Holmes and Watson or Sherlock and John

This paper analyzes the BBC series Sherlock from the point of view of Gender Studies, and specifically within the theories of Queer Studies. The paper starts by analyzing some scenes in the short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and exposes the theory which then is applied to the television series. It ultimately argues that, although the homoerotic reading works fairly well on the episodes, there are limits that neither the screenwriters nor the audience wants to surpass, and those limits are the homophobic reaction against the homoerotic reading made overtly homosexual.