hi so I saw you reblogging so much of (different) sherlock stuff. where is it all from and how gay is everything if u dont mind me asking? :D have a good day/night (:
Updated version: 21.04.2025
Hey nonny, thank you for asking. I guess you allready know BBC Sherlock so i skip that and come straight gay to other stuff.
1. The The Furtive Festivity. It is a Johnlock comedy short movie that was produced during the bbc sherlock season 4 aftermath (seaosn 4 aftermath = fans who didn't liked the idea of canon Johnlock said that IF we want a canon Johnlock we should do it ourselves. So the heros of @sherlockppu started a crowdfunding page and made this short movie). It is about John who trys to organize a surprise party for Sherlock. It is really funny, full of heart, unapologetic gay and has a super soft ending. It can be watched for free on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQaoCdh7q6I
2. CBS Elementary. It had the bad luck to be released during the second season of BBC Sherlock. So many people ignored it and/or gave it a lot of hate. It is not justified imo. Like BBC Sherlock it plays in modern times, but it plays in modern NY. Sherlock is a tattooed ex junkie (still british) who just got dischared from a rehab center and Joan is an chinese woman. She is an ex doctor and now should help Sherlock for six weeks to get back into his regular life, find a job again, stay clean and go to therapy. Even with those changes is a really briliant adaptation that stays really true to the orginial stories. It is super nerdy, the humor is on point, the cases are really clever and the show cares deeply for its characters. It is also really diverse. For a whole season Sherlock is dating a disabled woman, mental illnesses are a topic, Sherlocks drug use is topic in every season, lgbt people get mentioned really often and appearing often as side characters. Sadly noone of the main cast is queer but the possibility is allways discussed. Actually the sexuality of the whole main cast, expecially of Joan Watson and Marcus Bell, are left open and there are a lot of nice shipping options in the show that the writers deeply care for: male/male, female/male, female/female as well as an OT3. I would highly recommend to check it out. It is my favorite adaptation. The last epsiode is aired tonight. The show is closed in seven seasons. I can not say how season 7 final is, but orginially season 6 was planned as the final and it is an awesome final season that gives you everthing you want and more.
Edit: Season 7 is absolut amazing. Reichenbach happens, no shock value ending. No force straight relationship. Untraditional family bounds. The ending is honoring the relationships of the characters and the growth they archieved. This show is amazing. Please watch it (many shows can still learn from this ending).
Edit 2: After I asked one of the Elementary writers (Robert Hewitt Wolfe) here on tumblr about the queer undertones he confirmed that Sherlock - in this adaptation - is definitly implied to be queer (Longest yay ever!) He also confirmed that Sherlock - in this adaptation - is basically neurodivergent.
3. RDJ Sherlock Holmes. The movies with RDJ and Jude Law are focusing more on Sherlock nature as a fighter then on his deduction skills. Nevertheless they are also really clever written and i like how Guy Ritchie is filming his stories. There are two movie, a third one will be released decemeber 2021. The first movie is named “Sherlock Holmes” and focus on a more fictive case that is not discussed in the orginial ACD books. While the second movie focuses on the Moriaty case and stays more true to the ACD canon. The relationship between John and Watson is really queer, especially in the second movie. Sure it is still a Hollywood movie so Sherlock is dating Irene, but a kiss between Sherlock and a woman that you can see in the trailer was cut from the final movie and instead we got a Sherlock and John dancing scene. (In the second movie: A game of shadows.”). Jude Law himself describes the movie as a rom com. I would also recommend you to check them out. They are on Netflix. Also the humor is great and costumes are a dream.
4. Granada Sherlock Holmes. That is a TV show that was released 1984 and actually retells all of the orginal stories 1:1. With a few changes. John never marries Mary and the personal life of John and Sherlock gets more fleshed out. Jeremy Brett who is playing Sherlock Holmes is really close to how i imagined ACD Sherlock Holmes. John Watson is not portrayed as dumb side kick like other adaptations did back then but as a clever fellow. Of course because of the time it is only subtextual queer but due to the performance of the main actors they are really shipable. Jeremy Brett the actor of Sherlock was bisexual in real life and said such golorious things as “If it cheers up the gays, I’m thrilled“
5. the private life of sherlock holmes. The movie was released 1970. I do not know if I can highly recommend it but the author wrote Sherlock as a closet gay man in this adapatation and if you are a fan of BBC sherlock you will find a lot of similarities. Because the writers of BBC sherlock based their TV show on this movie. Nevertheless there are some great queer scene. For example where Sherlock refuse to impregnate a woman by saying that he and John are in a loving relationship. You can also find that scene on Youtube if you are interested in that.
6. Miss Sherlock. A TV show from HBO asia where both Shelrock and John are japense woman. While the first case is really disappoiting imo it gets a lot better in the later epsiodes. I only have watched the first three epsiode (because i am from germany and i do not like to stream illegal) but from what i saw it is a really promising show. John and Sherlock are of course really shippable again. What of course gets a really great new dynamic with both of them being women. Some who watched the last epsiode even go so far to say that Johnlock is canon in this adaptation. I can neither confirm nor deny that.
Edit: I have now watched all epsiodes and I can tell you that this adaption has the most well written Reichenbach ending I have ever seen. First, does the show levels up from a really mediocre first epsiode to a breathtaking final epsiode it. Second, while a few elements in the final epsiodes are copied from BBC Sherlock they are 100% better written, so clever and so well crafted. Also I now understand why people say that Watolock is canon here. I do not want to spoil to much but at the end Wato has to choose between her boyfriend and Sherlock. The rest is obvious, isn‘t it
7. Gosick. Also a japense adaptation. In this case as an anime and as books. I only read the books. In this adaptation Sherlock is a teenage girl with long blond hair who lives in the higest room of an old library in a school for rich kids. John is a teenage boy who comes from Japan and got an internship at this school because his brothers and his father are army members. John himself is not really a soilder but he does his best. He and Sherlock (Victorique) are solving cases in 9 different novels. There is nothing queer about this adaptation but i love how well written the cases are and that unlike other young Sherlock novels John does not gets ereased. Appreantly there are also sequel novels but i can not tell you something about.
8. House md. An medial/hospital AU where both John and Sherlock are sucessful doctors. Sherlock (Gregory House) has a drug addiction, is really arrogant but allways gets soft when he is around his Watson (James Wilson). All in all it is more clever written hospital show, but it never forgets its orginis (House is living in 221B, Irene Adler gets mentioned and in the last season Reichenbach happens). And i can spoil you so much. It takes you a time to ship House and Wilson but later they move in a house together, propose to eachother (”as a joke” sure jan..) and they drive into the sunset together at the end. Also pay attention to the music soundtracks. Most of what is left unsaid is told by the soundtracks. The show is closed in 8 seasons.
9. Enola Holmes - Books. The books are about a fictive young sister for Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes who is solving cases on her own. The stories are still set in 1900. I only have read the first four novels so far. Now, 2024, there are nine Enola Holmes books.
There is nothing queer about the first novel. Sadly, John does not even appear in the first novel and imo the author gets a few things wrong about how Sherlock thinks about women. But the book is surprisingly feministic for a teen novel. Being a woman in Victorian era gets used as a weapon here in a way you wouldn’t expected. Ther first novel does not even has 200 pages but is a good read if your want a well crafted young teen book with a strong female lead.
Edit 1: I have now read novel 1 to 4 and until now there was only one Johnlock moment. At the end of the third book Johnlock gets their own short chapter. Nothing queer… just really soft (I am not complaining). On the other hand, Enola has a “friend”, a young lady that she constantly needs to save from trouble, Lady Cecily. They are not girlfriends, but really shipable in a very cute ‘first teenage love’ way. When Enola thinks about her (and she does that really often) she calls her “my missunderstood lady”. Especially the fourth novel turned out really queer in general, with all being subtext and probably not intended by the author herself.
Edit 2: I now have read book 1 to 8. The books are still not queer but Nancy Springer (the author) said she is okay with every interpretation we might have of Enola and her love life, she just won't give Enola a romantic relarionship, neither male nor female. (She is actually really angry at the movies for making Enola fall in love with a boy, lol). Still nothing queer between Holmes and Watson, but the Enola/Cecily relationship keeps on going strong. Go lesians! (not canon).,
I can highly recommend the books!
9. Enole Holmes - two movies. Based on the Enola Holmes book series a movie was released 2020 with Henry Cavil as Sherlock and Millie Bobby Brown as his young sister Enola. The movie adapts the first book but does not really sticks to its orginial plot. Many things get changed. That does not mean it is a bad movie but many motives seem really poorly explained in the movie, when you compare it with the book. A really MAJOR change happens in the movie: Enola falls in love with a boy what NEVER happens in the books (she is more attracted to girls, see above). So there is nothing queer about the movie. Also because Cavill!Sherlock does not meet his John yet. There are one or two nice gay panic scenes for Sherlock nevertheless.
Edit: the second movie was released recently. Sadly it is still really heterosexual and has nothing to do with the books anymore. I really enjoyed the second movie nevertheless. And we finally got our John! Sadly he is only appears at the end of the movie and only for a few seconds but he exchanges some really soft smiles with Sherlock. So I am really hyped for a potential third movie, hopefully with more John watson content!
10. The Irregulars - TV Show. The Irregulars is a TV-show that was released on Netflix 2021 and has one season so far. I actually do not think the official description of Netflix is really accurate so i will choose another one. The Irregulars is about Sherlock Holmes who lost control over his drug use so John Watson is engaging a gang of street kids to solve crimes for him, and like that tries save his and Sherlocks reputation. The Baker Street Irregulars were allready featured in the orginial novels by ACD. Allready here they helped Holmes to solve cases from time to time. The Irregulars (the show) mostly focuses on the cases the gang has to solve. They have a supernatural twist. John and Sherlock are more supporting characters, but nevertheless center of the story. Is it gay? Yes, definitly. Slight Spoilers ahead. Beware. In this adaptation John is a) a man of color and b) gay. He is confirmed - in the show - in love with Sherlock. He admits it multiple times and he has to face no homophobia for it. Also some background characters are gay and dance, kiss and cuddle at the birthday party of the prince of Endland. On the other hand Sherlock is really straight in this adaptation. And not in the way Elementary is straight with a few sex scenes and a girlfriend. But straight straight. So there is no canon Johnlock in this adaptation…. yet? All in all this adaptation is really tragic so noone is happy in the end. Nevertheless it allready holds a special place in my heart. Not only because it is the major Sherlock Holmes adaptation where John is canonly gay. But also because this show straight- and queerbaits the audience in the most beautiful way possible. Some people say the show gets Sherlocks and John personality completly wrong but i would argue in its weird twisted it gets them better then any other adaptation i have seen so far. “Sherlock Holmes i not the work of one man, but of two.” And Royce (John Watson) is doing the most jealous, heartbreaking, love puppy faces i have ever seen. This man has an acting range. It blows me away. The only downside, especially the first three eps are really bad written, but it gets better and there is a lot of potential to develop. (i will add a better picture of these two cuties as soon as i find one)
11. BBC Sherlock - closed in 4 seasons. It was brought to my attention that many people haven’t watched BBC Sherlock these days, or never finished it. So i am finally adding BBC Sherlock here as well. It plays in modern London and every episode is 90 minutes long. But every season has only three episodes. It doesn’t really has an overall plot but more focus on the overall cases. Nevertheless Moriaty is allways in the focus of the story. Sadly I can not say it is gay. But it is great at queerbaiting. So good that even the official BBC3 twitter channel posted Johnlock shipping posts… but they never become canon in this adaptation. Also neither John nor Sherlock are confirmed queer. The show heavily plays with the idea of them being a couple without actually ever going there. John even asked Sherlock if he has a boyfriend when they first meet. But actually the close relationship they have is allways played for jokes. There are some gay side characters but all of them turn out to be evil. Nevertheless season 1 to 3 and TAB are really well written and worth a look. Season 4 is a mess full of plotholes and abonding every chemistry these two shared in favor of a straight ending.
12: Sherlock Hound - closed in two seasons.
Sherlock Hound is an anime, done by Studio Ghibli, directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Totoro etc.). It is about Holmes and Watson who happen to be dogs, in a universe where everyone is a dog. The episodes are around 25 minutes long each, and always feature one closed case. It is always Moriarty and his gang vs. Holmes/Watson. There are many throwbacks to the original ACD books, which is really lovely. Sometimes the easter eggs are hidden, sometimes they are really obvious. I only have watched the first 8 cases but so far the show is a lot of fun because every character is treated with respect, especially John. He is not the dumb side kick but a best and caring friend. So there are many soft scenes between him and Holmes. Even though it is not "gay" it is still cute to watch, especially when you enjoy a well written Holmes/Watson dynamic. But they both seem to be attracted to Mrs. Hudson? Thats what i am still really confused about. I will keep you updated.
13. Sherlock & Co - season 1 still running
Sherlock & Co is podcast, currently running on Spotify and everywhere where you can listen to podcasts. Its about John who just returned from the Ukraine, wounded and jobless. And of course he ends up in 221B together with Holmes. And they start solving cases together. The twist, John is a podcaster in this one. So he always speaks directly, to us, the audience. So its an audio book, pretending to be a podcast. Its a lot of fun. John is an akward nerd in this one, suffering from PTSD, and Sherlock has canon autism, among other diagnoses. The cases are always split in two or three parts, between 20 to 30 minutes long. Is it gay? Well.... we don't know that yet. They made Victor Trevor gay, which is big thumb ups from me, and the authors are aware of Johnlock. But if they will go there eventually? Only time will tell.
Edit: So the author of Sherlock & Co has spoken about Johnlock in their adaptation. So far, they don't want to do it:
Nevertheless he used the same tweet to imply that their Sherlock might be queer:
If we get something canon inside the podcast itself... nobody knows. Again, only time will tell
Edit: Regarding the One year anniversary of the podcast Joel has now confirmed Sherlock as queer in the one year anniversary Q&A on Youtube:
So far Sherlock is not confirmed as queer in the show itself.
Update: We got that quote in The Sign of Four, Part 4. I think it is still not a 100% confirmed but we are moving closer:
14. The Great Mouse Detective - movie
Thats a Disney movie from 1986. Sherlock and Watson are mice, living under 221B. Watson just returned from Afghanistan and is looking for a flat. He runs into a little crying girl. Her father got kidnapped by Moriarty. They go to Sherlock and together they solve the case. Its a great fun movie but also super unhinged. It has some really scary scenes, considering its a kids movie. BBC Sherlock might call himself a drama queen. THIS Sherlock here is the real drama queen. Its unbelievable. But also really funny of course. Him and Watson are really soft, Sherlock cares deeply for Watson and its really sad when he wants to leave again eventually. Nothing gay of course but a well written Holmes/Watson relationship.
15. The hound of the baskervilles 2002/The case of silk Stocking
These two are TV movies, aired 2002 and 2004. The connecting element is Ian Hart as John Watson. The actor of Sherlock Holmes gets changes in the second movie:
Both Holmes aren't good options imo, but Ian Hart as John Watson is a dream. The first movie focuses A LOT on Watson. The second one.. not so much. Is it gay? Well... it is compliacted. The first one has a really interesting take on the Holmes/Watson relationship, opening the movie with Holmes and Watson in a turkish bath, and them sharing a deep bound and many emotional scenes together. I personally read those scenes as queer (even though they were probably never meant like this). Watson has a really active part in the relationship. Setting boundraies and telling Holmes what to do and not to do. The first movie ends with Holmes asking Watson out on a date. The second movie? Gives Watson a random book non-accuarte love interest, and mostly ignores him. In the end Watson marries and leaves Holmes behind, featuring the iconic line: "“For me,” said Sherlock Holmes, “there still remains the cocaine-bottle.” And he stretched his long white hand up for it." So there are some queer undertones and i really think they were intentional (like Holmes being featured on the wedding photo) but all in all it is not queer.
16. Asylum Sherlock Holmes aka the one with the dino
Let us get one thing straight: This is a trash movie with no budget and it is absolutly aware of it. Nevertheless the actors carry the whole movie on their shoulder.. in just one oufit and a vest that is too short. While they battle a dinosaure... idk what else to tell you about this movie... But you are here for the important stuff. Is it gay? Surprisingly... yes?! Yes it is. Of course not out and proud. But Holmes and Watson nearly kiss? I nearly fall from my chair when it happened. There wasn't even a #nohomo! They nearly kissed (at this point Gareth David-Lloyd had already made out with JB in Torchwood so he is definitly open to kiss men). And then the movie just wents on. In the finale, after the battle is over and the big bad is dead (and no, its not the dino) they just stand there, look at each other: "Holmes...." then they nod, leaving A LOT of things unsaid and return to their home, 221B. This movie also has a really affectionate Holmes who touches his Watson a lot, who rushes to Watson once he is hurt, begging Watson not to give him drugs against the pain calling him "a bad bad man", also a lot of banter. Yeah it is a trash movie, yeah it has no budget, there isn't even a T-Rex in it, the poster is a complete lie... and still. My babies!
17. Sherlock Holmes 2002 - a case of evil (with James D'arcy)
Again a TV movie... what even is the plot of this movie? Holmes against evil drug dealing Moriarty? Idk honestly this movies goes in circles and circles. And Holmes has a lot of sex with women. The movie breaks with a lot of Sherlock Holmes rules on purpose and completly fails. Like Sherock not smoking a pipe but smoking exclusively cigarettes, or him not shaking Watsons hand when they meet for the first time so he can not deduce him ('afghanistan or iraq?') Its not good... nevertheless James D'arcy is a really enjoyable Sherlock Holmes who just nails the Holmes-look. A shame he was wasted like this. I think the potrayal of Watson is really interesting here. He is really bossy but never in an annoying way and he just moves into 221B without even asking Holmes. He takes care of his Holmes and they work really well together. Even with his 'odd' look (see below) he grew on me. But is gay? Not at all. If you squint really hard this Holmes got himself a top and a sugar daddy... but... no. Just don't watch this movie.
18. CBS Watson - Season two was recently announced
A medical drama, focusing on Watson who is working in a hospital. At this point Holmes already got killed by Moriarty. Watson is played by Morriss Chestnut. It is written by the CBS Elemenetary writing team. Popular characters like Mary Morstan and Irene Adler are also present. I haven't watched it yet, so I can not say more about it
19. Sherlock & daughter - TV show (The CW)
Sherlock Holmes becomes embroiled in a malevolent conspiracy involving his archenemy Professor Moriarty, and ends up joining forces with Amelia Rojas, a young Native-American woman whose mother was recently murdered. As they work together to crack the case, Amelia also sets out to prove that the great detective is her long-lost father. Thats the plot. I haven't watched it yet but quickly checked the IMBD page. Watson only appears as a guest character...
20. Fogtown - Youtube short movie
A stop-motion movie on Youtube where Holmes and Watson are boxes, and solve a crime together. Its made with a lot of love and humor and definietly worth a look. Is it gay? Well a tiny bit. It has some beautiful queer moments but it is not openly queer. No. Give it a look anyway, you can find the full movie here.
Written by Guy Ritchie, it focus on the Young Sherlock Holmes, based on the Young Sherlock Holmes novels by Andrew Lane. It will have Hero Fiennes Tiffin in the main role as Young Sherlock.
So that should be all for the beginning. I hope that helped. If you want more detailed information on one of the show feel free to contact me again.
A retelling of the Sherlock Holmes stories exploring such mysteries as: "Who are Sherlock's parents? How did Mrs Hudson find and lose her husband? How did Moriarty become "the Napoleon of crime?" And where did Watson come from?" Higginson will play Sherlock Holmes with Kemp as Moriarty; casting is ongoing for Dr Watson and the production team is in final talks for Mrs Hudson.
No casting news so far, but filming has recently started. If we are lucky, movie 3 will finally feature Holmes AND Watson!
It could be that i forget a show. In this case i will add it later.
And at my fellow Sherlockians feel free to add Russian Sherlock or Rathbone Sherlock or any other adaptation i haven’t watched yet.
