Fanlore:Featured Article Archives/2020: Week 34

The Johnlock Conspiracy is a fan theory which asserts that the writers of Sherlock (BBC) intend to make John/Sherlock the canon endgame pairing. This theory is often presented as a rebuttal to the allegations of queerbaiting commonly lodged against the show by other fans and in the mainstream media. While the term TJLC was coined in early January 2014, fan interpretations of the queer subtext between the characters of John Watson and Sherlock Holmes in the BBC show (and more broadly between Holmes and Watson across various adaptations of Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes canon) certainly predate TJLC.

Primarily based on Tumblr, TJLC and its proponents have been at the heart of much controversy and wank over the years. TJLCers are frequently accused of harassment (including bullying, anon hate, and doxxing), and in turn, many TJLCers have also alleged experiencing harassment from those outside of the subfandom.

After the fourth series ended in 2017, some TJLCers argued that there was a fourth as-yet unaired episode of the fourth series that would vindicate their theory, and many are still waiting for it to be released.