Fandoms for the Modern World

Basil Rathbone

Jeremy Brett

Benedict Cumberbatch

    

Robert Downey, Jr.

Jonny Lee Miller

Will the real Sherlock Holmes please stand up? All five of these men—along with many others—could positively answer that call. However, even though all of these actors have played the brilliant British detective, every Sherlock Holmes fan has their own opinion on who is the real Sherlock Holmes.

I have heard quite a few fans who are very vocal about their opinions too—after all, if there is anything the Sherlock Holmes fandom can claim, it’s making their presence known. Some love the classic, gentlemen detectives while others love the more physical ones. Some are appalled by the adaptations that put Holmes in a contemporary world while others love that he is such an adaptable character.

For example, many people don't like the show Elementary because it is set in the US, not necessarily because they don't like Jonny Lee Miller. Sherlock is often seen in direct contest with Elementary because they are both contemporary television shows. That is shown with this popular meme.

There are still those who don't like that Sherlock is in a contemporary time period even if it is on the right side of the Atlantic, but there are many who do like that it is focused on the intellectually superior aspects of Holmes's character.

But, then again, there are those who are more interested in the physical, action movie type and tend to like Robert Downey, Jr.'s Holmes more than Benedict Cumberbatch's.

And, of course, there are those who love the older adaptations with actors like Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett who play Sherlock Holmes with all of the class and finesse of the ideal British gentleman. 

Whatever their reasons, each Sherlock Holmes fan knows who their Holmes is, and they are not afraid to make it known. As for me, I enjoy many of the adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes stories—though I am just enough of a purist to not love him being set in the US—but I definitely have a favorite.

Can you guess who it is? I’ll give you a hint: He’s one of the five I have pictured above. Not a very helpful hint, I’ll grant you that, though I think my post contains a couple more. I guess you’ll just have to figure it out yourself.