Genius Misunderstood: What Sherlock Holmes is Not

By Chris B.

Early next year, the award-winning BBC series Sherlock makes its return.

If you’re disinclined to follow this iteration of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective, you are missing out.  Not only have you denied yourself the unadulterated pleasure of watching the magic between Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch, you’ve sidestepped the quality writing and excellent storytelling of Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat that has kept this series a hit, despite its painfully extended breaks in the ultra-saturated marketplace of television.

A key reason to watch is, of course, the characters; Holmes and Watson have been the prototypical pair for nearly every detective duo that has tumbled after them.  However, this has occasionally led to misconceptions about them.  Legends tend to morph over time, lessening their appeal, and if the audience doesn’t like the characters, they will tune out and never look back.

Sherlock has cultivated a reputation as a less than stellar person—cold, cruel, and untenable.  But this assessment is anything but true.  What follows are top five misconceptions about the world’s best known—and least understood—detective.