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My thoughts on Sherlock/Doctor Who

Sherlock was a bit good, eh? It’s like Doctor Who for grown ups.

That’s not to say that Doctor Who is for children, but a lot of adults seem to think it is, so they don’t watch it. I don’t understand this— if people like Sherlock, they’d probably genuinely enjoy Doctor Who as well.

Sherlock and Doctor Who have very similar lead characters— both super-smart, but both lost in their own world and pretty disconnected from anyone else.

They also both have similar supporting characters, with Watson being Sherlock’s equivalent of the Doctor’s ‘companion’, who is more relatable than the lead, but is in awe of them, making the viewer feel the same.

They have very similar plot structures, generally ending in a big reveal which Sherlock/The Doctor had been working out all along, but the viewer wasn’t aware of this and was led up distracting alleys. In both, the reveals often don’t necessarily make sense or are ridiculously farfetched, but the pace of the show doesn’t allow much time for thinking, so the viewer just enjoys the ride. In both shows, the reveals and resolutions can be surprising and/or upsetting. As far as I can tell, Sherlock isn’t too complicated for kids, and Doctor Who isn’t too dumbed down for adults.

To me, they’re almost the same show, but in different genres. Which is understandable, since they both have Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss guiding them.

But Sherlock is held in higher esteem. People above the age of 21 or so seem less ashamed to be seen watching Sherlock. I love Doctor Who, but admitting this often provokes looks of pity.

I’m not why this is. Maybe it’s the condensed nature of Sherlock’s three episode seasons that makes it seem more special, in contrast to Doctor Who’s twelve episode seasons making it just another TV show. Maybe the sporadic moments of violence in Sherlock (mainly in that last episode) make it seem more ‘gritty’ compared to Doctor Who, which has less violence, but more genuinely exciting, fun moments.

I don’t know. I’m not writing this to argue it either way or figure out a reason, just thought it was interesting.

Thoughts, etc?