(CBS)
It’s elementary. All things must end sometime and now, the end is in sight for the Elementary TV show. It’s been announced that there won’t be an eighth season but, on the positive side, a seventh season of 13 episodes will wrap up the crime drama. The final year will bring the show’s tally to 154 episodes.
Airing on the CBS television network, Elementary follows detective Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and Doctor Joan Watson (Lucy Liu). This modern-day adaptation of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle detective stories features some new spins on the classic crime-solving duo. Instead of assisting Scotland Yard, they crack New York City’s toughest cases. A former surgeon who lost a patient, as well as her license to practice, Watson began as Sherlock’s sober companion. Eventually, their relationship evolved into an investigative partnership. The crime drama also stars Aidan Quinn as Captain Thomas Gregson and Jon Michael Hill as Detective Marcus Bell.
According to Deadline, when Elementary was renewed for a seventh season, it was decided that those episodes would also end the show. Why? It’s surely no coincidence that Liu and Miller’s contracts would have had to be renegotiated. The show’s network ratings have also continued to dwindle but the series is a lucrative money-maker in syndication and in international markets.
“A lot of parties came together and talked about their positions on the show — both in terms of business and in terms of creative — and we all decided that this was an opportune time to say goodbye to a show that has been very, very good to us,” CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl said.
Added executive producer Carl Beverly, “[Series creator Rob Doherty] set out to tell a story, and it feels like he has accomplished what he had set out to do. The actors, the crew and the cast feel that way, and we feel that. So are grateful and celebrating what we had and looking forward to the future.”
SPOILER ALERT The cast and crew had been unsure if they would get a seventh-year renewal so they’d already shot the sixth season finale as an appropriate end for the series. While the sixth season finale left our heroes in London, they will be returning to New York early in season seven. Holmes nemesis Odin Reichenbach, to be played by James Frein, will show up in episode five.
There will also be a time jump in the seventh season. Doherty said, “Something that I knew I wanted to do was move forward in time a bit with the characters by the very end… (In the books,) there was a period when Sherlock and Watson were not together, they went down very different paths, and their lives were very different from having been apart. We felt that would be appropriate for our show. A lot was season seven working towards that, how can we tell a larger story that would allow us to devise a finale that sets in not so distant future.”
CBS has not announced a premiere date for season seven but it will surely air sometime in 2019. Season six aired over the summer of 2018, ending in early September.
What do you think? Are you a fan of the Elementary TV show? Are you sorry that there won’t be an eighth season or, is season seven the right time to end the show?
I will miss this program. It is well played and very entertaining. Too bad, but more power to the actors who make it possible.
CBS like the other stations NBC,ABC,FOX always seem to cancel something good and loses viewers. I am watching more and more other local and a lot more cable stations due to their lack of concern for the loyal viewers.
Just like them… they get rid of great shows and keep crappy shows like the
Kardashians. Please get your heads on straight and start keeping good entertainment and not trash TV.
I am finding it more and more difficult to find quality TV shows on ANY platform.
Elementary was a great show! The writing & the acting was superb. Sadly it was overlooked on the award circuits. CBS mishandled this show by putting it on late & also changing days. Even though it didn’t do well in the ratings, it made enormous amounts of money for CBS via internationally & syndication, who by the way, owns the show. 7 seasons is a good run, but there is so many of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories to draw on that the show could have run for a few more seasons. I will miss seeing Sherlock & Watson every week.
I’ve read the preceding comments and agree with all to one degree or another. I’m an old fart, been watching commercial TV since the early fifties, have seen much of the best and the worst, sadly in modern times, the worst seems to be the accepted fare. Here we had great writing, superb cast, always a pleasure to watch the action unfold, whether inside that marvelous brownstone or out and about in the five boroughs and beyond. this was solid quality entertainment, so needless to say it met with moderate to cool response or support from CBS and the great… Read more »
Amen! from a fellow old gas passer
The ratings for this show have been pathetic for YEARS. I’m sure the plan was to get it to 7 seasons for syndication. They did it. Would Moonves have renewed it for another season? Who knows?
I love this show. I can’t believe it’s popularity has dwindled. It’s smart, involved, a very clever turn of the original. Johnny and Lucy were indeed an odd couple from the begining, but have turned into a perfect casting match. I will be sorry to see it go. If there is somewhere I can go to protest it’s cancellation, please let me know.
I agree with all the comments posted. I truly love all 4 of the main characters & have enjoyed, & been impressed by, their actual evolving empathy for each other in their real lives. Joan has done so much to bring feelings into Sherlock’s understanding of others around him. I was so happy to see her go to London with him. And the actual cases they were working were so clever & I let myself enjoy their doing the work instead of trying to solve it myself. Sherlock’s smarts with the tiny details was so fun such that the writers… Read more »
I agree with Robert Keppel entirely, this show was not the same old, predictable detective show and I appreciated the difference. From the opening credits till the final credits, you knew you were going to get the actual brain-tickle of a well plotted mystery with interesting and well-acted characters. Oh well…I guess the general public doesn’t prize originality as much as I do, nor do the networks. What a shame. I could have happily gone on watching this for more seasons. With what appeared to be a location change to London, I was really anticipating the next season and possibilities… Read more »
This show was Unique, Stylish, Suspenseful, Intriguingly, and Especially CLEVER! I see So Many “other” Detective/Crime Shows who’s Plots are Easily figured out and blatantly offer No Surprises. Elementary consistently presents Holmes in a Brilliant Manner that would make Sir Arthur Conan Doyle pleased! I will miss this this Unique Series but understand that the Viewing Masses in general cater to more simple, droll, Cut from the Same Mold, programs. It’s too bad that something so special is, unfortunately, not appreciated!
I love this show as it is so different than all of the other cop shows.
I looked forward to seeing each show. I will miss this series.
CBS took stars off NCIS NOW ELEMENTRY. WHY
What is wrong with you? Cote de Pablo left over money. Michael Weatherly was tired of doing it, and CBS offered him his own show. Pauly Perrette decided to leave. So did David McCallum I doubt either of them would be gone if they had wanted to stay. Jennifer Esposito supposedly decided to leave after one season. Elementary had VERY lousy ratings for YEARS! It made it to 7 seasons for syndication purposes. I would have cancelled it 3years ago.
I loved the chemistry on this show. Liu is an awesome actress and (Sherlock) has evolved because of her help. I will really miss this show!! You find something you really like and they cancel the show
Nothing surprises me anymore , Elementary was a very entertaining program with a great cast more likely will be replaced by another military or government agency program to push for government agenda ; So good bye CBS don’t need your biased programming .
I will miss the show! They were witty with mystery and a bit of humor! Always looked forward to the next season!
I agree. Johnny Lee was always quick with a bit of wit, we always cracked up. Perfect balance to a SMART Show. I will watch every episode they will give us. Love the cast will miss the NY Police.
Bittersweet. I am glad though that it will be a planned ending rather than a cliffhanger that never returns.