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'Elementary' Season 2 preview: Sherlock and Watson head to London and meet Sherlock's dad?

By Geoff Berkshire

    

May 17, 2013 1:52 PM ET

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Now that "Elementary" has closed the book on a successful first season with a jaw-dropping reveal, the work begins on Season 2.

It's already been announced that next season's opener will be filmed in London for a story that's sure to explore some of Sherlock's roots, and the show's creator and executive producer Rob Doherty admits that the writers are just getting started on plans for next season. But during a conference call to discuss last night's finale, Doherty did share some of what we might see when "Elementary" returns in the fall.

"The story's still being developed," Doherty explains about the show's trip to London. "But my guess is it would only be Sherlock and Joan. I think story wise it might be hard to justify a trip for all of our players. I'd love to have Captain Gregson [in London too]. In the pilot we explained he worked and lived there for a little while. That's how he met Sherlock. So he does have some (seniority) with Scotland Yard. But at the moment I'm going to say no. Probably we're going to limit this trip to Sherlock and Joan."

But Doherty also thinks the London episode could be exactly the right time to meet a very important character. "I've always loved the idea of Sherlock's dad -- this person that is spoken of but never seen," he says. "I enjoy that aspect of it and yet if we had an opportunity to work with a great actor, somebody who could look at and go, 'Oh yes, absolutely! That's our Sherlock's dad; that's the guy who you could see parenting or not parenting Jonny Lee Miller,' we would go for it. You never know. The London episode might be the perfect time to meet Sherlock's dad and get a better sense of him and his relationship with his son."

Another storyline that's likely on tap for Season 2 is exploring more of Joan's past. "We've toyed with the idea of getting a little more into her backstory," Doherty reveals. "What really happened? How did her patient die? How much of it was her fault? What's her comfort level with the idea of a return to a surgical career? It's all fodder for Season 2."

And fans should expect the mix of episodic mysteries and longer arcs like Season 1's Moriarty saga to continue into Season 2. "I predict that next season will feel in many respects like this one," Doherty says. "We will absolutely have standalone stories and cases. But there will be certain stories that you can arc over a run or a stretch of shows. We still have to find those and identify them -- What's the kind of story we want to build over four or five, six episodes? This year we had our work cut out for us with Moriarty. We knew we wanted to get here by the end of the season."

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