You have got to be wondering. How many times can the TV gods rehash the same character? Sherlock Holmes is in everything.

So what makes Sherlock “Sherlock”? Sherlock is more than just a genius solving crimes. Here are the main elements of a Sherlock:

• Crime and mystery-solving genius
• The need for a companion, i.e. Doctor Watson
• An Arch-Nemesis, i.e. Moriarty
• Plays the violin or other musical instrument
• A drug addiction or other debilitating personal or interpersonal habits

That last one might be a bit surprising. Sherlock Holmes is the most famous detective in literature and the occasional cocaine and morphine user. Sherlock said he used them as an escape from “the dull routine of existence.” This was not unusual in Victorian England. The sale of opium, laudanum, cocaine, and morphine was legal.

Did Nerdatron’s advanced compumetrics miss a character based on Sherlock? Please let him know below.

1. Doctor Who – Who is Sherlock?

Doctor Who is clearly a problem-solving genius of galactic proportions. But what about the characteristics?

Ever wondered why the Doctor needed all those companions? They are the Doctor’s Doctor Watson. Sort of ironic, right? This is the multiple Watson trick. You will be seeing this trick again.

What about an Arch-Nemesis? Doctor Who has plenty of these. It seems like Doctor Who gets another nemesis with every incarnation:

• Daleks
• Fellow Time-Lord, the Master or Missy
• Cyber Men
• and on and on …

But what is the Doctor’s debilitating addiction? An extremely long lifespan that makes losing people both inevitable and difficult? Having “two” many hearts?

2. X-Files – Fox Mulder and Dana Scully

Fox Mulder is Sherlock. Elementary. Fox was even educated in London. He received his degree from Oxford University.

Doctor Dana Scully is – yup – Doctor Watson.

But what about that debilitating personal addictions? In this case, it’s Fox Mulder’s personal obsession. The loss of his sister. The obsessive search for the truth concerning aliens.

Who is Fox Mulder’s Arch-Nemesis? There are some options here. The CSG, the infamous Cigarette Smoking Man, is the leading candidate. He is also part of a larger organization, as well, The Syndicate.

3. House – Doctor Sherlock

Another genius solving mysteries, medical mysteries. House even lives at 221B, Sherlock’s address on Baker Street.

And, House plays an instrument. The piano. Maybe it’s not a violin like Sherlock, but Hugh Laurie, the actor who plays House, is a virtuoso in real life. He even plays in a band! The Copper Bottom Band:

You might be thinking Doctor Gregory House is sort of a combination of Sherlock and Doctor Watson. Maybe. But that begs the questions, who is Dr. House’s Dr. Watson?

Dr. House needs all those doctor interns around as his … Doctor Watson. This is the multiple Watson trick. Not unlike another Doctor on the list, Doctor Who. There’s also Dr. James Wilson, maybe the true “Dr. W”:

Dr. House’s addiction? Vicodin. House may be the biggest addict of all the Sherlocks. And now with the opioid addiction crisis raging …

4. Miss Marple & Poirot – The Agatha Christie to Sherlock Connection

How many shows have been based on Sherlock via Agatha Christie? Here are some female Sherlocks, and I don’t mean Irene Adler.

• Murder, She Wrote – Jessica Fletcher based on Miss Marple. Both of these ladies solve mysteries while clutching a handbag.

There’s also the G. K. Chesterton connection through Father Brown.

• Father Dowling Mysteries – I’m not gonna say rip-off, but …

5. MacGyver – MacSherlock

Brilliantly solving intractable problems? MacSherlock.

Murdoc is obviously MacGyver’s Moriarty Arch-Nemesis.

Who would be the Doctor Watson, though? Peter Thornton or Jack Dalton? Take your pick.

MacGyver’s addiction? Alfalfa sprouts? Do-gooding? Not using guns? This category might not fit. His friends do have a bad habit of dying, though.

6. Star Trek? Spock-lock?

Does that mean Spock has been the main character all along? Move over, Captain Kirk. I mean, Captain Watson.

I thought this one might be a bit of a stretch. THEN, I read the following …

In Star Trek XI, Spock declares, “An ancestor of mine maintained that if you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains – however improbable – must be the truth.” This is, of course, a Sherlock Holmes quote. The implied meaning is that Spock’s human half traces its ancestry to Sherlock Holmes. Or what if Sherlock was really a Vulcan? An alien, that is … where’s Agent Fox Sherlock?

Makes sense, though, right? Both characters are highly logical and cold, personality-wise.

Also, don’t forget about Data and his holodeck cosplay:

7. Monk – Adrian Monk

This one might be a bit on the nose.

• 

Crime-solving genius? Check.

Need for a companion? Check. See above.

Debilitating personal addiction? Check. Extreme OCD.

Honorable Sherlock Mentions

There are so many more:

• Backstrom – Everett Backstrom
• Luther – John Luther
• Psych – Shawn Spencer
• The Mentalist – Patrick Jane
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent – Robert Goren
• Forever – Dr. Henry Morgan

Did Nerdatron miss any major Sherlock-based characters? He is sure there are more … Help him in the comments below!