Lucy Liu and Jonny Lee Miller at Comic-Con!
Comic-Con 2012: 'Elementary' Cast, Creators Defend Female Watson
Sherlock Holmes has crossed the pond and arrived in New York, with CBS' fresh take on the famed detective, Elementary, meeting the make-or-break audiences of Comic-Con.
Starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu, the modern-day telling features Holmes relocating to the U.S., where he assists the NYPD in solving difficult cases. Liu takes on the role of Dr. Joan Watson -- that's right, Holmes' right-hand man is a lovely lady -- assigned to oversee Sherlock's newfound sobriety.
Following the premiere screening of the series, one of three first-year shows to panel inside the sprawling Ballroom 20, the cast and creators -- including Rob Doherty (Medium), Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly (Justified) -- addressed the changes in the project as well as if other famed characters from the Arthur Conan Doyle books.
"When this opportunity arose, I did a lot of research -- psychological assessments of original characters by actual doctors -- and Holmes struggled a bit with women, He struggled with people in general, but there are moments when he doesn’t quite get the fairer sex," creator Doherty said. "It made me laugh: the idea of what would be more trying than Sherlock Holmes living with a Watson who's also a woman. It really shouldn't make a difference; it's a challenge of the series to not turn it into a will-they-or-won't-they. It's not about that, it's about honoring the source material and … the bond." [I love love love this reasoning for turning Watson into a woman! I think it's pretty clear the show isn't going to be pushing a romance angle, so all the Johnlock shipping concern trolls can officially calm their tits.]
Liu noted that Watson is using her job as a sober companion to distract herself from dealing with her own emotional issues [I think this is a really interesting take on the Watson character and I can't wait to see it play out.] and noted that there's a strong link between Watson and Holmes. "There's something special there, and there's potential. I'm not saying it's romanitic, but it gives it a different shift, a little bit of a tingle," she said to applause.
Later, asked about the controversy circulating online about a female -- and Asian-American -- Holmes, Liu and Doherty defended the casting decision and noted they simply went with the best actor for the job. [This is the question that ONTD's own
watermeloncholy asked!]As for whether other famed characters of the Sherlock Holmes mythos would appear, Doherty noted that he'd like to see -- including Sherlock's brother, Mycroft, and archnemesis Professor Moriarty. "It's something we will be looking at as we move through this first season," Doherty said. "It's somebody I'm really looking forward to writing and having our take on [Moriarty]."
Meanwhile, the pilot makes several references to Holmes' unseen father, with the series creator noting that the character will "cast a shadow over a lot of what we do in the early goings."
"I love the idea of him as a mysterious shadowy figure we'll get to build and make a part of the series," Doherty said.
Fans were clearly stoked about the series, screaming their approval following the screening as well as after the panel. Looks like the case of whether Comic-Con fans would approve of the new Holmes is solved.
Elementary premieres at 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, on CBS.
'Elementary' Comic-Con panel: One Sherlock too many?
How many Sherlock Holmes can simultaneously peacefully coexist in pop culture?
That was the big question hanging over CBS’ Elementary panel at Comic-Con Thursday, with the show seeking to be the third major pop culture vehicle starring the famous detective vying for audiences attention in recent years.
There is, of course, Robert Downey Jr.’s bombastic big-screen steam-punk version, in which Holmes seems more keen on using his fists than his wits. And, more impressively, Benedict Cumberbatch’s marvelous take on the BBC’s Sherlock — a crime drama so brilliant it makes U.S. cops shows look like they’ve been asleep for the past decade. [I think the writer of this article and I might have watched a different Sherlock, but ok.]
Judging from the audience enthusiastic response to the Elementary pilot screened in Ballroom 20 this afternoon, there’s room enough for one more — and we already guessed that, right? The crime drama is the most popular hour-long scripted format on TV. There’s always room for one more, especially a character as iconic as Holmes.
“The fact that there have been so many interpretations over the years actually takes the pressure off,” star Jonny Lee Miller told the audience. “You can take what you want, what you feel hasn’t been seen before.”
Miller is friends with Cumberbatch and says the actor was “very supportive” of him taking the role. “We wanted to be sure it’s very different,” Miller said. “I went back to the books, that’s where I got most of my information.”
The biggest change, of course, was “Starbucking” Watson, who will be played by Lucy Liu. Executive producer Robert Doherty says the change was inspired by Holmes’ amusing discomfort around women in the books. One must also wonder if other factors were at play too — like not making the CBS version too similar to Sherlock (whose production company accused CBS of knocking off their show anyway), and sticking with the tried-and-true CBS format of pairing male and female cop partners. At any rate, one shouldn’t expect much romance between the two.
“It’s a challenge to not turn into a ‘will they or won’t they,’” Doherty said. “The relationship should still function the same way [as in the books].”
“It gives it a different shift,” added Liu about the characters’ relationship. “A little bit of a tingle.”
Judging by producers’ hints, you can expect Holmes’ arch-rival Moriarty to show up, possibly in the first season. But Holmes’ brother Mycroft won’t be introduced anytime soon. The show will instead focus on fleshing out the relationship between Holmes and his father. Elementary premieres Sept. 27 on CBS.
source #1 and source #2
I am really really happy that the reaction to the pilot has been so positive. I feel like all my pre-emptive stanning has not been in vain! And all the people calling Lucy Liu homophobic can kindly sit the fuck down. It's pretty obvious from her answers here that when she said in the preview that changing Watson into a woman created a different dynamic and chemistry than the usual male Watson and male Holmes, she wasn't implying a romantic tension and therefore she wasn't saying that there couldn't be romantic tension between two men.
ETA: The official CBS video of the panel can be found here:
http://www.cbs.com/comiccon/video/2255809749/comic-con-2012-elementary-panel-part-1
I don't think there's a way to embed but go to the link and watch it!