It not just the live ratings but the L+7. "Step Nine" gained 4.17 million viewers. "Solve For X" had an L+3 of 4.01 million viewers. Traditional live viewing is on the wain with the options people have.

Brax, my opinion of Joey is that he sees Joan as a soft touch—maybe it's that "friendly doctor" business others have mentioned. I think his forgiving Joan is a ploy. I'm with Sherlock on this one.

The L+7 ratings for "Step Nine" were 4.17 million. I agree there is more to renewal/cancellation than ratings, but rates are important, especially for setting advertising rates.

CBS could have cast Danica McKellar, actor, mathematician and babe for the role. That would have been brilliant stunt casting and she could have checked the p=pn equations.

No, Watson never performed autopsies in the Canon.Coroners, coroner's juries and inquests are mentioned but have surprisingly little impact in solving any mystery. Coroners were usually landowners with ties to the community. A doctor would have to be hired to perform a post-mortem.

I read Joey as a total schemer. He may indeed be a nice guy with dreams of being a modern-day Ted Danson, but his lashing out was a slip of the mask that showed what he really thought of Joan. The look on her face showed her realization of that fact and that she was duped by him and maybe by herself as well. The fact…

It's best to wait for the L+7 ratings as last year viewership increased by 3 million viewers per episode on average.

+J.P. McPickleshitter No, indeed not. "Sherlock" and "Elementary" gave us younger versions of the actors that played Holmes and Watson. Traditionally, Holmes and Watson have been portrayed by fifty- and sixty-year-olds. Holmes became the world's first consulting detective straight out of college.

I think too much is made about Doyle's "inconsistent writing". In his fiction that he considered "important", like his historical novels, he did a lot of research to get the facts right. But no matter what the work, he never let facts and consistency get in the way of a good story. That doesn't mean he wrote Lestrade…

After "The Sign of Four" which introduced Mary Morstan, there were the 24 stories of "The Adventures" and "The Memoirs". Mrs Watson is mentioned or has a very brief scene in 10; hardly forgotten. The fact is the stories are not "Nick and Nora Charles". Mary was a client of Holmes and married Watson, after that she has…

Lestrade is the Scotland Yarder Holmes works with the most in the stories, and the only one that has a character arc. A little background: Holmes worked from Baker Street from 1881 to the end of 1903, when he retired (at age 49). While Lestrade is disdainful of Holmes' methods from the very beginning (he was one of…

I don't know why you are so frequently portrayed as dottering and bumbling, @avclub-b1669a2caf2b394a6b2c7a708f0ab4e6:disqus. Nice catch.

I believe that Sherlock realized Irene had to be in on it with Moriarty at the beginning of "The Woman"—at the hospital he says, "Yeah, where did all that blood come from?" And then his mind shuts down. He didn't want to face the truth. That's why didn't investigate the case. He denied it until the truth was literally…

"A genuine relapse would've been dramatically interesting and in keeping with the canon." Please explain to me where in the Canon Holmes has a relapse.

I'm guess the Speak Easy was part of another plan of Moriarty's; she seems to always have several going on at once. Maybe we'll find out in Season 2.

Brad Keefauver is a talented writer and a knowledgeable Sherlockian. However, he wrote this on July 6, 2012:

From AccessHollywood.com May 16:
Access: Rob was asked recently if Irene will appear in the Season 2 premiere, which is being shot in London. He said he didn’t know yet because they are still writing it. Are you open to returning?

In real life people get non-plot important phone calls all the time. It was clever to use Joan's brother (and the voice of the actor who we've already seen earlier in the series) be the one to call and not some voice over actor ("This is Dr. MacGuffin at Chandler Memorial…")—plus Chandler Memorial from "Lesser Evils".…

@avclub-465f9232025978f8fd01ce1a0156be61:disqus Bell and Sherlock, yes. That scene at the stakeout when Joan leaves and Bell says to Sherlock, "So, how you doin'" and Sherlock turns to Bell with that Oh-so-we're-besties-now? look.

@avclub-dd5321bef3221ce6653c54293a545c71:disqus In "A Study in Scarlet" the murderer, Jefferson Hope, was a cabbie, but I agree it took Cumberbatch way too long for him to put the pinging cell phone location and Mrs. Hudson's, "Sherlock your cab is here" together.