The TV Series 2010-2014

By Rebecca

TV Drama Conventions; SettingSetting- Sherlock’s categorised genres are; crime-mystery-drama. The

show follows the stereotypical settings expected to see with this convention which are; Police stations/offices, St Barts Hospital, and they use many streets in London for crime scenes, These locations are real places rather than studios. Many of the crimes/crime scenes are either filmed outside in areas of London, in the heart of London or often take place in dark, abandoned , isolated settings to add suspense and make the situation seem darker/more dangerous.

Characters Mostly every show that has the genres crime-mystery-drama often feature

characters similar to Sherlock;• Detective; Sherlock; Clever than the other characters, has some sense of

authority over others, is the protagonist, involved in some sort of action scene.• Sidekick; John Watson; works along side the main character, and is often held

hostage or put into another sort of danger. • Policemen/women• Antagonist; Moriarty/Magnussen; are often behind the mysteries/crimes, • Pathologist’s; Molly Hooper• Detective inspectors; Greg Lastrade; sometimes are the main character or are

often working along side the main character.Similar characters can also be seen in similar TV Drama (crime, mystery) shows like;

Silent Witness, as these are the stereotypical characters that are expected to be seen and help set the scene and make the show more realistic.

TV Drama Conventions; Plot, Narrative & Themes

The TV drama is a modernised version of Sherlock but still revolves around the mystery of crimes. Detective / crime based shows are normally relating to real crimes or possible crimes that can take place. It allows the audience to be able to relate, follow and understand the crimes more in depth. Sherlock includes some aspects of comedy, like many TV dramas, but without taking away the seriousness with the issue presented. The detective is faced with a crime case that either affect him personally or involve the police, in which they turn to Sherlock for help, and he then solves the mystery with the help of clues and the sidekicks. The show deals with issues such as drugs, violence, kidnapping, murders, suicides, threats which are all stereotypical aspects featured in this particular type of TV drama.

TV Drama Conventions; Iconography

In Sherlock there are particular items that make the genres immediately identifiable, for example;

• Police Cars• Crime Scene; police tape • Pathologists work place; Lab/ science

equipment

TV Drama Conventions; Sound

• On screen text whilst speaking• Use of sound effects• Theme tune• music during scenes

TV Drama Conventions; Camerawork

Challenges or uses

• Uses most aspects of a crime-mystery• Unlike most it tells a story through each

episode, shows the relationship between the two characters not just through solving crimes

• Re-appearing antagonists