When Elementary premiered on CBS back in 2012, it drew heavy comparisons to BBC's Sherlock. Sherlock's rabid fans were not too pleased that there would be another Holmes-based series on television. They bashed the premise for being a rip-off (how you can rip off an interpretation of an iconic character in literature is beyond me) and the casting choices. However after watching three seasons of Elementary, I can firmly say that it is miles better than Sherlock for a couple of reasons.
The casting is brilliant. I love that they did a gender swap for Watson and Moriarty. It really brings a different feel to show and gives it an edge over other interpretations of Sherlock Holmes in the media. Johnny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu's chemistry is just off the charts. They're so great together on screen, it leaves you wanting more after every episode is over. Miller's version of Sherlock is easily my favorite from those that I have seen. One thing that I did not care for about the BBC version is that their Sherlock almost feels like a robot. He rarely shows emotion and seems to only spout out nonsense. He can go about doing terrible things and is never called out of any of it. The CBS version actually feels like a real person. You can relate to him as viewer and feel his emotions with him. Not only that, but the other characters routinely keep him in check.
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| Johnny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as Holmes and Watson | (Image via CBS) |
One of the biggest criticisms I see of BBC's Sherlock is that there is little to no representation of women or any minority race. After watching it, I see those criticisms ring true. What I love about Elementary is that it takes place in New York and there is realistic representation of race and sexuality throughout the show. Two of the four main characters are not white and the show has had numerous recurring characters of different races, sexuality, and even trans representation. New York is a melting pot of culture and Elementary does a good job at showing that.
Lastly, the season length. I know ridiculously short seasons are common in the UK but I will never understand why. Sherlock only airs 3 episodes at 90 minutes per season. With Elementary, we get 22 episodes per season at 42 minutes. It really lets us see the characters grow and for that, I feel like I appreciate them more.
Elementary airs Thursdays at 10pm on CBS.
Why Elementary is Better Than Sherlock
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