lucy liu plays lori cerasoli in sherlock holmes TV show

Lucy Liu tackles addiction as a sober companion

Lucy Liu may have never been addicted to drugs or had an alcohol abuse problem, but she seemed to always be around sober companions throughout her career. If she did have an addiction, she kept it out of the press, and out of the public's view.

Lucy Liu is cast as sober companion Jane Watson

Lucy Liu has been cast with Jonny Lee Miller in CBS’s upcoming pilot, Elementary. This is a modern day retelling of Sherlock Holmes, where liu plays a sober companion to Jonny's Sherlock holmes character, who has an addiction, and in recovery. Properly expressed as "Eccentric Brit" might be politically correct way to describe the Sherlock Holmes character who is a former consultant to Scotland Yard. His addiction problems have led him to a rehab center in New York City. Just out of rehab, Holmes now lives in Brooklyn with “sober companion” Joan Watson, a former surgeon who lost her license after a patient died, while consulting for the NYPD.

Hired by parents

As part of the condition for accepting the job, or getting money from his dad, or some reason he must obey his father's rules, the lead is required to hire a sober companion.

Johnny Lee Miller describes the sober companion character

“She’s looking after Sherlock, initially,” Jonny said. “She’s the sober companion [who] has to accompany him everywhere, [and] try and keep him on the straight and narrow, but he’s got it in his head that he wants to start work as a consultant – a detective consultant — so he drags her along with him and he starts to see that she has some real abilities to bring to the table.”

watch the Elementary promo trailer from CBS here

In the brief promo click on youtube, it looked like lucy adds nothing to the curiosities of a wired sherlock holmes, and appears naive to the trouble that sherlock holmes draws her into, purely by being in close proximity.  While the "elementary" promo shows very little, there is much action to watch, car chases, car accidents, stints in jail due to reckless abandon. It appears that lucy as sober companion jane watson, is hired by sherlocks father, and it seems like she might not want to be there, especially when sherlock totals her own car. Another observation from the promo is that while many of dr. sober companion's contemporaries are changing their names to sober coaches, hollywood is sticking with the classic name of sober companion. It would be much harder to take lucy liu serious if she was only known as a coach, and their weren't any sports. dr. sober companion chooses to also remain with the classic terminology of sober companion, to describe the profession.

Lucy, who most recently appeared on TNT’s “Southland” said her Dr. Watson has her own demons.
“Don’t waste your time doing things you don’t want to be doing” says Liu. “That’s the one thing I’ve learned [is to say]: ‘That’s not something I would like to do, so I think I’m going to have to pass on that.’ Saying no isn’t easy, she admits, but doing so gives Liu more time to do the things she likes. “I don’t think my martial arts training is going to save me in this environment”

Lucy Liu meets sober companion Lori Cerasoli

In 2 charlie's angels movies with co-star drew barrymore, lucy liu may have worked side by side with sober companion lori cerasoli, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. lori cerasoli was Drew barrymore's sober companion throughout most of drew barrymore's adult career. Drew barrymore has had an addiction almost her entire hollywood career, or at least since she was a teen. Her addiction to drugs and alcohol was so bad, she needed to hire a sober companion, and thats where we speculate lucy liu learned much to draw on for her new "elementary" role as a sober companion jane watson, who tags along solving crimes.

CLICK HERE: to purchase little girl lost - the addiction recovery book of drew barrymore

Drew Barrymore was a star by the time she was seven years old, a drug addict by twelve. Her inspirational comeback from a highly publicized battle with drug and alcohol addiction has left this former child star wiser, happier, and more triumphant then ever.

Sherlock Holmes vs. other incarnations on movies and TV

Since CBS gave the lead roles classical names, it begs to compare various roles and incarnations of the famed sherlock holmes and dr. watson. We don't have to look very far as movie companies are still banking from the robert downey jr. version of sherlock holmes, which has had a sequel due to its success.

Another comparison might be the mentalist, who also uses the power of deducing and maybe a little luck and flare to solve violent and deadly crimes. The mentalist seems to always have his own life on the line, and becomes way to personally involved for his own safety.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wouldn't give a whit which adaptation anyone likes. As he said to William Gillette when he was writing the first stage adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, "You may marry him [to a woman] or murder him or do what you like with him." The man got so sick of his own character he tried to kill him off, and only brought him back due to financial reasons and the demand of the public.

Liu does not save patients life

So the big question is: "how is lucy liu as a TV version sober companion?" and "does she help or her hurt the sober companion profession?"  dr. sober companion has learned that the Liu character was irresponsible, in that she caused the death of a patient through poor supervision. Her punishment was loss of her medical license. (dr. sober companion is opposed to this back story, as it implies irresponsibility in someone whose only job is to save a life.)

“Watson has been in a kind of state of humiliation. She has been kicked out of her practice for malpractice,” Lucy told Access. “I think she’s kind of been having a few tough years and so she starts doing this job of being a sober companion and she discovers a new client that is more complicated than she would’ve expected. And I think she sort of drowns herself in her work, because it takes the thought [away] that she has to think about the state of her own life.”

Was dr. sober companion consulted on "elementary"?

dr. sober companion was not consulted on "elementary", nor was he shown an advance preview of the pilot episode. Maybe this article will show CBS PR, that by giving advanced access to actual sober companions, like dr. sober companion, that it is good for business. (beyond the consultant hired) For press enquirers and responses to lucy liu portrayel of famed sober companion lori cerasoli, we recommend you ask lori cerasoli directly. Lori Cerasoli has been portrayed in movies, and is the ideal role model.

Isn't Liu a cop on another TV show?

Lucy Liu, best known for her roles in TV’s Ally McBeal and the big screen’s Charlie’s Angels, takes on a new challenge: police officer, in the gritty TNT drama Southland.