In 2012, CBS announced they would be producing a new series calledElementary.
Fan-created images like the one above began to circutlate before the series even started.
WhileElementaryhas always had an uphill battle, it manages to surpass expectations in many ways.
However, the show became notorious right away as several years would pass between the three seasons.
Because of this, the character development that the show has been able to produce feels much more organic.
The brief meeting between Sherlock and John in episode one ofSherlockis entertaining, but lacks that same emotional punch.
However,Elementarygoes a different direction with it.
She is his equal but in very different ways andElementarydoes not skirt around that.
Diversity that doesnt feel shoehorned in…
The second episode ofSherlockdelved into some nasty Asian stereotypes.
Elementary, on the other hand, decided to go in another direction.
Joan is a woman, but the show never frames her as a sex object.
While Irene Adler inSherlockwas introduced naked,Elementaryseems to go out of its waynotto sexualize Joan.
At the present moment, the two of them clearly love each other, but romance doesnt feel involved.
Its a refreshing thing to see on television when romance is often so forced into shows.
The diversity inElementarydoes not just apply to Watson.
Joan is an Asian American woman but she is never totally defined by those things.
They are more used as part of who she is as a human being.
Bell is often shown to be competent, caring and perfectly capable of solving crimes in his own right.
The police inElementarydont feel as worthless as the detectives inSherlockdo.
The Moriarty twist…
This is where the big spoilers for season 1 come into play… she asks the first time she reveals herself to Sherlock.
Andrew Scotts Moriarty is legendary with his go for broke performance and his overall scheme.
This version also gives Irene agency and a life outside of the men in her life.
A realistic depiction of addiction and recovery…
The drug problem was a drug problem but it wasnt ever really a problem.
If youre an addict youre an addict for life and that is somethingElementaryhas never shied away from.
The above scene is heartbreaking because it is true.
The BBCsSherlockdecides to take this to the next level and, instead, just makes Sherlock insufferable.
Sherlock inElementaryis also a jerk.
Sherlock has lost the trust of many members of the police force including Aidan Quinns Captain Gregson.
In conclusion…
Elementaryis not a perfect show.
The most important part of a Holmes adaptation the dynamic between the two leads is absolutely there.
ElementarySeason 5 Premieres on CBS on October 2.
