Elementary‘s cast and creator spoke with Hypable at Paleyfest’s Made in New York panel about adapting Sherlock Holmes in New York City.

New York City is as essential to Elementary as Sherlock and Watson. It is not just a backdrop for the duo to traverse. Be it weather or transit related, New York City throws just as many obstacles in the path of Holmes and Watson as the criminals they hunt.

The Paley Center, in partnership with the Made in New York organization, highlighted the series shot on location in the streets on Manhattan, Staten Island, Queens and beyond.

Hypable caught up with Rob Doherty on the red carpet preceding the event and asked about the challenges that come with writing and producing a bi-coastal show. “I wish that the writers and I could have more face time with the cast,” explains Doherty.

While technology gets the job done for the most part, Doherty continues, “We have such amazing partners in Jonny and Lucy, and Aidan and Jon, and we keep in touch over the phone and email, but you really can’t do better than sitting down in a room and talking out a story.”

Although there are challenges that arise, Jonny Lee Miller spoke to the joys of filming in the city. “We really get to see a ton of city and it’s an opportunity that I wouldn’t have been afforded otherwise,” says Miller.

At Holmes in NYC

Once inside, the cast featuring, Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, Aidan Quinn, and Jon Michael Hill were joined by Rob Doherty to elaborate on the process of filming in New York.

Going into Elementary, there were two requirements Rob Doherty laid on the table — Sherlock must be British and Watson must be a woman. New York City played nicely with the conceit that the canon experiences a reshuffling of details.

“[Sherlock] bottomed out in the place where he resides [London]. New York made the most sense if you are going to take Sherlock from London,” Rob Doherty explains.

It feels natural that Sherlock would gravitate somewhere familiar, but not entirely the same.

Jonny Lee Miller continues to elaborate on his sentiments from earlier, adding, “[New York City] adds to the show. Four out of eight [shooting] days are on location. We try never to repeat a location, so we see a great deal of it. We have to get out there.”

Lucy Liu, a native of Queens, comments, “I’ve never seen the city like this before. It’s an exploration of what that backdrop means. Like adding a character.” A character that throws tantrums in the form of blizzards, hurricanes, and tourists in Times Square.

The cast credits the amazing crew for their work clearing busy streets, moving snow, and somehow getting their pages delivered in the middle of Hurricane Sandy when the city was shut down.

Keeping Holmes and Watson, Holmes and Watson

Even with four full seasons and countless interviews under their belts, the cast and Doherty still field questions about the Watson and Holmes relationship and whether or not it would become romantic.

Sidestepping expertly, Doherty answers, “You mean Gregson and Bell? Because we’ve been dropping breadcrumbs.”

While Aiden Quinn and Jon Michael Hill played along, Doherty quickly went serious to state, for the umpteenth time, “It’s not what the show is supposed to be about.” The series is about exploring an intimate relationship, but intimate in a way that encourages trust, not lust.

What about that other ‘Sherlock’ show?

Doherty is also keenly aware that fans want to know just how that tiny series across the pond affects the creation of Elementary. Short answer — not at all. Doherty provides a more eloquent response, saying, “Let the comparison lie with the people who watch both shows.”

Early on, Doherty did not watch the series on the advice of others telling him to keep it out of sight and mind. Miller comments that Sherlock does not mean anything to what this cast and crew creates an ocean away.

However, the other adaptation did inform some bits of his Sherlock Holmes. Miller says, “[While reading the novels] I marked everything I hadn’t seen yet. What I was interested in bringing to the character.”

The conversation lends itself to a comparison to Shakespeare. Doherty points out that plenty of people have “left their fingerprints on these characters.”

Miller continues to say, “It wasn’t a means of, ‘I got here first now you cannot have this,’ but more like, ‘I’ve just done Hamlet, you must do it.’”

Sherlock Holmes’ adventures lend themselves to adaptation. Elementary and Sherlock are the two contemporary television adaptations, and they are not the last.

Working within network TV’s tried-and-true model means more episodes per season, shorter turnaround time, and nine months of straight work.

But Doherty, responding to whether he is jealous of the Netflix and HBO eight to 10-episode model comments, “No. [There is the idea that] you’re better just because you’re on Netflix or HBO. What they do is important. But we’re a network mystery. They are different. That’s it.”

Miller goes on to point out that Arthur Conan Doyle serialized Holmes from the start. “Elementary suits the model,” he adds.

A cause for celebration

Recently, the cast celebrated their 100th episode. With an average of 23 episodes per season, that is close to filming 34 feature film movies worth of content.

It’s not surprising then to discover that Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu have now played Sherlock and Watson the longest of any actor.

That is a lot of work for the four actors sitting on the stage to endure, year after year. The cast is very grateful to their crew, who work just as much, if not twice as hard, to make everything happen.

Liu comments on the rigorous schedule, saying, “There is a level of exhaustion and discipline, but they all want to deliver something great to an audience.”

There is one complaint Liu has and it concerns those writers sitting in the sunshine of Los Angeles. Liu jokes, “Do they know it is winter here?”

Watch Elementary season 5, episode 3, “Render, and Then Seize Her,” Sunday, October 23 at 10:00 p.m. ET on CBS.