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The name is Watson, Joan Watson. Lucy Liu is set to play Sherlock Holmes’ sidekick in CBS’ drama pilot Elementary, whose tweaks to Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic include switching Watson’s gender to female. The project, written by Robert Doherty, is set in present day and stars Jonny Lee Miller as eccentric Brit Sherlock Holmes, a former consultant to Scotland Yard whose addiction problems led him to a rehab center in New York City. Just out of rehab, Holmes now lives in Brooklyn with “sober companion” Joan Watson (Liu), a former surgeon who lost her license after a patient died, while consulting for the NYPD. Michael Cuesta is directing the pilot, produced by CBS TV Studios and Timberman/Beverly. Ally McBeal alumna Liu, who had 2 pilots vying for her, is recurring on the current season of the TNT cop drama Southland and will next be seen in the feature Man With The Iron Fists.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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Good Luck for you, CBS.
There are so many people pissed about this ‘elementary’ that this will crash and burn in a heart beat.
And you know what? CBS deserves it.
The idea of a modern day Sherlock Holmes belongs to Moffat and Gatiss, from BBC.
And also, you’ve spelled ACT name wrong.
Sometime around Season 4: just when you think Holmes and Watson are gonna bang, Watson’s gonna have a dirty dream about Moriarty, and it’ll be Buffy and Spike (Joey and Pacey) all over again.
The first mistake was taking Holmes out of London, it’s as important to the stories as Dr. Watson, (of whatever gender.) Holmes knows London like the back of his hand, he has his Irregulars (or SHERLOCK’s Homeless Network) you might transplant Holmes to NY, but how is he going to know the city from inside rehab?
no mention of Watson as being ex-army, it’s too bad they don’t keep that element.
To the ones who said something about gay references:
It’s in the books you laters.
Watson is a guy, and all the chemistry it’s with another guy. Don’t you like it? Pity.
Also, all about this series sounds familiar… it’s not like the British television made a adaptation to our days of Sherlock…
Wait…
really a chinese woman as watson with an english name?
you guys actually think this could work?
and is ity me or has lucy liu ever succeeded in any role she has ever done in tv or movies? and no charlies angels doesn’t count.
the biggest mistake writers make is writing scripts that are too complicated for their tv audiances.
Besides your ignorant comment “a chinese woman as watson with an english name”, Lucy Lui is truly exceptional in her portrayal of an LAPD officer on SOUTHLAND. Get your head outta the sand, troy.
Yeah, maybe she’s good on that role but she can’t be watson she’s just not into this parameters (and by this I mean the classical watson).
Of course she can do a modern, cool agent or wtvr but for people -like me- who enjoy the classical Sherlock Holmes stories and roles this show sounds really crappy
Okay, I’m extremely conflicted here and I needed to make a post to explain my feelings.
Pro: female co-lead in a potentially huge TV series (not even going to go into the whole race issue right now, it’s obviously relevant but not what I’m focused on for this).
Con: sex-swapping an originally male co-lead character in order to potentially (probably, knowing CBS) initiate a romantic relationship between said co-lead character and the leading character.
I get that Sherlock/John is popular. I get that people beyond us “shippers” see it. I get that it’s a beautifully romantic story between the two characters even without explicit romance. Explicit romance doesn’t need to exist for there to be genuine affection and adoration between two characters.
This is apparently something that CBS (and the majority of the industry at large) isn’t getting. And probably won’t get. At least for a very long time.
Because changing Watson’s sex to female for the sole purpose of furthering a potentially romantic relationship between her and Sherlock is painful. Not to mention ridiculous and extremely self-serving for the heteronormative executives in control of what the media presents to the public to be consumed. They already have enough of this everywhere else. Fucking learn to step off once in a while, you pricks.
In conclusion, I’m not leveling judgment at the show just yet, but if this is where they’re headed with it (which is frighteningly likely), I’m downright disgusted.
So much for progress.
Dearest Anon-
Wouldst thou marry me, be I concaved or convexed? Hither or hexed?
And now for another topic all together! ( my tumblr trolling mooselette has informed me of a growing movement, followers of the great and wise- possibly young and tender, Anon the facetious…..don’t you just hate that word?)
So, thank you, thank you, encore, encore! Yours has been one the most calm and collected assessments of the situations so far. Reserving judgment until the horse has made it’s showing is only fair. However, I fear it will be the latter, not the former we shall find.
Miss Mooselette has informed me that; “Their assessment of the relationship between the two, Misters S.Holmes and J. Watson is spot on.” She has realized that American can only relate “love” the emotion through the sex act, (good old in and out) and not as shared feelings of a deeper meaning between to living beings, needing no physical expression. And it’s taken 16 years, the BBC, Benedict Cumberbatch, a 100? Year old detective and a complete stranger to show her this!
Shows it works as an “After School Special” anyway…..
Wishing you blessing, Anon and again-
With gratitude,
A.Moose
& lette
Agreed. I’m hoping this show won’t be a hit, I really wish they’d cancel it. Why can’t Hollywood at least try to leave the good stuff where they found it (ie other channels, foreign places)…
Honestly, the minute I saw they’d have a Joan, how invisible are they: duh, US show, CBS, they’ll have love, they’ll have a romantic conflict, bla bla bla. Then, there might be psycho drama, then something else will happen.
Sherlock Holmes was the first book in the police/thriller genre, why, why must CBS turn it around in the sole purpose of getting the big bucks.
Such. A. Fail.
This is a long April Fools joke isn’t it? I mean, April 1st it’s going to be announce that this was never going to happen.
No >:c This is too similiar to BBC’s Sherlock. They’re just making Watson a female so it’s more sexual tension romanticy. What the heck, CBS? This show better get cancelled, because it’s just gonna be horrible =w=
But there’s already so much sexual tension between Sherlock and John. I mean, have you seen tumblr, the fandom and the Sherlockians?
Watson! Fetch me my opium pipe! And for God’s sake don’t bend over in front of me like that!
Since she’s asian, perhaps a nod to Holmes’s original setting would be appropriate and we see her visiting an opium den!
I was going to give this show a chance. I didn’t want to write it off as other hard core Sherlockians have, but I’m afraid I can’t get past even this. I understand that John/Sherlock is a popular ship but by making one of characters female automatically changes the dynamic of their relationship to most everyone.
I like Lucy Lui and I love BBC Sherlock but I can’t understand why our American television exec’s keep trying to re-do British shows. They almost always mess it up. And making Watson female goes against cannon as writen by Sir A.C.D. It’ll never work.
Maybe they’ll make Watson a lesbian
Oh just kill yourself CBS.
Might I suggest jumping off a cliff? Perhaps a tall building would be more to your liking?
Too soon, Jim.
Good Job America. Way to ruin yet another great thing.
I’ll just be shunning you and keeping my love for Sherlock to the real thing in BOOKS and the OTHER renditions.
Next thing you know Sherlock will have a love for football, eating at KFC and John- EXCUSE ME.- JOAN Watson will be obsessive about her make-up and wear skimpy-ass outfits to every case in an attempt to have Sherlock ogle her boobs.
Sorry CBS. You should have kept out of this and let the fans enjoy the REAL Sherlock. Not your Americanized bastard version.
Fine words.
CBS, this would work so much better if you just flipped the casting around. Lucy as Holmes, Miller as Watson. And why the hell are you erasing Watson’s military background?
You sir, are brilliant.
Leave us alone, Moriarty. According to BBC, you’re supposed to be dead. So be just that, and let us rage against CBS.
Er.. ummm… Sherlock airs on PBS in the U.S. Season one ran a few months back and season two should be along before the end of the summer [IIRC].
All the people squalling about the BBC version are missing the point.
1) The BBC version is available on Netflix. Anyone who wants to see it, can.
2) The CBS audience doesn’t know or care what happens on the BBC. I wouldn’t bet any money that most of them have heard of the BBC. They like CBS style shows – well, why would they be watching CBS otherwise? – and this show is being crafted to the CBS style.
Complaining about this just shows that the posters here don’t have the first idea how the TV business actually works. This show will probably do very well for CBS. I won’t be watching – I don’t happen to like the CBS style – but I can’t fault CBS’ business sense. They’re not the most successful network for nothing, you know.
They asked to remake the series first, BBC said no. They realised they didn’t need the bbc’s permission. They do know what the BBC are doing
I didn’t say CBS didn’t know what the BBC is doing. Being in the business, I’m sure they know what everyone is doing. CBS’s audience does not know what the BBC is doing. How could they? Are there even any cable operators who carry the BBC? I can get BBC America here in San Francisco, if I upgraded to a higher tier, but most people wouldn’t even bother with that. I have no doubt many CBS viewers don’t have cable at all.
CBS’ lawyers must have figured out they don’t have to pay the BBC a dime. Sherlock Holmes is in the public domain. Why would they ask permission or pay anyone when they don’t legally have to?
It just sounds like CBS is trying to copy the modern Holmes show on the BBC, “Sherlock”. I am rather disappointed.
I am a big Sherlock fan, but with this, I feel like CBS is setting up the same crime show, just changing the names of the characters. What people don’t seem to realize is that there have been many abominations with the name “Sherlock” slapped on it. There are good Sherlock adaptations, and there are bad ones.
Girl watson? ….god what are they doing to my fandom…leav the modern day Sherlock to BBC ok?
No. Just no. please. this is bad fanfiction. This is a rip off of Dearest BBC and Cumberbatch. Don’t do this. Please. Don’t kill everything that is good and Sherlock.
Talk about extremes – Holmes recovering from his additions (Cocaine?) and Watson striped of “her” medical licence.
The BBC has nothing to worry about CBS copying their modern take on Holmes!
Agreed.
Just watch the PBS version shipped in from the UK and leave the rest alone.
Who…the hell decided that this was a good idea? This is the most desperate attempt I have ever seen to wedge a sexy, sexy lady into the plot of a television show.
I have nothing against female characters, or even the notion of doing a clean overall gender swap, but Holmes and Watson is the most untouchable, the most sacred, the most eternal, committed, indomitable bromance in the history of fiction.
CBS, Either base your show on Sherlock Holmes or stop trying to claim that your show is based on Sherlock fucking Holmes.
Excuse me while I go weep and watch Jeremy Brett’s whole Holmes collection.