The Sherlock Mystery: The Movies And Shows VS The Original Stories

The Character of Sergeant Donovan, Then and Now

Sergeant Donovan was written by Doyle as resentful of Sherlock’s presence at crime scenes, which is just how we meet her on the show. She treats him with disrespect and outright rudeness, calling him a “freak” and warning Watson that Sherlock is a psychopath.

She is described on BBC’s website as such: “You know what she thinks? One day they’ll be standing around a body and Sherlock Holmes will be the one who put it there. After all he’s a psychopath, and psychopaths get bored. If she were to give anyone a bit of advice, it would be to stay away from Sherlock Holmes.”