Masters of the Universe: Viewers, the Media and Sherlock's Showrunners

TY - CHAP

T1 - Masters of the Universe

T2 - Viewers, the Media and Sherlock's Showrunners

AU - Poore, Benjamin

PY - 2019/10/1

Y1 - 2019/10/1

N2 - Given the increasing visibility of Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat as showrunners, as interest in Sherlock has spilled over into press and fan interest in the stories behind the show, this chapter raises the question of whether Sherlock itself has a political position, and whether its showrunners act as political agents, as well as cultural agents, in the positions they publicly take up. In brief, I intend to explore whether the attitude of antimedia populism in Sherlock is taken up in a politically cohesive way. In order to do this, I begin by defining more closely Gatiss and Moffat’s status as Sherlock co-creators and showrunners; I will then analyse in more detail two aspects of Series 3 which attracted press attention for their political overtones, and will compare these with the show’s use of the reporter Kitty Reilly in series 2. The chapter then considers Sherlock’s treatment of its fans, both within the show itself and in showrunners’ comments. Drawing on these two strands – politics and the fandom – I go on to argue that what connects showrunner reaction on these issues is a need to control Sherlock’s central ‘story’, and to not have that storytelling function usurped by either fans or journalists. It is this insistence on ‘framing the narrative’, I conclude, that ultimately most reflects the politics of our time.

AB - Given the increasing visibility of Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat as showrunners, as interest in Sherlock has spilled over into press and fan interest in the stories behind the show, this chapter raises the question of whether Sherlock itself has a political position, and whether its showrunners act as political agents, as well as cultural agents, in the positions they publicly take up. In brief, I intend to explore whether the attitude of antimedia populism in Sherlock is taken up in a politically cohesive way. In order to do this, I begin by defining more closely Gatiss and Moffat’s status as Sherlock co-creators and showrunners; I will then analyse in more detail two aspects of Series 3 which attracted press attention for their political overtones, and will compare these with the show’s use of the reporter Kitty Reilly in series 2. The chapter then considers Sherlock’s treatment of its fans, both within the show itself and in showrunners’ comments. Drawing on these two strands – politics and the fandom – I go on to argue that what connects showrunner reaction on these issues is a need to control Sherlock’s central ‘story’, and to not have that storytelling function usurped by either fans or journalists. It is this insistence on ‘framing the narrative’, I conclude, that ultimately most reflects the politics of our time.

M3 - Chapter (peer-reviewed)

SN - 9789462983663

T3 - Transmedia: Participatory Culture and Media Convergence

SP - 133

EP - 157

BT - Adaptation in the Age of Media Covergence

A2 - Fehrle, Johannes

A2 - Schäfke , Werner

PB - University of Amsterdam Press

ER -