Elementary (2012)
Elementary is a 2012 drama series created by Robert Doherty. It stars Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu and Jon Michael Hill.
Sherlock Holmes lands in Manhattan fresh from rehab and disgrace in London, saddled by his wealthy father with a sober companion he never asked for: Dr. Joan Watson, a former surgeon played by Lucy Liu. Jonny Lee Miller's Holmes is twitchy, brilliant, and abrasive, consulting for the NYPD on cases the department cannot crack. Robert Doherty's CBS series reworks Arthur Conan Doyle for contemporary New York, turning the famous partnership into a recovery story as much as a detective one. Across seven seasons, Watson grows from minder to full investigator, and the deductions stay the main event.
Quick answers
What is Elementary about?
Sherlock Holmes lands in Manhattan fresh from rehab and disgrace in London, saddled by his wealthy father with a sober companion he never asked for: Dr. Joan Watson, a former surgeon played by Lucy Liu. Jonny Lee Miller's Holmes is twitchy, brilliant, and abrasive, consulting for the NYPD on cases the department cannot crack. Robert Doherty's CBS series reworks Arthur Conan Doyle for contemporary New York, turning the famous partnership into a recovery story as much as a detective one. Across seven seasons, Watson grows from minder to full investigator, and the deductions stay the main event.
When was Elementary released?
Elementary was released on 27 September 2012.
How many episodes does Elementary have?
Elementary has 154 episodes across 7 seasons.
Who made Elementary?
Elementary was created by Robert Doherty.
Where can I watch Elementary?
Elementary is available on Hulu, Prime Video, Google Play, Amazon, AppleTV and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch Elementary
Stream: Hulu, Prime Video
Rent: Google Play
Buy: Amazon, AppleTV, Fandango at Home, Google Play
Official site
Cast
- Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes
- Lucy Liu as Joan Watson
- Jon Michael Hill as Marcus Bell
- Aidan Quinn as Thomas Gregson
- Jordan Gelber as Dr. Eugene Hawes
- Sutton Foster as Tara Parker
- John Noble as Morland Holmes
- Ophelia Lovibond as Kitty Winter
- Nelsan Ellis as Shinwell Johnson
- Ato Essandoh as Alfredo Llamosa
- Robert Capron as Mason
- Tim Guinee as Agent Dean McNally
Similar series
Explore Elementary guides
Elementary in our writing
- Books / Evergreen: Sherlock Holmes Will Outlive Us All
- Companion guide: Buddy Cop: The Complete Guide to Mismatched Partners
A few thoughts on Elementary
Doyle admirers can read Christie instead: Murder in Three Acts and The Big Four deliver the same armchair deduction. Mr. Mercedes puts a retired cop against a killer in Stephen King's crime register, Death Note stages a detective-versus-genius chess match in manga, and Max Payne channels hard-boiled investigation into noir gunplay.
Brilliant outsiders cracking the cases police can't
Elementary drops a twitchy, recovering Sherlock Holmes into the NYPD as a consultant on cases the department cannot solve. These shows share that setup: a gifted eccentric attached to a police force, seeing what trained detectives miss, with a partner keeping them grounded. They deliver the same pleasure of watching a singular mind pull a case apart.
Classic sleuths in the Doyle and Christie tradition
Elementary reworks Arthur Conan Doyle's detective for contemporary New York, but the deductions stay the main event. These series honour the older tradition: Poirot and Marple, a mystery novelist turned amateur sleuth, a young Morse, each solving crimes by observation and reasoning. They suit anyone who came to Holmes for the puzzle first.
Whodunits to read after the deductions
Holmes and Watson trace back to the page, and Elementary keeps their partnership at the wheel. These mysteries offer the same fair-play pleasure in print: Poirot untangling a fresh puzzle, a Christie country-house killing, a teenage sleuth on an old staircase, and a retired detective drawn back in. Each rewards a reader willing to guess along.
Deduction and criminal minds in manga and games
Elementary lives on Holmes reading a room and out-thinking a killer, and these titles push that same battle of wits. A notebook that kills by name, a schoolboy detective, a deadly game of lies and logic, and a noir gunman haunted by a case. They trade the drawing room for darker stakes, but the reasoning still wins.