10 Incredibly Shameless Product Placements In Well-Loved TV Shows

2. Elementary €“ Bing

Sherlock Bing I don't think I've ever met anyone who uses Bing. I know that sounds rather sweeping and essentialist, but honest to god, it's true. Microsoft's search engine simply doesn't register in the popular consciousness like Google does, and making it seem like an invaluable tool in Sherlock Holmes' deductive arsenal isn't going to help matters. But still, TV is TV and the money has to come from somewhere, so when we tuned in to watch Elementary, the much-better-than-you-think-it-is US adaptation of Sherlock, we're treated to the world's greatest detective (no, not Batman) reliant upon a search engine used exclusively by Microsoft employees and Bill Gates' family. I don't know if it was just me, but the fact Holmes used Bing to check for rapists €“ on his Windows 8 Surface RT, naturally €“ didn't sit right. He's supposed to think outside the box and have the edge on mere mortals for information-gathering, gathering his dirt through a network of informants (remember British Sherlock's homeless network?) and ingenious ways to access the police database. Seeing him track down his man in the same fashion in which you or I would look for pictures of cats who look like Hitler is somewhat disheartening, and broke the mystique a little bit.
Contributor
Contributor

Durham University graduate and qualified sports journalist. Very good at sitting down and watching things. Can multi-task this with playing computer games. Football Manager addict who has taken Shrewsbury Town to the summit of the Premier League. You can follow me at @Ed_OwenUK, if you like ramblings about Newcastle United and A Place in the Sun. If you don't, I don't know what I can do for you.