In January 2023, the world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes, fully entered the public domain. Thanks to the expiration of the copyright on The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, the iconic detective of 221B Baker St. joined Dracula, Tarzan and Peter Pan as public property. That means he can be written about and presented in any way the author sees fit. While Holmes has been partially in the public domain for a long time, the copyright expiration means considerably more freedom in adaptations, which much of the internet community has already embraced. TV now has much more freedom to tell Sherlock Holmes stories going forward.

The fictional detective was introduced in 1888 within Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's serial novella, A Study in Scarlet. Mainly concerned with the forensic science of mystery solving, the novel's most enduring element was the friendship between Holmes and narrator Dr. John Watson -- one of the most iconic bonds in the history of fiction. Holmes and Watson went on to star in the novel The Sign of Four and many short stories over the next few decades, having their last published adventures in 1927. Since then, Holmes has been adapted more than almost any other character, but always with restrictions from Doyle's estate.

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What the Public Domain Means for Future Sherlock TV Shows

Cover art from The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes shows Sherlock in a suit

Many Sherlock Holmes fans were excited in the waning months of 2022 for their hero to enter the public domain nature. The Enola Holmes film lawsuit had negatively impacted viewers' feelings about the future of the character. In 2020, the Doyle estate sued the creators of Enola Holmes film for depicting Holmes as a kinder figure with respect for women and warmer friendships -- claiming that these elements of the character only appeared in the final ten stories, which were not yet in the public domain. Many fans were not pleased by the lawsuit, which was eventually dismissed under the argument that Holmes had expressed said sentiments earlier than the estate claimed.

Now that Holmes is in the public domain, such legal points will be moot. Adaptations will have a free hand to depict Holmes in whatever ways they please. One point raised in the lawsuit -- Holmes being respectful of women -- was easily found in The Sign of Four, in which he said of Mary Morstan (the future Mrs. Watson), "I think she is one of the most charming young ladies I ever met, and might have been most useful in such work as we have been doing. She had a decided genius that way: witness the way in which she preserved that Agra plan from all the other papers of her father." This attitude, which has been missing from every Sign of Four adaptation in the past, can now be adapted to the screen.

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How Sherlock Holmes Will Change for the Better

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in BBC's Sherlock tv series

Public domain status is a very important change for Holmes -- not just individually, but to help the character adapt to the current entertainment landscape. Most modern films and TV shows have been made efforts to ensure their heroes avoid sexism, homophobia, racism and other forms of outdated prejudice and cruelty. Socially conscious modern audiences are easily turned off by protagonists who consistently advocate for outdated attitudes, and adapting classic literature now requires avoiding the prejudiced language of Victorian heroes. Sherlock Holmes adaptations have struggled with this backlash in the past, particularly the unfairly criticized Guy Ritchie films and BBC miniseries from the early 2010s.

Now that Holmes is in the public domain and the fear of lawsuits over has been lifted, future TV series and films are free to move the character into the 21st century. Sherlock Holmes is a very malleable hero, capable of being portrayed differently for every generation. He will need to evolve with the 2020s and going forward to remain a likable hero -- and fortunately the original stories have plenty of material to help Holmes continue to appeal to young fans. Holmes has a character arc when it comes to respect for women and growing warmer, as found in Scandal in Bohemia, and those elements are worth adapting for future Sherlock shows.