Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, with a whole bunch of different actors playing him over the years. While he’s always at least somewhat misanthropic and sardonic, he’s also always brilliant at solving mysteries in every interpretation. There are somewhat traditional versions of Holmes, like Benedict Cumberbatch’s take in the BBC series “Sherlock,” of course, but there are also some twists on the formula, like the animated mouse hero in “The Great Mouse Detective” and curmudgeonly detective-like doctor in “House.” But perhaps one of the more creative adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes stories arrived in the form of “Elementary,” a CBS drama that aired for seven seasons and starred Jonny Lee Miller as a contemporary Sherlock Holmes trying to make a go of things in New York City.
This iteration of the detective was somewhat troubled, like many of his other contemporary counterparts, and was a recovering drug addict who had previously worked with Scotland Yard but took a job assisting the New York Police Department. Miller himself was great in the role; in fact, he’s one of the best actors to ever play Sherlock Holmes, and he was joined by Lucy Liu as Joan Watson, giving us one of the most interesting Holmes/Watson dynamics ever. So, why did CBS decide to cancel the series after seven seasons? Let’s take a look!
