When the BBC's Sherlock debuted in summer 2010--and appeared in the U.S. on PBS a few months later--no one knew it would become an international phenomenon. The series has since gathered a diverse and enthusiastic fandom. Like their hero, Sherlock fans scrutinize clues about the show's deeper meaning, as well as happenings off screen. They postulate theories and readings of the characters and their relationships. They have tweeted with "The Powers That Be," mobilized to filming locations via #Setlock, and become advocates for LGBTQIA communities. Sherlock's digital communities have changed the way that fans and series creators interact in person and online, as each publicly takes "ownership" of beloved television characters who represent far more than entertainment to fans.

The critically-acclaimed BBC television series Sherlock (2010- ) re-envisions Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective for the digital age, joining participants in the active traditions of Sherlockians/Holmesians and fans from other communities, including science fiction, media, and anime. This collection explores the cultural intersections and fan traditions that converge in Sherlock and its fandoms. Essays focus on the industrial and cultural contexts of Sherlock's release, on the text of Sherlock as adaptation and transformative work, and on Sherlock's critical and popular reception. The volume's multiple perspectives examine Sherlock Holmes as an international transmedia figure with continued cultural impact, offering insight into not only the BBC series itself, but also into its literary source, and with it, the international resonance of the Victorian detective and his sidekick. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

This book offers a media ethnography of the digital culture, conventions, and urban spaces associated with fandoms, arguing that fandom is an area of productive, creative, and subversive value.

The Ultimate and Official Guide to Seasons 1 and 2 of the Hit Series Sherlock—A Must-Have for all Sherlock Fans. Sherlock: The Casebook offers a multidimensional companion to the PBS hit show Sherlock. Covering the first two seasons in vivid detail, each case is richly captured on the page and re-examined through Dr. Watson's blog, Inspector Lestrade's police reports, and newspaper articles about the crimes. Sherlock's detective notes and any surviving clues from the cases are also included. Interspersed among the evidence are exclusive interviews with the stars of the show, Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, and Rupert Graves; writers and co-creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat; and the production team on everything from writing the scripts and bringing the characters to life on-screento how the new Sherlock both reinvents and pays homage to Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic detective.

This collection is the first to offer a close study of fan generations, which are defined not only by fans’ ages, but by their entry point into a canon or their personal politics. The contributors further the conversation about how generational fandom is influenced by and, in turn, influences technologies, industry practices, and social and political changes. As reboot culture continues, as franchises continue expanding over time, and as new technologies enable easier access to older media, Fandom, the Next Generation offers a necessary investigation into transgenerational fandoms and intergenerational fan relationships. Contributors: Maria Alberto, University of Utah Mélanie Bourdaa, University of Bordeaux Montaigne Meredith Dabek, Maynooth University Simone Driessen, Erasmus University Rotterdam Yektanurşin Duyan, Mardin Artuklu University Dan Golding, Swinburne University of Technology Bethan Jones, Aberdale, Wales (UK) Siobhan Lyons, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia) L. N. Rosales, University of Nebraska, Lincoln Andrew Scahill, University of Colorado, Denver Janelle Vermaak, Nelson Mandela University Cynthia W. Walker, St. Peter’s University Dawn Walls-Thumma, independent scholar Neta Yodovich, University of Haifa

Nearly 130 years after the introduction of Sherlock Holmes to readers, the Great Detective's identity is being questioned, deconstructed, and reconstructed more than ever. Readers and audiences, not to mention scholars and critics, continue to analyze who Sherlock Holmes is or has become and why and how his identity has been formed in a specific way. The films Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and Mr. Holmes and television series Sherlock and Elementary have introduced wildly divergent, yet fascinating portrayals that reveal as much about current social mores and popular culture as about the detective. More than ever, fans also are taking an active role in creating their own identities for Holmes through fan fiction and art, for example. "Who is Sherlock Holmes?" is still a viable question. The answers provided by illustrators, scriptwriters, directors, costume designers, set designers, actors, scholars, and fans provide insights into both Victorian and the modern-day Sherlock. Like the many disguises the Great Detective has donned throughout canon and adaptations, his perceived identities may be surprising or shocking, but they continue to make us look ever more closely to discover the real Sherlock Holmes.

This book examines the fan-created combination of Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Supernatural as a uniquely digital fan experience, and as a metaphor for ongoing scholarship into contemporary fandom. What do you get when you cross the cult shows Doctor Who, Supernatural, and Sherlock? In this book, Paul Booth explores the fan-created crossover universe known as SuperWhoLock—a universe where Sherlock Holmes and Dean Winchester work together to fight monsters like the Daleks and the Weeping Angels; a world where John Watson is friends with Amy Pond; a space where the unique brands of fandom interact. Booth argues that SuperWhoLock represents more than just those three shows—it is a way of doing fandom. Through interviews with fans and analysis of fan texts, Crossing Fandoms: SuperWhoLock and the Contemporary Fan Audience also demonstrates how fan studies in the digital age can evolve to take into account changing fan activities and texts.