Is Sherlock Elementary?

Abstract

This paper is based on the original main characters created by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes and his inseparable Doctor Watson. Their stories will be compared with two very recent TV series adaptations “Sherlock” and “Elementary”. The first one is British and the second one is American. As those adaptations present a more modern version of these characters, some of the most characteristic elements from the original stories, will be compared in order to see if maintaining or changing some or all of those elements, are enough to recognise both Sherlock and Watson with the original ones, those who created their author. The first analysis that will be developed is the one dealing with both the physical and psychological features of each one of these two characters with explicit definitions taken from the original books and then a description of the characters in the series. Some of the considerations are based on the viewing of all the episodes and seasons emitted until today. Then, the focus of the paper is on the features which have been maintained or changed in comparison with the original stories. What is more, one may argue that some of the elements which have been changed, such as turning Watson into a woman or Sherlock falling in love with a pretty girl called Moriarty, c adapt the product for a new audience.