The BBC’s Sherlock is still one of the best detective shows of all time, but after all these years, the truth is that its biggest competitor aged a lot better. As one of the most popular literary characters ever, Sherlock Holmes and his many stories continue to be adapted to all types of media, and in the 2010s, he found great success on TV.
In 2010, the BBC released Sherlock, created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. Sherlock brought the Great Detective and company to modern-day London, adapting his cases to modern technology, social issues, and more. Sherlock was a big success, being praised for its performances (particularly those of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman), modern-day setting, and overall quality.
Unfortunately, Sherlock crashed and burned after its second season, and while it struggled to survive, its biggest competitor debuted on CBS: Elementary, which, after all this time, has aged a lot better than Sherlock.
Elementary Has Aged Better Than Sherlock
Created by Robert Doherty, Elementary is also a modern take on Sherlock Holmes, but with some key changes. In the world of Elementary, Sherlock 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, but his father forces him to live with a sober companion.
This companion is Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu), who was once a successful surgeon until she lost a patient. Watson becomes not only Holmes’ sober companion but his mentee and professional partner, as she accompanies him in his many cases and learns a lot from him and his unique detective skills.
Elementary ran for seven seasons, and, unlike Sherlock, it was consistently good from beginning to end. Elementary focused on the development of its main characters, and brought a more grounded and relatable Holmes as he struggled through trauma and substance-use disorder. Elementary’s Holmes learned from his mistakes and grew, while Sherlock’s version stayed the same (and got worse at times).
Watson was also a very well-developed character in Elementary, as she had a story of her own in addition to being Holmes’ partner, while Sherlock reduced Watson to his role next to Holmes (even making his marriage part of it). This has been key to Elementary still being great years after its end, while Sherlock’s flaws only get worse.
Why Elementary’s Formula Never Got Old
Elementary’s focus on character development rather than on a new mystery in every episode was key to its success and endurance. This was thanks to the show’s procedural format, with more episodes than Sherlock that allowed it to go deeper into the characters’ stories and the cases they worked on.
Elementary also had a clear purpose and goal from the beginning, thanks to which the stories of Holmes and Watson got proper conclusions that didn’t feel forced, as the show carefully built its way towards them. Elementary was better developed than Sherlock, but there’s one thing where the BBC’s show succeeded.
Sherlock Took Bigger Swings Than Elementary
Despite its disappointing final two seasons, Sherlock has its strengths over Elementary. In addition to its cinematic style and the way it portrayed Holmes’ deduction process, Sherlock took bigger swings than Elementary, standing out for its intense, suspenseful, and complex cases.
Sherlock took bigger risks than Elementary, though it has to be said that not all of them benefited the show. Decisions like how it introduced Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) and its version of the Reichenbach Fall are some examples of Sherlock’s risky decisions that succeeded, but others, like not explaining how Holmes faked his death and introducing a third Holmes sibling, only sank the show.
However, despite Sherlock’s more intense cases and riskier stories, Elementary is still the winner, with a better legacy thanks to its consistent quality, clearer plan, and better character development.
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