holmes adaptation was released on CBS:Elementary. Created by Robert Doherty,Elementaryalso brought Sherlock Holmes to the modern world, but with a twist. InElementary, Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) has fallen from grace in London and spent some time in rehab to treat his substance-use disorder.
Holmes relocates to Manhattan, where his father forces him to live with a sober companion so he won’t relapse. That companion is Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu), a once successful surgeon who gave up her medical career after an accident during a surgery killed her patient. When she’s hired by Sherlock’s father, she sees this as a chance to help people again.
Holmes doesn’t believe she can bring anything useful and has a plan to stay sober: get back to work as a police consultant, now for the New York City Police. However, as Watson accompanies him on his many investigations, he learns that her medical background and expertise are actually quite useful, and she has a talent for investigation – and so they officially team up.
What setsElementaryapart fromSherlock, besides its different setting and a different Watson, is its format.Elementaryis a procedural drama, and its seasons were a lot longer thanSherlock’s, allowing for better character development. Holmes’ cases are engaging and have clever twists, and parallel to them is the developing dynamic between Holmes and Watson.
WhileElementary’s biggest draw is the cases Holmes and Watson solve together, a key part of the show is the themes addressed in it. Themes like addiction, recovery, trauma, and family add depth to the characters.Elementaryhas mystery, crime, suspense, drama, and some clever bits of comedy, making it a very complete and entertaining detective show.
Sherlock Is More Popular, But Elementary Is The Better Sherlock Holmes Adaptation
While bothSherlockandElementaryare great TV shows, the latter is a better Sherlock Holmes adaptation, but it’s also the less popular show.Sherlockgained a lot of attention and praise for bringing the Great Detective to the modern world, for how it represented Holmes’ train of thought, the performances of the main cast, and its overall pace and tone.
However, when looking atSherlockas an adaptation of Conan Doyle’s characters and stories, the show falls short.Sherlockmade the detective unnecessarily rude and used the “high-functioning sociopath” line to excuse his behavior, and the character lacked depth and development (same with Watson, unfortunately).
Elementary’s Sherlock, on the other hand, is a version closer to the character as depicted in Conan Doyle’s works: he’s not the most social man, for sure, and he can be very blunt, but he’s not offensive. This Sherlock also has more depth, as there’s not just his work as a detective but also his inner struggles, his past, and more – in simpler words, he’s a lot more human.
A big problem inSherlockis how unbelievable his skills are sometimes. In the books, Holmes has exceptional deduction skills, knowledge of many topics, and more, but his cases and abilities were realistic.Elementaryfollows that line and brings a grounded and realistic Holmes and his cases, which makes the show more engaging.
Sherlock’s Legacy Is Tainted By Its Controversial Ending
One of the biggest strengths ofElementaryis its consistency, which is always hard to achieve for any TV show.Elementaryfound the perfect pace to build up suspense and keep the audience engaged, and its quality never declined – in fact,Elementarywas in constant improvement, which was also key to its lasting seven seasons.
Unfortunately,Sherlockis forever tainted by its decline in quality in its final two seasons and its controversial series ending.Sherlockpeaked with season 2’s finale, “The Reichenbach Fall”, and it failed to match its quality and impact in the subsequent seasons. In its series finale,Sherlockofficially introducedthe third Holmes sibling, Eurus, who was a criminal mastermind.
Eurus kidnapped Sherlock, Watson, and Mycroft and set up an elaborate but nonsensical trap for them, and the episode ended in the most anticlimactic way possible. This is now part ofSherlock’s legacy, though it can’t be denied that its first two seasons were great.
