The Abomination That Wasn’t: CBS’s Elementary

By Lisa Anderson

When CBS announced that it would be doing Elementary, a contemporary take on Sherlock Holmes like the BBC’s Sherlock, the loudest reactions were one of horror. Some of the misgivings were understandable: after all, it was an American attempt to emulate something that had already been done, on a major network and in prime time. It wasn’t even going to be set in London—a first for any interpretation of the source novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Most controversial of all was the casting of Lucy Liu as Holmes’s sidekick, now named Joan Watson. A lot of racist and sexist things were said about that, under the guise of preferring “authenticity.” In the end, though, Elementary, which had its season finale on May 17, turned out to be a highly entertaining and solidly made show.

Elementary starts as Joan Watson, a former surgeon who now works as a sober companion, is hired to assist Sherlock Holmes, a recovering heroin addict who works as a consulting detective for the NYPD They share a residence, and she accompanies him as he investigates cases. Over the course of the first season, Watson develops an aptitude for and interest in deduction, and becomes Holmes’s apprentice, easing into her own career as a consulting detective. Several crimes turn out to be related to a criminal mastermind named—you guessed it—Moriarty, who Holmes blames for his girlfriend’s murder, which sent him down the path of addiction.

A friend of mine who also enjoys Elementary says that it’s good but that it’s not “Holmesian.” I only agree up to a point. It’s true that the stories are fairly standard police procedural plots, rather than being inspired by Doyle’s original stories, as on the BBC. The scope of the main arc also doesn’t go global until the two-hour finale. But the actual process of deduction that is shown is more credible than what’s seen in many recent versions of Holmes.

As far as the characters go, I’m not sure that Elementary is any less Holmesian than Sherlock. Doyle’s detective was prickly and eccentric in the extreme, but he was not the often-cruel “highly functioning sociopath” depicted by Benedict Cumberbatch. The Holmes of Elementary, played by Jonny Lee Miller, can be arrogant and aloof, but he’s also capable of respect, humility, compassion, and connection. He has the moral code which shines through in the Doyle books and which Robert Downey, Jr. captures so much better than Cumberbatch. Lucy Liu makes an extremely strong Watson, both competent and caring. She radiates confidence even as friends and colleagues express skepticism over her career choices. She and Holmes don’t become involved, as fans feared, nor does it seem likely that they will. But they do grow as people over the course of the season, both on their own and because of each other.

This Sherlock is not one of the white male jerk geniuses so common in one-hour dramas these days, who treat everyone shabbily but are tolerated because they’re so smart and important. When he runs roughshod over people, they push back. That’s part of what makes the show so refreshing, and why I’ve come to prefer it over Sherlock. The show even traffics in social justice concepts like boundaries and gaslighting . . . sometimes from Watson’s lips and sometimes from Holmes’s.

One of the more interesting aspects of Elementary is its full engagement with Holmes’s recovery. It’s not rehashed excessively, but we do see him select a sponsor, pick up his one-year sobriety chip, and get tempted by relapse more than once. The conversations between him and Watson about addition are also very believable. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that there was someone in recovery on the writing team, or that at least serving as a script consultant. The show treats the subject with great accuracy, and the theme is often poignant, without being cloying.

There are many strong supporting performances in the show. Aidan Quinn and Jon Michael Hill are both treats in their respective roles as Captain Toby Gregson and Detective Marcus Bell, and Ato Essandoh wins fans hearts as Sherlock’s sponsor, Alfredo. Elementary’s charming Ms. Hudson happens to transgender, and is played by transgendered actress Candis Cayne, with a script that avoids the harmful tropes often associated with transgender characters.

The standout supporting character, however, may be Moriarty. Elementary puts a twist on Holmes’s nemesis that I have never seen before. It’s not unforeseeable, especially if you hang out in Elementary fandom, but the reaction of the other characters makes up for the foreshadowing. More importantly, the actor playing Moriarty is so sinister that even Andrew Scott, who played the role so unsettlingly in Sherlock, gets a run for his money.

In the season finale, it’s Watson who saves the day, seeing the solution that Holmes is too close to the situation to see. This exemplifies what sets Elementary apart from other versions of Holmes: Holmes and Watson are equals. Perhaps this is why it’s called Elementary instead of named after Miller’s character. We do occasionally see what Holmes is doing outside of Watson’s presence, but ultimately, it’s her story. At the very least, it’s the story of their partnership.

It will be interesting to see what the writers do in Season 1. Barring a jailbreak (which seems entirely possible), they’re going to need to come up with a new enemy for their two consulting detectives. There are allies that they could introduce too, such as Sherlock’s brother Mycroft and Sherlock’s father, who hired Joan in the first place but hasn’t yet been seen. Whatever happens, I look forward to watching.

Season 1 of Elementary is available for streaming on Netflix, and for purchase through Amazon and Vudu, and select episodes can still be viewed on CBS’s website. Season 2 will premier in September of this year. Thanks to bloggers Melissa McEwan and Ana Mardoll of Shakesville, as well as many Shakesville commenters, for help in parsing what’s unique and wonderful about this show.