Elementary Scoop: When Will We Meet Irene Adler?

Irene Adler, one of the most revered female characters in the Sherlock Holmes stories, may be coming to Elementarysooner than we think.

Following last week's reveal that Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) had recited her name over and over in his drug-addled past, it seemed more than likely that we'd soon see her in the flesh. So, TVGuide.com turned to executive producer Rob Doherty to find out when!

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Adler, oftentimes depicted as a love interest for Holmes over the years, will appear before the end of Season 1, Doherty assures us. "Initially we had a back nine [episodes], and now we have a back 11, which is an embarrassment of riches," he says. "So somewhere in this back half of the season we'd like to see her in some way, shape or form.

"If people are beginning to suspect there may have been some sort of romantic involvement, I'd say that's in the ballpark," Doherty continues. "I just finished writing Episode 12, and we'll get a few bigger pieces of the puzzle in that episode. We'll find out a little bit more about Irene, and the specifics of their relationship, and how they relate to his spiraling out of control in London."

The producers have yet to start writing for the actual character, but Doherty says they're already discussing what traits this Adler would need to be yin to Holmes' yang. "As we build our Irene and we get into more detail, obviously, she has to be fairly unique, in that someone like Sherlock found himself attracted to her," he says. "As we've said in the past, he doesn't really like to get close to anyone, let alone women. The way we've depicted him, to this point in the season, he's not an especially romantic kind of guy."

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That's an understatement. In the series premiere, the CBS series established that he had arrangements, not relationships, with women to satisfy the physiological exercise of sex, as opposed to getting emotionally involved. "We have to be true to that and recognize that's how he is now, and that's probably how he was for quite some time," he says. "Irene has to have a certain strength. I see someone who has to have managed to surprise Sherlock in small, but significant ways. He's so easily bored by the predictable.

"I hope it doesn't sound like I'm describing someone zany," Doherty quickly adds. "That's the opposite of what we would want."

Following Made in Jersey's quick demise, fans hoped its star Janet Montgomery could easily slide into the role. (Adler even hails from Jersey, and Montgomery has had some practice with taking on that American dialect.) "Her name has come up," Doherty reveals. "I'm embarrassed to say that I'm not as familiar with her work as I should be at this point, but I've never heard anything but great things about her. So she's definitely somebody I would want to take a look at. I hear she's a wonderful actress. I've seen pictures, and I know she's pretty easy on the eyes, so that helps."

Who would you like to see play Irene Adler? Hit the comments with your thoughts!

Elementary airs Thursdays at 10/9c on CBS.