By: Breanna Shiflett
While there were many exciting new shows throughout 2012, there is one that stands above the rest. Elementary takes the classic Sherlock Holmes characters that we know and love and brings them to a whole new setting, and a whole new level. The idea of bringing Sherlock Holmes into the 21^st century is obviously not a new one (especially given the success of House and Sherlock), but the fact that Elementary manages to stand out from all of these adaptations is a testament unto itself.

Of course, its significant changes to the storyline and characters–like bringing Sherlock to New York and making his best friend and sidekick a woman, Joan Watson–makes it different from other modern Holmes stories, but this show doesn’t stop here. Elementary is legitimately intelligent and extremely complex, not just in the weekly cases that Sherlock and Joan solve, but also in the characters themselves. Holmes and Watson’s relationship is so very different than it has ever been before, not just because of the gender swap but because of the re-emergence of Holmes’ addiction, an oft forgotten aspect of Doyle’s tales. Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu do incredible jobs of portraying these characters in ways we’ve never seen, and making the viewers truly feel for them. With amazing acting, brilliant writing, and beautiful cinematography, there’s a reason why Elementary is the best new drama.
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