Not to mention the 'will-they, won't-they' relationships are so difficult to pull off and shoehorning it in as you said makes it worse. Especially when there's a lack of chemistry to begin with. Not that Jonny and Lucy lack chemistry, it's just not the "Let's go snog in Captain Gregson's office" chemistry. It's more like "Let's go catch some bad guys with Sherlock being superior and Joan being snarky at Sherlock with an underlying bond of friendship" chemistry. That is definitely one point in its' favor. It's giving it a twist on the Holmes/Watson relationship but still keeping the friendship from the ACD canon.

I got spoiled on Tumblr and CBS' commercials on tv. Moriarty, for all that he appears in...two stories of the books (I think), is so intricately interconnected with Sherlock and Watson - to an extent - that people already have preconceived notions of what Moriarty should be and Elementary, IMNSHO, managed to turn those notions on the head. Basically what you said.

(Natalie Dormer makes me want to start watching Game of Thrones.)