The Better Version Of BBC's Sherlock Fixed An Annoying Problem With Benedict Cumberbatch's Version

By Rebecca Sargeant

Published 3 days ago

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While both shows are brilliant, Sherlock Holmes titles.

While there are many Sherlock Holmes movie and TV show adaptations, Elementary and Sherlock stand as two of the very best, and the CBS drama has something over the BBC show. Sherlock is a deep drama, whereas Elementary is more of a procedural, but the difference in format doesn’t mean Elementary isn’t still an astounding Sherlock Holmes series. Although Benedict Cumberbatch’s version of the titular detective is stellar, Elementary fixes an issue with the character that Sherlock fails to do.

Sherlock's Deductive Skills In Elementary Were More Realistic Than The BBC Show's

Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock Feels More Like An Actual Person

Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock and Lucy Liu's Joan sitting on a couch with each other in Elementary.

The detective’s ability to deduce everything around him in Sherlock requires audiences to suspend their disbelief. While the puzzles and mysteries in Sherlock are intricate, and it’s rather impressive when the titular character figures them out, they are sometimes so complex that they pull viewers out of it. However, the deductive skills of Elementary’s Sherlock are far more realistic. This is one of the aspects in which Elementary is better than BBC’s Sherlock.

Sherlock BBC Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch

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Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock is a lot more humane than Benedict Cumberbatch’s interpretation. Cumberbatch’s Sherlock leans far too heavily into the trope of an unnatural genius fixing problems in society, to the point that he starts to feel a little robotic. Elementary depicts Sherlock as a deeper and complicated figure, and his layered characterization allows for more realistic deductions. Cumberbatch’s Sherlock almost always has the answer and treats everyone else as stupid, but in Elementary, Sherlock and Joan work together and make more logical observations.

Elementary Was A More Grounded Sherlock Adaptation Than The British Show

Sherlock Doesn't Develop Its World Or Characters As Much As Elementary

Natalie Dormer as Moriarty and Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes looking at each other during an intense conversation on the street in Elementary.

Even though Sherlock is set in the present and provides an accurate depiction of London in the 2010s, there are a few things about the show that viewers have to simply accept or ignore. For example, it’s never clear what Mycroft’s job in Sherlock is, but he’s always in the know with seemingly unlimited power, and Eurus being isolated on an island is also a bit ridiculous. However, Elementary is generally considered a much more grounded show than Sherlock is.

Because of Elementary’s more procedural format, there’s more room for character development, too.

Elementary makes Watson just as interesting as Sherlock, rather than pushing her aside as a sidekick. The show also isn’t afraid to allow the characters to show their emotions and develop connections with one another. Because of Elementary’s more procedural format, there’s more room for character development, too. While there is still an intriguing mystery at the forefront of the episode, not every single second of Elementary is necessarily dedicated to the detective showing off his prowess and intelligence, which Sherlock does far too often.

Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock Was Amazing, But Some Scenes Were Just Too Much

Steven Moffat & Mark Gattis Are Too Ambitious Sometimes

There’s no doubt that the BBC’s Sherlock is amazing, and even after the disappointing final seasons, it continues to be a huge hit with new viewers. However, some aspects of the show are just too much. Certain moments in Sherlock are over-the-top ridiculous, nonsensical, or too clever to the point that viewers question whether any of it is actually accurate in the real world. For example, the lack of resolution to Sherlock’s “The Reichenbach Fall” was very frustrating.

Mary Watson’s death in Sherlock season 4 is also a bit goofy, and her ghost following John around after is cliché, let alone the fact that it doesn’t really fit the tone of the show. The entire final storyline involving Eurus also required a lot of suspension of disbelief. Thankfully, Elementary is a great alternative for those looking for a Sherlock Holmes story with a little more realism.