There is little question that Sherlock Holmes is the most well-known detective of all time. The creation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes is a self-professed “consulting detective” who is best known for using observation, logical reasoning, and forensic science to solve cases. Holmes first appeared in A Study in Scarlet, a novel written by Doyle and released in 1887, and from there, his popularity grew, eventually branching out to movies and TV shows, with numerous actors portraying the famed British detective.
His investigative methods can also be seen in other famous detectives from movies and television, and some of those characters have not only perfected his methods, but have greatly exceeded them to the point where some of them are actually smarter than the revered Holmes. So, we wanted to take a look at the TV detectives who are actually smarter than Sherlock Holmes. Sorry, but it’s elementary, my dear Sherlock.
Veronica Mars
‘Veronica Mars’ (2004–2019)
Yes, Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) was a teenager with typical teen girl problems. However, she always had a knack for solving complex cases, and her detective skills were simply on point. First introduced to TV audiences in 2004, Mars’ excellent detective skills were learned under the guiding hand of her father, Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni), and it got to a point where his daughter was even better than him at cracking open a tough case.
While Mars often solved stand-alone cases, each episode fed into a bigger, season-long case that Mars was often tasked with solving. We saw early on that Mars was a teen girl that was very wise beyond her years. She was crafty, adept at surveillance, and using logic to try to solve tough cases, much like Sherlock Holmes did. But, Mars did it better, and there is no other teenage sleuth out there quite like her.
Adrian Monk
‘Monk’ (2002–2009)
There is no doubt that Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) had a rather unique way at solving cases. Much of this is due to his obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the many, many phobias he had. So, one would think that, with this going against him, who would want Monk to be on the case, at all? Well, Monk is the personification of using his perceived weaknesses as strength, and he oftentimes always solved the case that the police were incapable of solving on their own.
When the creators envisioned what Monk would be, they took a lot of inspiration from Holmes, and you can see shades of his detective style in this series. But Monk’s unusual way of solving cases quickly set him apart from Holmes, and his brilliant detective skills quite possibly make him one of the smartest TV detectives ever created, besting Holmes, if his multitude of phobias didn’t get in the way of solving cases.
Theo Kojak
‘Kojak’ (1973–1978)
While a lot of TV detectives of today have a lot of personality, that wasn’t always the case. In the ’70s, most TV detectives had a “no-nonsense” style for solving cases. This fits Theo Kojak (Telly Savalas) perfectly. A Detective Lieutenant with the New York Police Department, Kojak was not about playing games when it came to solving some of the NYPD’s toughest cases. Not only was Kojak physically intimidating, he was intellectually intimidating as well, using his street and book smarts to his advantage.
Much like Holmes’ famous “elementary” catchphrase, Kojak was well-armed with some of TV’s most quotable catchphrases as well, with one of the most famous being “Quit ya bellyaching.” Kojak was honest, to-the-point, and well adept at detective work. No one could get one over this indomitable NYPD detective, especially when he had his red lollipop. Once you saw him break that quote out, a criminal knew they were thoroughly cooked.
Frank Columbo
‘Columbo’ (1971–1998)
Speaking of rough-and-tumble detectives of the ’70s, outside Kojack, few did it better than Frank Columbo (Peter Falk). With his oversized raincoat that speaks to his eccentric image, Columbo, who was a police lieutenant for the Los Angeles Police Department, they don’t exactly fit the narrative of being smarter than Holmes, especially with his unassuming and clumsy manner.
However, this was all by design, as underneath his eccentric and humble personality, Colombo was a very intelligent detective who always had an eye for detail. This keen eye for catching things that others may have missed often led into one of the most famous catchphrases of all-time, “just one more thing.” Once Columbo broke out that phrase, a criminal knew their goose was cooked, and their freedom was just about to come to an end. Columbo’s detective instincts were simply out-of-this-world, and one can reasonably say that he was actually smarter than Holmes at solving tough cases.
Olivia Benson
‘Law & Order: SVU’ (1999–Present)
When we were first introduced to detective Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) in 1999, we didn’t know we were in the beginnings of watching one of television’s smartest and most effective detectives at work. When it comes to solving complex and troubling cases in the Special Victims Unit of the NYPD, Benson is normally the one that gets the job done.
What sets Benson apart from her peers is how empathetic she can be when it comes to solving these tough cases. That empathy and compassion for her victims, and the tough, nonsense manner in which she treats the criminals who perpetrate these heinous crimes, gives her a dynamic that we rarely see in other TV detectives. Benson is also extremely smart, and uses logical reasoning to break these difficult cases open. There is little question Benson is one of the best TV detectives of all-time, even more iconic than Holmes.
Lester Freamon
‘The Wire’ (2002–2008)
While The Wire depicted the cops who work for the Baltimore Police Department as being morally questionable in their methods, Lester Freamon (Clarke Peters) was a cut above the rest. He was sharp-witted and knowledgeable about how the city’s criminal underworld operated, and his experience as a detective was invaluable in bringing down some of the city’s biggest drug players.
While he could be prickly, Freamon used his great skill of chasing the paper trail to help crack open cases, oftentimes to the bane of his superiors. Wise, loyal and playing a mentorship role to the younger, less experienced detectives in the Major Crimes Unit, Freamon’s skills were simply unmatched and important to closing cases. While in the end, he used very questionable methods to help try and bring down a new powerful gang, it was just more proof that Freamon was one of the smartest, coolest detectives in TV history.
Rustin “Rust” Cohle
‘True Detective’ (2014–Present)
When we first turned into HBO‘s True Detective in 2014, we were stunned by what was on the screen. We were expecting a typical police procedural, but this series, the brainchild of Nic Pizzolatto, took that to another level, bringing a sense of dread that other procedurals tend to gloss over. This is perfectly portrayed through the eyes of Rustin “Rust” Cohle (Matthew McConaughey), one of the primary detectives of season one that is, now, considered one of the smartest in television history.
Using his knowledge and wit to try to solve a crime that was thought to be unsolvable, Cohle didn’t give off the aura of being the smartest detective, but it’s what’s on the cover, it’s what’s inside the book. Inside the book was a detective who was an extremely smart and dedicated detective that worked hard to solve the case. Yes, he was dedicated to his job to a fault, and he became an alcoholic once he left the Louisiana State Police; but, he was able to use his investigative know-how to get the sense that the investigators looking into his case were actually trying to pin the murder on him. Armed with this, he used the interrogation to find out more about the case he was trying to solve. Come on, who else but Rust Cohle could figure this out and use it to their advantage? We’re telling you, he was smart as they came.
Jessica Fletcher
‘Murder, She Wrote’ (1984–1996)
Out of all the detectives we just listed, Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) is perhaps the closest to a modern-day Sherlock Holmes as we come. She was the author of the acclaimed CBS murder series Murder, She Wrote, and her skill as a writer allowed her to use her research and investigative skills to not only write exciting novels, but also help solve cases.
Fletcher was a great detective. She was very intelligent, and had a sharp eye for detail, finding things that other investigators may have missed. She was able to solve all sorts of cases using her warm personality, and incredible investigative know-how. This just goes to show that writers, who research and investigate things for a living, could make for great detectives. So, when you look at her, you see a better form of Sherlock Holmes’ detective techniques at work. So, what are we saying? We’re saying that Jessica Fletcher was, arguably, smarter than Holmes. And that’s elementary, my dear.
