# Who's more famous: Sherlock or Watson? (Their TV actors, that is.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 24, 2016, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012 "2016-03-24T10:36:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/1 "2016-03-24T10:36:58Z")
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Steven Moffatt said, “I’m not having a pop at Elementary, but Benedict [Cumberbatch] is a lot more famous than anybody on their show.” That got me wondering. Do you agree? ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/2 "2016-03-24T10:50:12Z")
There’s Sherlock, that Star Trek travesty, and … that’s about it. Meanwhile you’ve got Elementary, Kill Bill, Charlie’s Angels, Southland, Ally McBeal, etc, etc, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Sampsiceramos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Sampsiceramos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampsiceramos)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/3 "2016-03-24T10:57:23Z")
Across the entirety of their careers I think it’s hard to argue that Cumberbatch has a more expansive resume than Lucy Liu, but he’s arguably been more prominent in the last few years. That said, Cumberbatch is without a doubt the more iconic of the two. His voice is instantly recognizable. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/4 "2016-03-24T11:00:34Z")
Cumberbatch probably has a larger and more active fanbase at the moment - and is probably a bigger draw on the media circuit - but Liu has a greater body\* of notable work. Which one is more “famous” is entirely dependent on your criteria for measurement. That said, this is a stupid comparison. They’re both fine actors and I enjoy watching both versions. \*not an innuendo, you pervs. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@Wilson00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson00)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/5 "2016-03-24T11:17:39Z")
I can’t disagree that more famous in general is Cumberbatch ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/6 "2016-03-24T11:21:28Z")
Fame is difficult to measure. There are some people I’d consider famous in fields I’m interested in, but that most others wouldn’t know at all. And inversely, I don’t know many YouTube stars, sports people, or pop stars by face let alone name. I’d say Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman combined are more famous than Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu combined, but individually it starts to get fuzzy. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/7 "2016-03-24T11:30:36Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > There’s Sherlock, that Star Trek travesty, and … that’s about it. Cumberbatch was chosen from among all others to star as DOCTOR STRANGE this year, which gives him a weird half-point: Marvel has been hitting it out of the park with their franchise tentpoles for a long stretch, so (a) it’ll presumably click for Cumberbatch; and (b) there’s already a reason they picked him over everyone else. I mean, yeah, both parts of that equation are hypothetical – but the point is that they _are_ hypothesizing about the guy; Hollywood hasn’t announced anything like that being put together for Lucy Liu, because they’re not currently building a marketing campaign around how she’s the obvious choice to carry a big-budget blockbuster. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/8 "2016-03-24T14:10:16Z")
I imagine Sherlock has been more widely, \*regularly \*seen than any of Lucy Liu’s work. It was nominated for a Gold Panda at the Sichuan TV Festival, is rated 16+ in Russia, U/A in India, and is quite uncommon in tellyland, as is Cumberbatch. As much as I like Lucy Liu I don’t think she’s particularly memorable. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/9 "2016-03-24T15:12:43Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > There’s Sherlock, that Star Trek travesty, and … that’s about it. > > Meanwhile you’ve got Elementary, Kill Bill, Charlie’s Angels, Southland, Ally McBeal, etc, etc, etc. Ally McBeal was cancelled 14 years ago and it feels like forty. Benedict Cumberbatch was quite recently up for an Academy Award for Best Actor and has a starring role in a Marvel movie coming out. He’s at the peak of his game and is more famous now than Lucy Liu, meaning no disrespect to her, ever was. Peak Lucy Liu was 12, 13 years ago. Which is fine; she’s probably busy between filming “Elementary” and counting her piles of money. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/10 "2016-03-24T15:47:11Z")
Cummberbund sure seems insecure. He always seems to be putting Elementary down at every opportunity. Like there’s not room for more than one interpretation of the character. One CAN watch and enjoy both shows. It isn’t a zero-sum viewing experience. Maybe someone should introduce him to the version with Jeremy Brett? Or Basil Rathbone? Anyway, I voted LL because I never heard of BC before Sherlock. Maybe I _should_ have, but I didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/11 "2016-03-24T16:35:10Z")
Lucy Liu is less famous today than she was about a decade ago, Cumberbatch is at the height of his fame. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/12 "2016-03-24T16:42:02Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Cummberbund sure seems insecure. He always seems to be putting Elementary down at every opportunity. Like there’s not room for more than one interpretation of the character. One CAN watch and enjoy both shows. It isn’t a zero-sum viewing experience. Oddly enough, he and Jonny Lee Miller are close friends. I would say that Lucy Lui is more famous. Not more respected, just more of a recognizable name, at least in U.S. And at 46, she _devastatingly_ hot. She is gonna be gorgeous well into her 60’s. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/13 "2016-03-24T16:50:34Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > There’s Sherlock, that Star Trek travesty, and … that’s about it. > > Meanwhile you’ve got Elementary, Kill Bill, Charlie’s Angels, Southland, Ally McBeal, etc, etc, etc. And _The Imitation Game_, which was nominated for best actor, best picture, best writing, best director, and a few others. Additionally, he is a world-class stage actor. From Wiki: > [@](#): > > Cumberbatch has received numerous awards and nominations for acting including two Laurence Olivier Award nominations, winning Best Actor in a Play for Frankenstein. He has also received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for Sherlock. His portrayal of Alan Turing in The Imitation Game earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. In addition, he has received six British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominations, five Screen Actors Guild Award nominations and two Golden Globe Award nominations among others. In 2014, Time magazine included him in its annual Time 100 as one of the “Most Influential People in the World”. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in June 2015 for his services to the performing arts and to charity. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/14 "2016-03-24T17:29:04Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Oddly enough, he and Jonny Lee Miller are close friends. In fact, they appeared together in a stage production of _Frankenstein_, in which they took turns playing Victor Frankenstein and the Creature on alternate nights. This was before either of them had been cast in any Sherlock Holmes-related project. I think Cumberbatch is better known than Lucy Liu right now, because he’s been in several high-profile projects, has a recent Oscar nomination, and is in an upcoming Marvel film. Plus, let’s face it, because he has such a distinctive name that people enjoy [making fun of](http://benedictcumberbatchgenerator.tumblr.com/). Liu’s work, in addition to the hits, includes some short-lived TV projects and some absolute stinkers–remember _Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever_? She probably hopes you don’t. She’s not a has-been by any means, but her profile has not been as high as Cumberbatch’s in some time. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/15 "2016-03-24T18:43:46Z")
Plus, Lucy Liu did voice work as herself for Futurama. Has Benedict Cumberbatch ever been on Futurama? I rest my case. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/16 "2016-03-24T19:00:15Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > Plus, Lucy Liu did voice work as herself for Futurama. Has Benedict Cumberbatch ever been on Futurama? I rest my case. No, but he was on the Simpsons, doing Alan Rickman’s voice. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/17 "2016-03-24T19:40:21Z")
Google “Benedict Cumberbatch” : 14 600 000 results Google “Lucy Liu”: 430 000 results. I think the Internet thinks Cumberbatch is more famous… but Cumberbatch never got a shoutout in an Outkast track. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/18 "2016-03-24T19:52:56Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > No, but he was on the Simpsons, doing Alan Rickman’s voice. He also voiced Smaug. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/19 "2016-03-24T20:01:40Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > ``` > ... That said, this is a stupid comparison. They're both fine actors and I enjoy watching both versions. > > ``` Yeah. I’m mystified as to why Moffat thought that his claim, true or not, is relevant to the actual _quality_ of the shows in question. It comes across as _'never mind my writing skills---- how’s about that Cumberbatch? Some famous guy, eh!!!_’ ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012/20 "2016-03-24T20:07:47Z")
Offhand, I would have to say that actors who play Sherlock are better known than those who play Watson. Basil Rathbone is much better known than Nigel Bruce. Jeremy Brett, likewise, is much better known than Edward Hardwicke. A pity, Hardwicke was a superlative Watson. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-more-famous-sherlock-or-watson-their-tv-actors-that-is/750012.md?page=2)