Yeah, like I said, while I think a f!Holmes and m!Watson could still fall prey to some gender stereotypes (there's that super-smart super-bitch thing) it would still be more interesting (and while I don't really know Johnny Lee Miller or Lucy Liu as actors, she at least has much more a Holmes look than Watson to me!) (admittedly super-smart asexual Asian woman would be falling into its own set of potholes and uhh I might be overthinking this? but yeah...)

(Actually NCIS has some good het friendship stuff - Ziva & McGee have some super cute moments that have a 0 UST count, in part thanks to the Tony/Ziva. Ensemble shows tend to be better for that, they'll pair off one set but then that will free up relations otherwise. Like Sam & Daniel in SG-1. Or Sheridan & Ivanova! "What am I, chopped flarn? Granted, I have no interest in you, you have no interest in me, but if you're going to come barging in the middle of the night, the least you could say is, 'Nice outfit, Ivanova!' and then go on a tear!")

And Watson not being a war vet...yeeeeeeah, that's kind of a major change to the character, more than the gender. If it were set in the past, it'd be excusable, but in modern times...it's ridiculous. >.>

..erm, which is to say, sorry for fueling your fan-rage? But yes, I am with you...