Sherlock/John

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This article is about the Sherlock/John pairing from Sherlock (BBC). You may be looking for the Holmes/Watson pairing from other medias.
Pairing
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes / Dr. John Watson
Alternative name(s): Sherlock/John, John/Sherlock, Johnlock, SH/JW, Shwatsonlock, Hotson,[1] Holmes/Watson
Gender category: M/M Slash
Fandom: Sherlock (BBC)
Canonical?: No
Prevalence: Most popular pairing
Archives:
Other:
The Button by maXKennedy (2012)
Related articles on Fanlore.

Sherlock/John is the relationship between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson from the BBC TV miniseries Sherlock. The pairing is also known as Johnlock and is the most popular pairing in the fandom; it is about twice more prevalent than all other Sherlock pairings combined.[note 1] This fandom commonly uses first names for pairings, but the more traditional Holmes/Watson is still used by some.

Johnlock was one of the prominent slash ships of the 2010s. It attracted a whole legion of fans, who speculated and wrote meta about the nature of their relationship, and created a plethora of fanworks. For many fans this was their introduction to the greater Holmesian fandom and the various other iterations of Holmes/Watson.

Canon

Queer readings of Sherlock and John Watson have existed before the BBC series, and many fans see an explicitly subtextual reading of the BBC show's events. Throughout the series, several hoyay were presented as possibilities for romance between Sherlock and John. Even a Garrideb moment was included in the plot, having been confirmed beforehand by the producers to some fans. In multiple moments, other characters mistake their relationship as romantic, only for them to deny it, continuing to build a fan perception of romantic subtext.

Very early into the show, during the first episode, Sherlock and John have a stilted conversation over dinner where John probes into the nature of Sherlock's sexuality. Sherlock, assuming John is making a romantic advance, turns him down, saying he was "married to his work". Within the same episode, both the restaurant manager and Mrs. Hudson (the landlady of 221B Baker Street, their shared rental flat) also assumed their relationship was of a romantic nature. This very early acknowledgement of the romantic reading of Sherlock and John's interactions was a catalyst, fueling the ship from the very beginning.

Season two of the show continues building on the first, with more moments that many fans viewed as continuing the romantic implications. More characters referred to them as a gay couple, including Irene Adler, who is portrayed as astute, particularly in matters of romance and attraction (she is a dominatrix and extortioner and one of the only villains to defeat Sherlock outright). Additionally, a newspaper referred to Watson as a "confirmed bachelor," a term that many viewed as a nod to the historical use of the phrase to denote a homosexual man in literary use as well as obituaries at the end of the 20th century.[2]

The third season introduced Mary Morstan, who married John Watson. When John broke the news to Mrs. Hudson that he was considering marriage, she responded, "So soon after Sherlock?" continuing the trend of assuming a romantic relationship. Later in the season, Sherlock dies on the operating table, and it's the moment when he realizes John is in danger that his heart restarts and he returns to life.

In the conclusion to the fourth and final season, Mary Morstan (now dead) has a voiceover through the final montage, calling them "the best and wisest men" and "My Baker Street boys", viewing them as forever a team living and working together. Some fans have read that as an endorsement of the two as a couple (or a couple of 'confirmed bachelors') from beyond the grave.

Fandom

Johnlock was one of the top ships in the 2010s. From 2013-2014, it was the #1 ship on AO3 in terms of overall number of tagged, publicly posted fanworks; it was surpassed by Destiel in 2015 and held the #2 spot for nine years, finally slipping to #3 after Drarry in 2024 (see AO3 Ship Stats). As of 2025, despite its rate of new fanworks having slowed down considerably, it still remained ranked third overall, with 63,053 fanworks counted.

Because the first season of the show premiered in 2010, the fandom had a presence on LiveJournal, but it exploded in popularity on Tumblr, being among Tumblr's top ships in 2014, 2015, and 2017. The ship has waned slightly since its height of popularity in the 2010s, but it still has a devoted fanbase that continue to make fanworks for the pair. In 2026, it was ranked the 96th most popular ship on Tumblr.[3]

Fan Response

What made bbc johnlock even crazier is things like the furtive looks they would do when the other wasn’t looking, the fact there were things they wanted to say but never said to each other, how they would both constantly prioritise their relationship at the expense of other relationships. The ‘look at us both’ line, the ‘you look sad when you think he can’t see you,’ ‘your damsel in distress,’ the sherlock restarting his heart scene. It’s the repression and intensity between them, and what they choose NOT to do about it. To me that’s what really stands in the way of platonic readings, of whatever the writers say they’re trying to do. I think it’s also what made it such a popular ship, and why tjlc endured despite the writers explicitly saying that’s not what was happening. There’s something always there beneath the surface of their relationship that has no good explanation apart from the one we are able to supply[4]

Johnlock - BBC Sherlock (and other Sherlockian worlds) - John Watson/Sherlock Holmes - I think johnlock is compelling because you see two people immediately finding something they need in the other. It’s clear that they see this in themselves, but may need some time to see it in the other. Maybe that’s not immediately love, but it’s immediately something that you know is going to draw them closer and closer, and you want to see where that goes.[5]

Johnlock Fans and TPTB

The showrunners were aware of fans shipping Sherlock/John and had been asked about it in interviews. In fact, Moffat made it pellucidly clear that he retained Holmes' canonical celibacy[note 2] from Doyle's original stories. "There's no indication in the original stories that he was asexual or gay. He actually says he declines the attention of women because he doesn't want the distraction. What does that tell you about him? Straightforward deduction. He wouldn't be living with a man if he thought men were interesting.... It's the choice of a monk, not the choice of an asexual. If he was asexual, there would be no tension in that, no fun in that – it's someone who abstains who's interesting. There's no guarantee that he'll stay that way in the end – maybe he marries Mrs Hudson. I don't know!"[6]

Some fans felt that the potential of a gay relationship between Sherlock and John was played for laughs and were not amused. They saw the show as another in a long line of bromance shows that used "mistaken for gay" humour as a way of explicitly naming the characters as not gay.[note 3] Many people of the fandom saw this as damaging to the community and offensive as same-sex relationships and queer characters were rarely represented in mainstream media at the time, however others believed that the writers were planning on making johnlock canon and always had been. TJLC (The Johnlock Conspiracy) said that the show isn't queerbaiting but was aiming to portray a same-sex relationship in a natural way (some go as far as saying the show was "heterobaiting") and lots of meta had been created to back this up.

Other fans reportedly sent death threats to the actress cast as John Watson's (canonical!) wife Mary in season three.[7] Many of these fans actually believed that with enough pressure, producer Stephen Moffat would allow Holmes and Watson to become lovers on the show.

Common Tropes in Fanworks

A variety of portrayals of Sherlock and John's sexualities and their relationship are common in fandom, but here is a list of some common tropes:

  • Getting together: One very common plot of fanworks is the usually romantic storyline of how Sherlock and John come to discover their romantic and sexual attraction to one another. Some of these stories are framed with Sherlock doing an "experiment" of some sort. The experiment is sometimes either sexual or has a physical element that requires close contact, and John is required to participate or is sometimes annoyed or blackmailed into participating. These frequently lead to a consensual intimate or sexual experience in which they confess their feelings. Romantic fan fiction about Sherlock's anticipated return after Reichenbach also often follow the pattern of Sherlock and John slowing revealing their unacted-upon romantic feelings for one another. In reference to the possible scenario of Sherlock being injured and/or suffering from hypothermia and John providing the necessary body heat to save him by crawling into bed with him unclothed, this is increasingly often called 'naked healing'.
  • Pre-slash: Other fanworks explore Sherlock and John's very close but platonic relationship. Such fics might be labelled 'friendship fic,' 'Pre-slash' or 'bromance' in order to indicate the relationship being explored is neither traditionally romantic or sexual. Common tropes include John and Sherlock platonically sharing the same bed, cuddling, and getting married out of convenience.
  • Friends to Lovers: their friendship developing into a romantic relationship
  • Asexual or Aromantic Sherlock: Sherlock is often characterized as ace/aro in fanworks, and they often explore how this would effect any romantic relationship they may have with each other. In some fanworks John and Sherlock's relationship is often complicated such as when one is unable to reciprocate the other's desired type of relationship (read Sherlock is aromantic and is not able to return John's affection, Sherlock is asexual when John desires a sexual relationship, or John is straight and unattracted to Sherlock).
  • Virgin Sherlock: Sherlock being a virgin is a somewhat common trope. Sometimes John will be both Sherlock's first sexual and romantic experience, or in other fanworks Sherlock will have experienced some form of sexual or romantic feelings for others previously but either never acted upon them or never let them progress too far.
  • Kink: Other stories explore Sherlock's complicated sexuality, fetishes, or Sherlock coming to terms with his attraction to John.
  • Military Kink: is a trope that is notably common in Johnlock fandom. Fanworks featuring this trope typically portray Sherlock as finding John's military background fascinating or sexually appealing. In smutfics, Sherlock and John may engage in military-themed roleplay, with John wearing his army uniform or dominating Sherlock in military-themed dom/sub. Some fanworks also imagine Sherlock participating in the War in Afghanistan with John.
  • Hurt/Comfort: Sherlock being hurt and John providing comfort seems to be slightly more popular than the opposite, but hurt John fanworks are also very common. Sherlock being hurt by misadventure, or hiding his injuries/illness until things get very bad are both common. John experiencing chronic pain is very common. There is also a good deal of emotional hurt/comfort fanworks, often where they console each other after canon events or cases gone wrong.
  • Canon Divergence AU: where to diverge varies, but diverging after the events of Sherlock's supposed "death" is a common one, often with John being aware that Sherlock has faked his own death or he learns about it after the fact, some fanworks will have John join Sherlock on his secret mission to dismantle Moriarty's network. There are also "Post-pool" fanworks that diverge after the season one finale, which took place in a room with a swimming pool, and disregards or makes alternative versions of seasons 2 and 3.
  • Different First Meeting: is a common trope, these can vary a lot, from meet-cute scenarios to meeting because some sort of case or crime.
  • Omegaverse: fanworks tend to be pretty evenly split between Alpha!Sherlock/Omega!John and Omega!Sherlock/Alpha!John[8]. When it comes to Mpreg in such fanworks John tends to become pregnant slightly more often, but it is still a fairly even split.
  • University/College AU: sometimes referred to as "Unilock", are fanworks where Sherlock and John are younger and meet while attending university, generally as undergrads, but sometimes when John is in medical school. They are often roommates in a dorm room or a shared apartment, but not always, sometimes they meet at a party, by taking the same class, etc.
  • High School AU/Teenagers: sometimes referred to as "Teenlock", are fanworks where Sherlock and John meet as teenagers. Sometimes they go to the same school, but in some fanworks they go to separate schools and meet in some other way, like maybe an outside school activity or job. Some teenlock fanworks take place in their first years of university.
  • Top/Bottom Dynamics: although fans have their preferences, Top John seems to be slightly more popular than Top Sherlock[9].
  • Post-Reichenbach: after Sherlock's supposed "death" there was a great deal of fanworks created, many of these focused on John's grief over losing Sherlock. There was also a lot of reunion fanworks focused on the how, when, and where they would be reunited, many of these also involved a reveal of feelings with John and Sherlock realizing their feelings for one another while they were separated.
  • Reverse Reichenbach: a smaller trope, but one where their roles are reversed and John "dies" and Sherlock is the one left behind
  • Soulmate AU: soulmate AUs are common, usually the type with some sort of soul identifying marks on a person's body, for Johnlock first words or the person's name seem to be popular choices
  • Casefic: because of the nature of the canon there is quite a bit of fanworks that focus on solving mysteries or a case. In these fanworks Sherlock/John can be in an already established relationship, or the potential romance plotline is happening concurrently along side the case plotline. In some fanworks something happens during a case that forces Sherlock and John to become closer or confront some truths about their relationship, and after the case is concluded they come together.
  • Crossovers: fanworks where Sherlock and John meet and interact with characters from other fandoms is quite common, the most well known is most likely the mega crossover fandom SuperWhoLock. However, other popular choices include Harry Potter, James Bond, and the MCU.
  • Alternative Universe: outside of "Teenlock" and Soulmate AUs, other AU fanworks are popular but the styles of AUs can vary greatly, some smaller but still somewhat common types include:
    • Magic AUs: usually where either Sherlock or John will have some form of magic, or sometimes they both do
    • Supernatural/Urban Fantasy AUs: fanworks that will take place in settings were things like animal transformation and creatures like werewolves exist
    • Historical AUs: settings in various decades in the 20th century tend to be popular, from WWII up to the 1980s.
    • Regency AUs: these can be connected to the Omegaverse or be more regency style romances
    • Victorian AUs: perhaps inspired by the original book canon or the special "The Abominable Bride", there are quite a few fanworks in Victorian settings
    • Fairy Tale AUs: these can vary quite a bit, but the dynamic of John being a solider/knight and Sherlock being some sort of supernatural being, like a fae, is popular. Sherlock being locked away in a tower/forest/etc also seems to be common.
    • Vamplock: where Sherlock is a vampire, in these fanworks sometimes John is just a human, or he is also a supernatural creature, a werewolf being a popular choice

Example Fanworks

Fanfiction

Doujinshi

Vids

Podfic

Meta

Recs

Fanart

Zines

Example Art Gallery

Archives and Links

Communities

See also List of Sherlock Holmes Communities and Forums

Notes

  1. ^ According to the pairing tags at the SherlockBBC LJ comm: Sherlock/John has 1089 posts, while all the other pairings add up to 547 posts. Sample taken 03 November 2010.
  2. ^ In "The Case of the Mazarin Stone", Holmes says "I am a brain, Watson. The rest of me is a mere appendix." However, speculation that Doyle's Holmes was gay or bisexual has been rampant for 150 years. Thomas Bragg's thesis "A Mere Appendix: The Reclaiming and Desexing of Sherlock Holmes" (Univ. of Florida, 2004) makes an interesting circumstantial case for Doyle's Holmes as an aesthete of ambiguous sexuality, then later as a more "masculine" and unemotional character.
  3. ^ Creator Steven Moffat says, "It’s always definitely a love story. I don’t see why that means that sex has to be involved. What a weirdly sexualized world we live in where you insist they much be having sex as well. Why would they? John isn’t wired that way, whatever Sherlock is." Alyssa Rosenberg, Steven Moffat on Sherlock’s Return, the Holmes-Watson Love Story, and Updating the First Supervillain. May 7, 2012.
  4. ^ As of 1 June 2023, this story had 2131 comments, 18045 kudos, 7409 bookmarks, and 791690 hits. Nature and Nurture by earlgreytea68 had 22892 kudos. A Cure For Boredom by emmagrant01 had 824640 hits.
  5. ^ As of January 28th, 2026, Nature and Nuture had 934,930 hits and 26,079 kudos.

References

  1. ^ Hotson is also used to refer to Jude Law's Watson, as well as other Holmes/Watson pairings. See the mixed content under Tumblr's hotson tag.
  2. ^ Confirmed Bachelor - Cambridge Dictionary
  3. ^ https://www.tumblr.com/tumblr/808448566026813440/friday-top-100
  4. ^ "June 20, 2024 Tumblr post by geyser2018". Archived from the original on 2026-03-23.
  5. ^ "Positive ship tag game, April 20, 2025 Tumblr by mercurialkitty". Archived from the original on 2026-03-23.
  6. ^ There is a clue everybody's missed, interview with Moffat in The Guardian, 2012-01-20.
  7. ^ 'Sherlock' fans lash out over sunken 'Johnlock' ship. Daily Dot, April 26, 2013.
  8. ^ As of a March 2026 search of AO3 resulting in 577 Alpha Sherlock Holmes and 576 Omega John Watson vs 560 Omega Sherlock Holmes and 528 Alpha John Watson
  9. ^ As of a March 2026 search of AO3 resulting in 1286 works tagged Top John Watson vs 965 works tagged as Top Sherlock Holmes
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