Ever since I was a kid, I have loved Sherlock Holmes, so whenever a new film or television adaptation of Holmes comes along, I am always interested in checking it out. These days, that has meant watching the new Watson series on CBS. While I had some concerns after the pilot, the show has been entertaining enough. However, it has actually made me think a lot about the other modern Sherlock Holmes adaptation that used to air on CBS, Elementary.
In the now surprisingly robust genre of Sherlock Holmes adaptations set in the modern day, Elementary is likely less popular than the Sherlock series that starred Benedict Cumberbatch. However, if I were to pick which one I’d like to get another season of, I’d pick the one that starred Jonny Lee Miller as Holmes and Lucy Liu as Joan Watson.
Now, with that in mind, my interest was very piqued when Lucy Liu was asked about a revival...
Elementary Was One Of The Best Modern Sherlock Holmes Adaptations
In a lot of ways, Elementary was the best of the modern Sherlock Holmes adaptations. The show was essentially a police procedural that saw Holmes and Watson assisting the police in a different case each week. Considering the majority of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work consisted of short stories, this episodic structure fit perfectly.
Sherlock Holmes is also potentially the original example of “guy who is not a cop but works with the cops to solve crimes,” a genre of television drama and comedy that has been incredibly popular for decades. Bringing it all together makes a lot of sense.
Elementary used plots from the original stories on occasion, though giving them a modern twist. The Elementary cast also included numerous characters from Doyle's canon, but almost always in new ways. It was able to be faithful to the source material while also being its own thing, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want more.
What Lucy Liu Said About Reviving Elementary
Elementary ran for seven seasons, a very healthy run for a network TV series, and it came to a satisfying conclusion. Having said that, the conclusion indicates that Holmes and Watson are far from done with their work as consulting detectives, so a revival is at least possible. ScreenRant recently spoke with Lucy Liu about a potential return, but she says it’s not something that she has ever considered. Liu said…
I don't think about it, because it feels like we really had closure on it. Thank you for watching the seven seasons of Elementary. I feel like it was such a blur, because when you're doing television, you're on a treadmill, and you just can't stop.
While Liu hasn’t considered a return to Elementary, she indicates that despite the “blur” that making the show was, she enjoyed her time on it, so she might be up to it. Until then, she seemingly references Watson in saying she’s glad that the legacy of the Great Detective lives on…
So, I just loved working with Rob Doherty, who created the show and created these very interesting characters that developed and could grow and change. I don't know that that would ever happen, but I'm glad that people are still able to have spinoffs on Holmes, because obviously, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was on to something, and the legacy continues.
An Elementary revival would seemingly be less likely while Watson continues on the same network. Still, who knows? We’ve seen other shows get dusted off for revivals years after the fact. Perhaps it could happen for Elementary at some point.
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