Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic fictional detective Sherlock Holmes first appeared in Doyle’s 1887 novel, “A Study in Scarlet.” Known for being a sharp intellect and an exceptional observer, the deductive skills and unique character of Sherlock Holmes have allowed his reputation to evolve and grow with the times. Along with his friend and assistant, Dr. John Watson, the duo has been involved and solved endless crimes from Victorian to modern-day London.
The complexity of Sherlock’s character balances brainpower with fascinating quirks and becomes an identity of its own. Though not given a similar appearance or even a resembling name, the legacy of Sherlock Holmes continues to live through the characters it has inspired. Having been gifted the same degree of intelligence, passion for justice, peculiar interests, cold demeanor, and occasionally abrasive attitude, this list presents you 10 cold geniuses based on Sherlock Holmes.
10 Adrian Monk
Tony Shalhoub’s character Adrian Monk is a former police detective in the 2002 television series Monk. Monk, as a character, is generally known through his obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and meticulous attention to detail. As an extension of his disorder, Monk requires his surroundings to be in their proper places and neatly organized. He also has multiple phobias and anxieties, leading him to avoid certain social situations in case he becomes too overwhelmed.
The similarities between Monk and Sherlock mostly rest on the characters’ approach to their job. Both are depicted as being blessed with exceptional deductive skills, high-functioning memories, and great levels of reasoning. However, their personalities do differ from one another. While Sherlock is infamous for his emotional detachment and carelessness for social norms, Monk is a more emotionally vulnerable character who does not refuse support when needed. Their comparable intelligence and unconventional methods of deduction are still there, though.
9 Jimmy Kudo
The main protagonist of the Japanese anime and manga series Case Closed, also known as Detective Conan, is an extraordinarily talented Jimmy Kudo, a high school student working as a detective for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Kudo is not aged as a teenager but appears as one after being forced to ingest APTX 4869 (a lethal poison) following an unfortunate encounter with the secretive Black Organization. The poison, though intended to kill him, instead shrinks his body into a child and forcibly goes by Conan Edogawa to hide his true identity. Kudo’s characteristics align with that of Sherlock Holmes mostly through their keen eye for detail, ability to piece together seemingly insignificant clues, and a strong urge to serve justice.
8 Patrick Jane
Patrick Jane (played by Simon Baker) is a former fake psychic and California Bureau of Investigation consultant in the American TV series The Mentalist. Working as a con man, Jane uses his observational skills and mentalist tricks to make it seem like he is a psychic with unusual abilities. Throughout the series, Jane’s characteristic charm and objectively remarkable skills of deduction gradually collect the respect of his colleagues and lead him further down his career path and bring justice for the traumas in his past.
The matter of ego satisfaction plays a big deal in the characters Jane Sherlock. By solving crimes and picking up on details that don’t seem to matter to everyone else (Sherlock through his extensive logic and Jane through his vast understanding of human behavior), both thrive on the pleasure of impressing others with their high-functioning minds. But their personalities also diverge because Jane is portrayed as more vulnerable and more playfully smug than Sherlock.
7 Shawn Spencer
The main protagonist of the television series Psych is a part-time consultant, a pseudo-psychiatrist named Shawn Spencer (played by James Roday Rodriguez). He fakes having psychic powers to get hired by the Santa Barbara Police Department as a consulting detective, but he also does possess the ability to notice subtle details and read people’s strengths, weaknesses, and motives through thorough and quick observation. The sharp intellect of Sherlock Holmes as a detective is passed down to Shawn Spencer as well, but Spencer’s character is also accompanied by an attention-seeking, humorous, and slightly manipulative personality.
6 Vanitas
The titular character and protagonist of the series The Case Study of Vanitas, Vanitas is a self-proclaimed average human being who also happens to be a vampire and a member of a vampire clan known through their ability to access and use the Book of Vanitas. The book is a powerful artifact that grants information on manipulating the names of vampires. After Vanitas inherits it, he uses it to uncover the truth behind the vampire curse. Working with another fellow vampire named Noé, the adventures embarked on by the duo highly resemble Sherlock and Dr. Watson’s, just in a fantasy realm. The worlds both characters operate in are distinctively different, as one is based on mythology and the other a realistic setting in England, and Sherlock works with the police while Vanitas works on his own; the level of intelligence and skill makes their characters align.
5 Fox Mulder
An FBI special agent, Fox Mulder (played by David Duchovny), investigates paranormal and obscure cases in the TV show The X-Files. The brilliance of his investigation skills rests on his deep interest in the paranormal and passionate, unorthodox beliefs. His knowledge of government conspiracy, paranormal phenomena, and the unidentified is quite different from the scope of interest Sherlock Holmes. However, despite their areas of expertise, the nature of their careers and how they function are considerably similar.
Mulder’s emotional and impulsive personality contrasts with his partner Dana Scully (played by Gillian Anderson), a skeptic and a medical doctor who actively relies on scientific facts and explanations rather than conspiracies and cover-up theories. Reminiscent of the dynamic between Sherlock and Dr. Watson, with their character traits switched, Mulder and Scully are yet another adaptation of the infamous duo, just working in a different lane.
4 Robert Goren
A fictional character in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Robert Goren (played by Vincent D’Onofrio) is a senior detective and a part of the Major Case Squad of the New York City Police Department. Goren’s character is known to be an intelligent, intuitive, and imposing man with a remarkable ability to profile suspects and identify their motives. Goren’s deep understanding of the human mind allows him also to understand the potential suspects’ weaknesses and question them accordingly. He works with his partner Alexandra Eames in assigned cases involving serial killers, corporate corruption, and political conspiracies.
Goren's meticulous and well-prepared nature resembles Sherlock Holmes, especially when combined with his intense demeanor and moments of pure genius. Though given unique characteristics and a substantial history, the character of Goren is still a loose adaptation of the cold genius born with the creation of Sherlock Holmes.
3 Everett Backstrom
Based on the novels written by Leig G. W. Persson, a Swedish criminologist, and novelist, Everett Backstrom (played by Rainn Wilson) is a detective lieutenant in the crime series Backstrom. He works in the Portland Police Bureau's Special Crimes Unit and is referred to through his unconventional and stern character. Backstrom’s eccentric personality, though, helps him excel in his profession but also becomes a self-destructive quality that often causes conflict between him and his colleagues.
His quick wit, combined with a cynical attitude, is the reason why he attracts trouble. The character flaws of Backstrom are overt and complicated but get balanced with his constant and passionate desire for justice and solving crimes. His character's motivations are derived from the idealist and talented nature of Sherlock Holmes, but their investigative styles and backgrounds evidently create a difference.
2 Gregory House
The main character of the 2004 TV series House, Gregory House (played by Hugh Laurie), is a diagnostician and physician at New Jersey’s fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. The character is referred to as a cynic and a misanthrope and is known for his sarcastic wit. His way of medical treatment remains unorthodox and unconventional compared to the standard diagnosis mode and often creates conflict with his colleagues.
Like Sherlock, House is assigned tasks deemed too difficult for others and too complicated to decipher. Both characters also possess obsessive interests and rely on their escapist relaxation to be able to do their jobs. For Sherlock, it's classical music and reading, while House chooses to ease his mind through video games and television. Even though one diagnoses the medical and one investigates the illegal, the characters share a lot in common, including their houses at 221b Baker Street.
1 Batman
Perhaps one of the first names to pop up after mentioning detectives is that of DC Comic’s most iconic superhero: Batman. Tracing its origin to 1939, Batman was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger to first appear in Detective Comics #27. Bruce Wayne, the real identity of Batman, is a wealthy businessman healing from a traumatic childhood when he witnessed the murder of his parents. For Wayne, this trauma triggers a need for justice, and he starts fighting crime in a city that is infested with it: Gotham.
Unlike other superheroes, Batman does not have any supernatural or superhuman powers to help him become a crime fighter. It is purely his means of wealth and detective skills that become the driving force of his serving justice in Gotham City. His intelligence, physical strength, and deductive reasoning remind one of Sherlock Holmes. Both detectives are highly competent and knowledgeable in their use of methodology; Batman relies on gadgets and technology, and Sherlock employs scientific methods to their utmost potential.