History Franchise / SherlockHolmes

* ''WesternAnimation/SherlockHolmesInThe22ndCentury''

!Adaptations of Sherlock Holmes.

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: AnimatedShows]]

A common urban legend is that Sherlock Holmes fanfics were so common made the writers of [[index]]''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''[[/index]] believe the character, as well as his nemesis Professor Moriarty, were in the public domain when they made the episode "Elementary, My Dear Data", only to receive an angry letter from the Doyle estate. This is, unfortunately, not supported by the facts, but it makes a good story -- students of urban legends will, of course, recognize some slight resemblance between this and the Neiman-Marcus Red Velvet Cake legend.

* [[index]]''Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective''[[/index]]. See ''Literature/BasilOfBakerStreet'' below.

* The 1970 film [[index]]''ThePrivateLifeOfSherlockHolmes''[[/index]], directed by BillyWilder.
* [[index]]''Film/TheAdventureOfSherlockHolmesSmarterBrother''[[/index]], released in 1975, was GeneWilder's directorial debut. It follows Sherlock's (self-proclaimed) smarter younger brother Siegerson, who attempts to thwart Moriarty on his own.

* In the 1985 Levinson/Spielberg/Columbus movie [[index]]''YoungSherlockHolmes''[[/index]], a teenaged Holmes and Watson meet at a boarding school decades prior to their adult companionship. (Unusual in that it began with a disclaimer explaining that it was a "WhatIf" story.)
* In the 1988 movie [[index]]''WithoutAClue'' the Holmes/Watson roles are reversed, with Watson as the real detective and Holmes as an alcoholic actor hired by Watson as his public front.
* In perhaps the most unusual adaptation, there is the 1971 movie ''Film/TheyMightBeGiants''[[/index]] (from which [[Music/TheyMightBeGiants the band]] took its name), which starred George C. Scott as a man who thought he was Sherlock Holmes, and Joanne Woodward as his psychiatrist, whose name was Watson. The film itself took its name from a line in Don Quixote.

[[index]]

* [[/index]]TheAsylum released ''Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes'' directly to DVD in 2010 to piggyback on the Ritchie film. Starring Ben Syder as Holmes and Gareth David-Lloyd as Watson. It's {{Steampunk}} and involves dinosaurs.

* Nicholas Meyer's novel (later adapted to film), [[index]]''TheSevenPercentSolution'' proposed that the Moriarty stories were complete fictions invented by Watson to cover for Holmes's recovery from cocaine addiction. (This was to explain the canon's apparent contradiction of Moriarty dying in the story that ''introduced'' him, yet figuring in other prequel stories.) In the story, Moriarty is revealed as Holmes's childhood maths tutor, whom Holmes had cast as a criminal in his drug-induced delirium. The story ends with a departing Holmes suggesting that Watson explain his absence to the readers by telling them he'd been murdered by his math tutor.

* [[/index]]Creator/MichaelChabon's 2004 novella ''The Final Solution'', in which Holmes (never named directly, but it is clearly him), a 90ish old man living in country retirement as a beekeeper, tries to locate a German Jewish boy's stolen parrot.

* [[index]]''Literature/BasilOfBakerStreet''[[/index]], later adapted by Creator/{{Disney}} as ''Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective''. A FunnyAnimal version of the mythos, and many a child's first exposure to Sherlock Holmes. Basil's name is an obvious ShoutOut to Basil Rathbone. In the film, Rathbone himself even has a vocal cameo (albeit one well after his death) as Holmes himself.
* ''Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street'', a popular tongue-in-cheek "biography" of Sherlock Holmes written in 1962 by W.S. Baring-Gould, has been the source of many [[EpilepticTrees interesting theories]] about Holmes, some of which are often assumed to be canon (even in this very entry). These include the idea that the King of Bohemia was Edward [=VII=]; that Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler became lovers in Montenegro during the time Holmes was hiding from Moran, and that Irene returned to New Jersey to bear his child, a boy later known as NeroWolfe [[note]]This was actually suggested to him by Rex Stout, the writer of the Nero Wolfe novels, but given that Stout once wrote a paper suggesting that Watson was a woman...[[/note]]; that Holmes in his twenties was a stage actor in a company that toured America; that he worked on the JackTheRipper case; that Watson had three wives; that Holmes's bee-keeping in later years was intended as a way of producing royal jelly, then thought of as a "fountain of youth"; and that Holmes died in the 1950s after spending the war years - when he would have been roughly 90 years old - fighting Nazis. In [[index]]''Film/TheAdventureOfSherlockHolmesSmarterBrother'', the title character, Siegerson, is named for Baring-Gould's Holmes ''pere''. As a way of freeing up Sherlock and Mycroft for their various occupations while still ensuring they were members of the "right" class, Baring-Gould invented Sherringford, the eldest--and smartest--brother, who stayed home in Yorkshire to take care of the responsibilities of a country squire. Sherringford was Holmes's original name in Doyle's first draft of ''A Study in Scarlet''.
* ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheDurbervilles''[[/index]] by KimNewman focuses on Professor Moriarty and his subordinate, Sebastian Moran, as they share a series of adventures that oddly echo Holmes's famous cases and have them meeting [[MassiveMultiplayerCrossover numerous other characters from Victorian and Edwardian fiction]]. The last story in the collection, "The Problem of the Final Adventure", retells "The Final Problem" from Moran's point of view.

* In PoulAnderson's [[index]]''Literature/TimePatrol''[[/index]], the Victorian era office would like to hire a contemporary detective, but the only one clever enough is probably clever enough to figure out the Time Patrol. Other clues makes it clear who this unnamed detective is.

* [[index]]''Series/SherlockHolmes''[[/index]], produced by Granada Television (ITV), starring JeremyBrett, David Burke, and Edward Hardwicke. Ran from 1984 to 1994, and is generally considered to be most faithful to Conan Doyle's original vision of the character. Series one and two ran under then name ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'', three and four ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'', five ''The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes'', and six ''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes''. Five feature length episodes were made and released between series, two based on the novels ''The Sign of Four'' and ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'', three based on short stories turned into AdaptationExpansion.
* The [[TheEighties 1979-1986]] [[SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet]] series of TV movies [[index]]''Series/TheAdventuresOfSherlockHolmesAndDoctorWatson''[[/index]][[note]][[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOz_tmEeHBg&feature=PlayList&p=0D0299955BBF4203&index=0&playnext=1 available here]])[[/note]] -- no relationship to the above. A Russian-language series notable for ''not'' [[{{Flanderization}} flanderizing]] Watson into an idiot, being a generally faithful AdaptationDistillation and for the fact that the actor playing Holmes got an Order of the British Empire for his portrayal (surprising for a Soviet citizen). It's also provided fodder for a lot of [[RussianHumor Russian jokes]] (but then again, what doesn't?)

* [[index]]''Series/{{Sherlock}}''[[/index]], a BBC miniseries beginning July 2010. Created by StevenMoffat and MarkGatiss, the series stars BenedictCumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and MartinFreeman as Dr John Watson in a 21st-century SettingUpdate of the original stories. The show has been a critical and commercial smash hit both in the UK and abroad and cleaned up at the 2011 {{BAFTA}}s, including wins for Best Supporting Actor (Freeman) and Best Drama Series.
* The Canadian mystery series [[index]]''Series/TheAdventuresOfShirleyHolmes''[[/index]] was about the great-grandniece of Sherlock Holmes solving crimes.

* Creator/{{CBS}} has now added an American television adaptation of the Holmes stories titled [[index]]''Series/{{Elementary}}''[[/index]], which stars Johnny Lee Miller has Holmes and Lucy Liu as Watson. There has been much FandomWank over the idea of ''Elementary'' alone.

* Sherlock Holmes first appeared on-stage in a 1899 play written by and starring William Gillette. Simply titled [[index]]''Theatre/SherlockHolmes''[[/index]], it featured an original plot. Years later, Creator/OrsonWelles would adapt the play for ''The Mercury Radio Theater'' with the explanation that, "It is not enough to say that William Gillette looks like Sherlock Holmes: Sherlock Holmes looks ''exactly'' like William Gillette." It was Gillette, and not Doyle, who popularized most of the visual tropes associated with the character to this day such as the deerstalker cap, the distinctive pipe and riding cloak. His iconic attire was originally depicted by Sidney Paget, who illustrated the stories for their initial publication in ''Strand Magazine'', but he only put Holmes in them in appropriate situations: when the story took him out of London, and into the countryside.
* Starting in 1988, JeremyBrett and his second Watson, Edward Hardwicke, starred in a stage production titled [[index]]''Theatre/TheSecretOfSherlockHolmes''[[/index]]. It was written by Jeremy Paul, who scripted many episodes of [[Series/SherlockHolmes the Granada Television series.]]

** [[index]]''SherlockHolmesVersusJackTheRipper''
[[/index]]

* In 1975, GeneWilder made his directorial debut with [[index]]''Film/TheAdventureOfSherlockHolmesSmarterBrother''[[/index]], released in 1975, was GeneWilder's directorial debut. It follows Sherlock's (self-proclaimed) smarter younger brother Siegerson, who attempts to thwart Moriarty on his own.

* In 1975, GeneWilder made his directorial debut with [[index]]''Film/TheAdventureOfSherlockHolmesSmarterBrother''[[/index]]. It follows Sherlock's (self-proclaimed) smarter younger brother Siegerson, who attempts to thwart Moriarty on his own.

* GuyRitchie filmed a ''Film/SherlockHolmes'' movie with RobertDowneyJr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson, released on Christmas Day 2009. Response to the trailer, [[NeverTrustATrailer which basically strung the comedic moments together]] to make it look more like a spoof than an actual Holmes story, was... controversial... in fandom. The movie received mostly positive reviews, and critics praised Downey Jr's portrayal as the detective (for which he won a Golden Globe) and the chemistry between him and Law. And it was a box-office hit. A sequel to this film, titled ''SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows'', came to theaters in December 2011 with Jared Harris as Professor Moriarty and StephenFry as Mycroft Holmes.

* GuyRitchie filmed a [[index]]''Film/SherlockHolmes'' movie with RobertDowneyJr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson, released on Christmas Day 2009. Response to the trailer, [[NeverTrustATrailer which basically strung the comedic moments together]] to make it look more like a spoof than an actual Holmes story, was... controversial... in fandom. The movie received mostly positive reviews, and critics praised Downey Jr's portrayal as the detective (for which he won a Golden Globe) and the chemistry between him and Law. And it was a box-office hit. A sequel to this film, titled ''SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows'', came to theaters in December 2011 with Jared Harris as Professor Moriarty and StephenFry as Mycroft Holmes.

* TheAsylum released ''Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes'' directly to DVD in 2010 to piggyback on the Ritchie film. Starring Ben Syder as Holmes and Gareth David-Lloyd as Watson. It's {{Steampunk}} and involves dinosaurs.

* In perhaps the most unusual adaptation, there is the 1971 movie ''Film/TheyMightBeGiants'' (from which [[Music/TheyMightBeGiants the band]] took its name), which starred George C. Scott as a man who thought he was Sherlock Holmes, and Joanne Woodward as his psychiatrist, whose name was Watson. The film itself took its name from a line in Don Quixote.

* GuyRitchie filmed a ''Film/SherlockHolmes'' movie with RobertDowneyJr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson, released on Christmas Day 2009. Response to the trailer, [[NeverTrustATrailer which basically strung the comedic moments together]] to make it look more like a spoof than an actual Holmes story, was... controversial... in fandom. The movie received mostly positive reviews, and critics praised Downey Jr's portrayal as the detective (for which he won a Golden Globe) and the chemistry between him and Law. And it was a box-office hit. A sequel to this film, titled ''SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows'', came to theaters in December 2011 with Jared Harris as Professor Moriarty and StephenFry as Mycroft Holmes.

* In perhaps the most unusual adaptation, there is the 1971 movie ''Film/TheyMightBeGiants''[[/index]] (from which [[Music/TheyMightBeGiants the band]] took its name), which starred George C. Scott as a man who thought he was Sherlock Holmes, and Joanne Woodward as his psychiatrist, whose name was Watson. The film itself took its name from a line in Don Quixote.

* GuyRitchie filmed a [[index]]''Film/SherlockHolmes''[[/index]] movie with RobertDowneyJr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson, released on Christmas Day 2009. Response to the trailer, [[NeverTrustATrailer which basically strung the comedic moments together]] to make it look more like a spoof than an actual Holmes story, was... controversial... in fandom. The movie received mostly positive reviews, and critics praised Downey Jr's portrayal as the detective (for which he won a Golden Globe) and the chemistry between him and Law. And it was a box-office hit. A sequel to this film, titled ''SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows'', came to theaters in December 2011 with Jared Harris as Professor Moriarty and StephenFry as Mycroft Holmes.

* ''WesternAnimation/SherlockHolmesInTheTwentySecondCentury''[[/index]], a 1999 AnimatedAdaptation of Holmes RecycledINSPACE!
** This series is predated by "Sherlock Holmes in the 23rd Century", a two-part episode of the 1987 SpaceWestern [[index]]''WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}}''[[/index]] with the same concept.
* Holmes and Watson appeared in one episode of [[index]]''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''[[/index]]. During their time, Jason Blood tried (and failed) to bring Batman to that time but Holmes completed the spell. Holmes was soon able to deduce Batman must have been born to some doctor or at least wealthy man.

* 1979, ''Murder By Decree'' starring Christopher Plummer as Holmes and James Mason as (a Non-Flanderized) Watson on JackTheRipper case. The basis for the plot was the book ''Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution'' By Stephen Knight, same book that would be the basis for Creator/AlanMoore's ''FromHell'' some years later. It was seen by some as a DarkerAndEdgier Sherlock Holmes movie but, given the subject matter, it's understandable. This was the second time Holmes and the Ripper met; the first time was in the 1966 movie ''AStudyInTerror''.

* ''WesternAnimation/SherlockHolmesInTheTwentySecondCentury'', a 1999 AnimatedAdaptation of Holmes RecycledINSPACE!
** This series is predated by "Sherlock Holmes in the 23rd Century", a two-part episode of the 1987 SpaceWestern ''WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}}'' with the same concept.
* Holmes and Watson appeared in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''. During their time, Jason Blood tried (and failed) to bring Batman to that time but Holmes completed the spell. Holmes was soon able to deduce Batman must have been born to some doctor or at least wealthy man.

* ''Anime/SherlockHound''[[/index]], an {{Anime}} adaptation that recast the characters as {{Funny Animal}}s and aired in 1984 and 1985.
* [[index]]''WesternAnimation/SherlockHolmesInTheTwentySecondCentury''[[/index]], a 1999 AnimatedAdaptation of Holmes RecycledINSPACE!
** This series is predated by "Sherlock Holmes in the 23rd Century", a two-part episode of the 1987 SpaceWestern [[index]]''WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}}''[[/index]] with the same concept.
* Holmes and Watson appeared in one episode of [[index]]''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''[[/index]]. During their time, Jason Blood tried (and failed) to bring Batman to that time but Holmes completed the spell. Holmes was soon able to deduce Batman must have been born to some doctor or at least wealthy man.

* [[index]]''Anime/SherlockHound''[[/index]], an {{Anime}} adaptation that recast the characters as {{Funny Animal}}s and aired in 1984 and 1985.

[[index]]
* ''Anime/SherlockHound'', an {{Anime}} adaptation that recast the characters as {{Funny Animal}}s and aired in 1984 and 1985.
* ''WesternAnimation/SherlockHolmesInTheTwentySecondCentury'', a 1999 AnimatedAdaptation of Holmes RecycledINSPACE!
** This series is predated by "Sherlock Holmes in the 23rd Century", a two-part episode of the 1987 [[/index]]SpaceWestern [[index]]''WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}}'' with the same concept.
* Holmes and Watson appeared in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''[[/index]]. During their time, Jason Blood tried (and failed) to bring Batman to that time but Holmes completed the spell. Holmes was soon able to deduce Batman must have been born to some doctor or at least wealthy man.

* Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce starred as Holmes and Watson in a popular series of film adaptations in the 1930s and 1940s. The first two ("The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes") were produced by TwentiethCenturyFox and were based on, respectively, the Doyle novel and the William Gillette play; both were set in the Victorian era. The others, produced by Creator/{{Universal}}, moved the setting to the 1940s. Initially, Holmes and Watson fought ThoseWackyNazis, but they later went up against more conventional crooks. Bruce's portrayal of Watson as a bumbling incompetent rather than the original ladykilling man of action helped begin a long chain of similar AdaptationDecay[[index]].

* Holmes and Watson appeared in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''. During their time, Jason Blood tried (and failed) to bring Batman to that time but Holmes completed the spell. Holmes was soon able to deduce Batman must have been born to some doctor or at least wealthy man.

A common urban legend is that Sherlock Holmes fanfics were so common made the writers of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' believe the character, as well as his nemesis Professor Moriarty, were in the public domain when they made the episode "Elementary, My Dear Data", only to receive an angry letter from the Doyle estate. This is, unfortunately, not supported by the facts, but it makes a good story -- students of urban legends will, of course, recognize some slight resemblance between this and the Neiman-Marcus Red Velvet Cake legend.

[[folder: Film]]

* Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce starred as Holmes and Watson in a popular series of film adaptations in the 1930s and 1940s. The first two ("The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes") were produced by [[/index]]TwentiethCenturyFox and were based on, respectively, the Doyle novel and the William Gillette play; both were set in the Victorian era. The others, produced by Creator/{{Universal}}, moved the setting to the 1940s. Initially, Holmes and Watson fought ThoseWackyNazis, but they later went up against more conventional crooks. Bruce's portrayal of Watson as a bumbling incompetent rather than the original ladykilling man of action helped begin a long chain of similar AdaptationDecay[[index]].

* The 1970 film ''ThePrivateLifeOfSherlockHolmes''[[/index]], directed by BillyWilder.

* [[index]]''Literature/BasilOfBakerStreet''[[/index]], later adapted by Creator/{{Disney}} as [[index]]''Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective''[[/index]]. A FunnyAnimal version of the mythos, and many a child's first exposure to Sherlock Holmes. Basil's name is an obvious ShoutOut to Basil Rathbone. Rathbone himself even has a vocal cameo (albeit one well after his death) as Holmes himself.

* [[index]]''Literature/BasilOfBakerStreet'', later adapted by Disney as ''Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective''[[/index]]. A FunnyAnimal version of the mythos, and many a child's first exposure to Sherlock Holmes. Basil's name is an obvious ShoutOut to Basil Rathbone. Rathbone himself even has a vocal cameo (albeit one well after his death) as Holmes himself.

* [[index]]''BasilOfBakerStreet'', later adapted by Disney as ''Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective''[[/index]]. A FunnyAnimal version of the mythos, and many a child's first exposure to Sherlock Holmes. Basil's name is an obvious ShoutOut to Basil Rathbone. Rathbone himself even has a vocal cameo (albeit one well after his death) as Holmes himself.

* The 1970 film ''ThePrivateLifeOfSherlockHolmes'', directed by Billy Wilder.
* In 1975, GeneWilder made his directorial debut with ''Film/TheAdventureOfSherlockHolmesSmarterBrother''. It follows Sherlock's (self-proclaimed) smarter younger brother Siegerson, who attempts to thwart Moriarty on his own.

* 1979, ''Murder By Decree'' starring Christopher Plummer as Holmes and James Mason as (a Non-Flanderized) Watson on JackTheRipper case. The basis for the plot was the book ''Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution'' By Stephen Knight, same book that would be the basis for Alan Moore's FromHell some years later. It was seen by some as a DarkerAndEdgier Sherlock Holmes movie but, given the subject matter, it's understandable. This was the second time Holmes and the Ripper met, the first time was in the 1966 movie A Study in Terror.
* In the 1985 Levinson/Spielberg/Columbus movie ''YoungSherlockHolmes'', a teenaged Holmes and Watson meet at a boarding school decades prior to their adult companionship. (Unusual in that it began with a disclaimer explaining that it was a "WhatIf" story.)
* In the 1988 movie ''WithoutAClue'' the Holmes/Watson roles are reversed, with Watson as the real detective and Holmes as an alcoholic actor hired by Watson as his public front.
* In perhaps the most unusual adaptation, there is the 1971 movie ''Film/TheyMightBeGiants'' (from which [[TheyMightBeGiants the band]] took its name), which starred George C. Scott as a man who thought he was Sherlock Holmes, and Joanne Woodward as his psychiatrist, whose name was Watson. The film itself took its name from a line in Don Quixote.
* And a large number of made-for-TV-movies, starring such actors as Tom Baker, Larry Hagman, Roger Moore, Richard Roxbourgh, Ruper Everett, and Matt Frewer.

* GuyRitchie filmed a ''Film/SherlockHolmes'' movie with RobertDowneyJr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson, released on Christmas Day 2009. Response to the trailer, [[NeverTrustATrailer which basically strung the comedic moments together]] to make it look more like a spoof than an actual Holmes story, was... controversial... in fandom. The movie received mostly positive reviews, and critics praised Downey Jr's portrayal as the detective (for which he won a Golden Globe) and the chemistry between him and Law. And it was a box-office hit. A sequel to this film, titled ''Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows'', came to theaters in December 2011 with Jared Harris as Professor Moriarty and StephenFry as Mycroft Holmes.
* TheAsylum released ''Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes'' directly to DVD in 2010 to piggyback on the Ritchie film. Starring Ben Syder as Holmes and Gareth David-Lloyd as Watson. It's steampunk and involves dinosaurs.

* Nicholas Meyer's novel (later adapted to film), ''TheSevenPercentSolution'' proposed that the Moriarty stories were complete fictions invented by Watson to cover for Holmes's recovery from cocaine addiction. (This was to explain the canon's apparent contradiction of Moriarty dying in the story that ''introduced'' him, yet figuring in other prequel stories.) In the story, Moriarty is revealed as Holmes's childhood maths tutor, whom Holmes had cast as a criminal in his drug-induced delirium. The story ends with a departing Holmes suggesting that Watson explain his absence to the readers by telling them he'd been murdered by his math tutor.

* Creator/MichaelChabon's 2004 novella ''The Final Solution'', in which Holmes (never named directly, but it is clearly him), a 90ish old man living in country retirement as a beekeeper, tries to locate a German Jewish boy's stolen parrot.

* ''Basil of Baker Street'', later adapted by Disney as TheGreatMouseDetective. A FunnyAnimal version of the mythos, and many a child's first exposure to Sherlock Holmes. Basil's name is an obvious ShoutOut to Basil Rathbone. Rathbone himself even has a vocal cameo (albeit one well after his death) as Holmes himself.
* ''Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street'', a popular tongue-in-cheek "biography" of Sherlock Holmes written in 1962 by W.S. Baring-Gould, has been the source of many [[EpilepticTrees interesting theories]] about Holmes, some of which are often assumed to be canon (even in this very entry). These include the idea that the King of Bohemia was Edward [=VII=]; that Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler became lovers in Montenegro during the time Holmes was hiding from Moran, and that Irene returned to New Jersey to bear his child, a boy later known as NeroWolfe [[note]]This was actually suggested to him by Rex Stout, the writer of the Nero Wolfe novels, but given that Stout once wrote a paper suggesting that Watson was a woman...[[/note]]; that Holmes in his twenties was a stage actor in a company that toured America; that he worked on the JackTheRipper case; that Watson had three wives; that Holmes's bee-keeping in later years was intended as a way of producing royal jelly, then thought of as a "fountain of youth"; and that Holmes died in the 1950s after spending the war years - when he would have been roughly 90 years old - fighting Nazis. In ''Film/TheAdventureOfSherlockHolmesSmarterBrother'', the title character, Siegerson, is named for Baring-Gould's Holmes ''pere''. As a way of freeing up Sherlock and Mycroft for their various occupations while still ensuring they were members of the "right" class, Baring-Gould invented Sherringford, the eldest--and smartest--brother, who stayed home in Yorkshire to take care of the responsibilities of a country squire. Sherringford was Holmes's original name in Doyle's first draft of ''A Study in Scarlet''.
* ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheDurbervilles'' by KimNewman focuses on Professor Moriarty and his subordinate, Sebastian Moran, as they share a series of adventures that oddly echo Holmes's famous cases and have them meeting [[MassiveMultiplayerCrossover numerous other characters from Victorian and Edwardian fiction]]. The last story in the collection, "The Problem of the Final Adventure", retells "The Final Problem" from Moran's point of view.

* In PoulAnderson's "Literature/TimePatrol", the Victorian era office would like to hire a contemporary detective, but the only one clever enough is probably clever enough to figure out the Time Patrol. Other clues makes it clear who this unnamed detective is.

* ''Series/SherlockHolmes'', produced by Granada Television (ITV), starring JeremyBrett, David Burke, and Edward Hardwicke. Ran from 1984 to 1994, and is generally considered to be most faithful to Conan Doyle's original vision of the character. Series one and two ran under then name ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'', three and four ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'', five ''The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes'', and six ''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes''. Five feature length episodes were made and released between series, two based on the novels ''The Sign of Four'' and ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'', three based on short stories turned into AdaptationExpansion.
* The [[TheEighties 1979-1986]] [[SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet]] series of TV movies ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSherlockHolmesAndDoctorWatson''[[note]][[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOz_tmEeHBg&feature=PlayList&p=0D0299955BBF4203&index=0&playnext=1 available here]])[[/note]] -- no relationship to the above. A Russian-language series notable for ''not'' [[{{Flanderization}} flanderizing]] Watson into an idiot, being a generally faithful AdaptationDistillation and for the fact that the actor playing Holmes got an Order of the British Empire for his portrayal (surprising for a Soviet citizen). It's also provided fodder for a lot of [[RussianHumor Russian jokes]] (but then again, what doesn't?)

* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'', a BBC miniseries beginning July 2010. Created by StevenMoffat and MarkGatiss, the series stars BenedictCumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and MartinFreeman as Dr John Watson in a 21st-century SettingUpdate of the original stories. The show has been a critical and commercial smash hit both in the UK and abroad and cleaned up at the 2011 {{BAFTA}}s, including wins for Best Supporting Actor (Freeman) and Best Drama Series.
* The Canadian mystery series ''Series/TheAdventuresOfShirleyHolmes'' was about the great-grandniece of Sherlock Holmes solving crimes.

* CBS has now added an American television adaptation of the Holmes stories titled ''Elementary'', which stars Johnny Lee Miller has Holmes and Lucy Liu as Watson. There has been much FandomWank over the idea of ''Elementary'' alone.

* Sherlock Holmes first appeared on-stage in a 1899 play written by and starring William Gillette. Simply titled ''Theatre/SherlockHolmes'', it featured an original plot. Years later, OrsonWelles would adapt the play for ''The Mercury Radio Theater'' with the explanation that, "It is not enough to say that William Gillette looks like Sherlock Holmes: Sherlock Holmes looks ''exactly'' like William Gillette." It was Gillette, and not Doyle, who popularized most of the visual tropes associated with the character to this day such as the deerstalker cap, the distinctive pipe and riding cloak. His iconic attire was originally depicted by Sidney Paget, who illustrated the stories for their initial publication in ''Strand Magazine'', but he only put Holmes in them in appropriate situations: when the story took him out of London, and into the countryside.
* Starting in 1988, JeremyBrett and his second Watson, Edward Hardwicke, starred in a stage production titled ''Theatre/TheSecretOfSherlockHolmes''. It was written by Jeremy Paul, who scripted many episodes of [[Series/SherlockHolmes the Granada Television series.]]

** ''SherlockHolmesVersusJackTheRipper''

* Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce starred as Holmes and Watson in a popular series of film adaptations in the 1930s and 1940s. The first two ("The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes") were produced by [[/index]]TwentiethCenturyFox and were based on, respectively, the Doyle novel and the William Gillette play; both were set in the Victorian era. The others, produced by Creator/{{Universal}}, moved the setting to the 1940s. Initially, Holmes and Watson fought ThoseWackyNazis[[index]], but they later went up against more conventional crooks. Bruce's portrayal of Watson as a bumbling incompetent rather than the original ladykilling man of action helped begin a long chain of similar AdaptationDecay.

** This series is predated by "Sherlock Holmes in the 23rd Century", a two-part episode of the 1987 series ''WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}}'' with the same concept.

* Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce starred as Holmes and Watson in a popular series of film adaptations in the 1930s and 1940s. The first two ("The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes") were produced by [[/index]]TwentiethCenturyFox and were based on, respectively, the Doyle novel and the William Gillette play; both were set in the Victorian era. The others, produced by Creator/{{Universal}}[[index]], moved the setting to the 1940s. Initially, Holmes and Watson fought ThoseWackyNazis, but they later went up against more conventional crooks. Bruce's portrayal of Watson as a bumbling incompetent rather than the original ladykilling man of action helped begin a long chain of similar AdaptationDecay.

* Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce starred as Holmes and Watson in a popular series of film adaptations in the 1930s and 1940s. The first two ("The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes") were produced by [[/index]]TwentiethCenturyFox[[index]] and were based on, respectively, the Doyle novel and the William Gillette play; both were set in the Victorian era. The others, produced by {{Universal}}, moved the setting to the 1940s. Initially, Holmes and Watson fought ThoseWackyNazis, but they later went up against more conventional crooks. Bruce's portrayal of Watson as a bumbling incompetent rather than the original ladykilling man of action helped begin a long chain of similar AdaptationDecay.

* Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce starred as Holmes and Watson in a popular series of film adaptations in the 1930s and 1940s. The first two ("The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes") were produced by TwentiethCenturyFox and were based on, respectively, the Doyle novel and the William Gillette play; both were set in the Victorian era. The others, produced by {{Universal}}, moved the setting to the 1940s. Initially, Holmes and Watson fought ThoseWackyNazis, but they later went up against more conventional crooks. Bruce's portrayal of Watson as a bumbling incompetent rather than the original ladykilling man of action helped begin a long chain of similar AdaptationDecay.

** This series is predated by "Sherlock Holmes in the 23rd Century", a two-part episode of the 1987 SpaceWestern ''WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}}'' with the same concept.

** This series is predated by "Sherlock Holmes in the 23rd Century", a two-part episode of the 1987 SpaceWestern ''WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}'' with the same concept.

* ''SherlockHound'', an {{Anime}} adaptation that recast the characters as {{Funny Animal}}s and aired in 1984 and 1985.
* ''SherlockHolmesInTheTwentySecondCentury'', a 1999 AnimatedAdaptation of Holmes RecycledINSPACE!
* Holmes and Watson appeared in one episode of ''BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''. During their time, Jason Blood tried (and failed) to bring Batman to that time but Holmes completed the spell. Holmes was soon able to deduce Batman must have been born to some doctor or at least wealthy man.

A common urban legend is that Sherlock Holmes fanfics were so common made the writers of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' believe the character, as well as his nemesis Professor Moriarty, were in the public domain when they made the episode "Elementary, My Dear Data", only to receive an angry letter from the Doyle estate. This is, unfortunately, not supported by the facts, but it makes a good story -- students of urban legends will, of course, recognize some slight resemblance between this and the Neiman-Marcus Red Velvet Cake legend.

* 1979, Murder By Decree starring Christopher Plummer as Holmes and James Mason as (a Non-Flanderized) Watson on JackTheRipper case. The basis for the plot was the book Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution By Stephen Knight, same book that would be the basis for Alan Moore's FromHell some years later. It was seen by some as a DarkerAndEdgier Sherlock Holmes movie but, given the subject matter, it's understandable. This was the second time Holmes and the Ripper met, the first time was in the 1966 movie A Study in Terror.

* Nicholas Meyer's novel (later adapted to film), ''The Seven Percent Solution'' proposed that the Moriarty stories were complete fictions invented by Watson to cover for Holmes's recovery from cocaine addiction. (This was to explain the canon's apparent contradiction of Moriarty dying in the story that ''introduced'' him, yet figuring in other prequel stories.) In the story, Moriarty is revealed as Holmes's childhood maths tutor, whom Holmes had cast as a criminal in his drug-induced delirium. The story ends with a departing Holmes suggesting that Watson explain his absence to the readers by telling them he'd been murdered by his math tutor.

->''Here dwell together still two men of note\\

And it is always eighteen ninety-five.''

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional PrivateDetective (or, Consulting Detective, [[InsistentTerminology the term he preferred]]), an analytical genius with generally unrivaled deductive powers (and a [[NoSocialSkills complete lack of social skills]] [[hottip:*: Though various adaptations tend to overplay this; in the stories, he can occasionally be TheSocialExpert]]). The original version lived in VictorianLondon, at 221B Baker Street.

Throughout the stories only one person ever refers to Holmes as "Sherlock", and that's his brother. Nearly everyone else, even Watson, calls him "Holmes" or "''Mister'' Holmes". This is normal for Victorian and Edwardian England; at the time, you'd only use a first name to address family members, romantic partners (and you had to be all but engaged), junior servants, or children.[[hottip:*:The sole exception to this was between young women who were very close friends.]] One minor character in "The Sign of Four" refers to him as "Mister Sherlock", which in context implied that he'd known Holmes since boyhood. Additionally, this is updated and [[PlayingWithATrope played with]] in the 2011 Ritchie sequel, where Mycroft calls his brother "[[GenderBlenderName Sherly]]" on a number of occasions.

* ''Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street'', a popular tongue-in-cheek "biography" of Sherlock Holmes written in 1962 by W.S. Baring-Gould, has been the source of many [[EpilepticTrees interesting theories]] about Holmes, some of which are often assumed to be canon (even in this very entry). These include the idea that the King of Bohemia was Edward [=VII=]; that Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler became lovers in Montenegro during the time Holmes was hiding from Moran, and that Irene returned to New Jersey to bear his child, a boy later known as NeroWolfe [[hottip:* :(This was actually suggested to him by Rex Stout, the writer of the Nero Wolfe novels, but given that Stout once wrote a paper suggesting that Watson was a woman...)]]; that Holmes in his twenties was a stage actor in a company that toured America; that he worked on the JackTheRipper case; that Watson had three wives; that Holmes's bee-keeping in later years was intended as a way of producing royal jelly, then thought of as a "fountain of youth"; and that Holmes died in the 1950s after spending the war years - when he would have been roughly 90 years old - fighting Nazis. In ''Film/TheAdventureOfSherlockHolmesSmarterBrother'', the title character, Siegerson, is named for Baring-Gould's Holmes ''pere''. As a way of freeing up Sherlock and Mycroft for their various occupations while still ensuring they were members of the "right" class, Baring-Gould invented Sherringford, the eldest--and smartest--brother, who stayed home in Yorkshire to take care of the responsibilities of a country squire. Sherringford was Holmes's original name in Doyle's first draft of ''A Study in Scarlet''.