21st Century Ideas in CBS’ Television Series Elementary
Session Title
Additional Abstracts
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
English
Faculty Mentor
Jo Koster, Ph.D.
Abstract
Author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character, Sherlock Holmes, has influenced the creation of various adaptations over the years. In the 21st Century, for instance, many Holmes adaptations have been produced. While these film adaptations were created in modern times, many of them do not properly show contemporary ideas that represent society today. Out of all the modern adaptations, the CBS series, Elementary, is the best reworking because it properly reflects the most contemporary ideas. Historically, Doyle’s original works did not show issues such as drug addiction, mental health, or the presentation of different races and ethnicities in a way that is proper for modern audiences. The purpose of this paper is to show that Elementary examines these issues in a way that better reflects the world we live in today. Using various scholarly researched sources, this paper discusses how Elementary appeals to contemporary viewers by properly addressing certain issues. As well, this paper looks at examples of Doyle’s original works to show how Elementary modernized the story of Sherlock Holmes to appeal to 21st Century ideas. The main idea of this essay is that the way that race, gender, and mental health are portrayed in Elementary appeal to modern audiences because they are depicted properly. This essay presents researched-based information to show that CBS’ adaptation represents modern life better than other versions of Sherlock Holmes.
Course Assignment
ENGL 310 - Koster
21st Century Ideas in CBS’ Television Series Elementary
Author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character, Sherlock Holmes, has influenced the creation of various adaptations over the years. In the 21st Century, for instance, many Holmes adaptations have been produced. While these film adaptations were created in modern times, many of them do not properly show contemporary ideas that represent society today. Out of all the modern adaptations, the CBS series, Elementary, is the best reworking because it properly reflects the most contemporary ideas. Historically, Doyle’s original works did not show issues such as drug addiction, mental health, or the presentation of different races and ethnicities in a way that is proper for modern audiences. The purpose of this paper is to show that Elementary examines these issues in a way that better reflects the world we live in today. Using various scholarly researched sources, this paper discusses how Elementary appeals to contemporary viewers by properly addressing certain issues. As well, this paper looks at examples of Doyle’s original works to show how Elementary modernized the story of Sherlock Holmes to appeal to 21st Century ideas. The main idea of this essay is that the way that race, gender, and mental health are portrayed in Elementary appeal to modern audiences because they are depicted properly. This essay presents researched-based information to show that CBS’ adaptation represents modern life better than other versions of Sherlock Holmes.
