Sherlock 

A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London.

Creators:

Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat

Stars:

Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs

Top Rated TV #15 | Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 86 wins & 161 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Benedict Cumberbatch	...	Sherlock Holmes 15 episodes, 2010-2017
Martin Freeman	...	Dr. John Watson 15 episodes, 2010-2017
Una Stubbs	...	Mrs. Hudson 14 episodes, 2010-2017
Rupert Graves	...	DI Lestrade 14 episodes, 2010-2017
Louise Brealey	...	Molly Hooper 13 episodes, 2010-2017
Mark Gatiss	...	Mycroft Holmes 12 episodes, 2010-2017
Andrew Scott	...	Jim Moriarty / ... 9 episodes, 2010-2017
Amanda Abbington	...	Mary Watson / ... 7 episodes, 2014-2017
Jonathan Aris	...	Anderson 7 episodes, 2010-2016

Storyline

In this modernized version of the Conan Doyle characters, using his detective plots, Sherlock Holmes lives in early 21st century London and acts more cocky towards Scotland Yard's detective inspector Lestrade because he's actually less confident. Doctor Watson is now a fairly young veteran of the Afghan war, less adoring and more active.

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Plot Keywords:

sherlock holmes | friendship | modernized setting | based on novel | detective | 

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Taglines:

The world's favourite detective has emerged from the fog...this is Sherlock for a new generation.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

BBC [UK]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 October 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Шерлок

Filming Locations:

St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hartswood Films, BBC Wales, Masterpiece Theatre

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Reichenbach" is the name of the waterfall where Sherlock and Moriarty fight in the novel.

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Goofs

Throughout the works of Conan Doyle, and the writers who have translated his works for other media, Sherlock Holmes is shown as using "deductive logic." Deductive logic reasons from the general to the particular. The bare-bones deductive argument is the syllogism "All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore, Socrates is a mortal." It's amazing how often people screw this up and argue something like, "All men are mortal; Socrates is mortal; therefore, Socrates is a man," which doesn't logically follow. That would be like saying, "All men are mortal; my kid's hamster is mortal; therefore, my kid's hamster is a man." Inductive logic reasons from particular instances to general theories and is the method used to confirm scientific theories. If you observe enough apples falling from trees, you will conclude that apples always fall down, instead of up or sideways. You might then form a more general hypothesis that includes other falling bodies, like pears. Thus is the progress of science. In the annals of literature, no character is as renowned for his powers of "deduction" as the intrepid Sherlock Holmes, but the way Holmes operates is not generally by using deductive logic at all. He really uses abductive logic. First, he carefully observes the situation, then he generalizes from his prior experience, using analogy and probability.

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Quotes

[Repeated line]
Sherlock Holmes: Yes, obviously.

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Crazy Credits

In the American (PBS Masterpiece Mystery) broadcasts of this series, certain letters in the closing titles are highlighted red. These letters spell out a word that somehow relates to the episode. These highlighted letters don't occur in the closing credits of the original airings of the series (on BBC) though.

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Connections

Spoofed in Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)

User Reviews

Not quite so elementary! Brilliant indeed!

When someone pointed me to Sherlock- a new series on BBC I was, to say the least, a bit skeptical. On top of that, I was told that this Sherlock lived in London in 2010 and was fond of texting on his Blackberry and hosted a website? Color me confused! But I gave it a looksie –after all how bad could it be- Holmes is Holmes. On screen appears a lanky young fellow in a trench coat, getting high on nicotine patches who I am supposed to believe is Sherlock Holmes? This was, as far from my favorite pipe smoking, deer hunting cap wearing image of Holmes, as it could be. I rolled my eyes-this is going to be cheesy. But then in one swift sequence " the lanky young Holmes" in his first meeting with John Watson describes him, his profession , his relationship with his brother and his brother's marital status-all by one look at his cell phone (that's right his cell phone). BANG! I was hooked. This is Sherlock Holmes through and through.

And that in essence is why Sherlock is so, so good. Holmes is not about the Victorian costumes and the environment in which the mysteries unfold. It's about the characters and the events that make the stories the defining mystery novels of so many generations. And Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss' take on Conan Doyle's master detective captures the essence of Sherlock Holmes magnificently. The stories are essentially the same (the first episode-A Study in Pink is a take on A Study in Scarlet-the first Holmes novel) but given a contemporary twist. This contemporary take (which I thought was going to be cheesy initially) is what shows the duo's exemplary creativity. The modern outlook does not take away anything from the essence of Sherlock Holmes- it adds to it. The three 90 minute episodes breeze past you at a breath taking speed- challenging your intelligence and making you yearn for more. The episodes have distinctly dark and brutal settings but are also filled with moments of wry humor that make the experience completely satisfying. The concept of using images and visual pointers in the scenes were Holmes makes his superb deductions is excellent and helps the viewer see and think with the ace detective.

As for the cast, Benedict Cumberbatch is not the kind of guy who would strike you as Sherlock Holmes when you meet him in a street, but man, does he own the show! Oozing charisma, Cumberbatch plays the Holmes character to a tee-arrogant, self centered, brilliant genius. There is an air of superiority about Holmes that makes him pity the vacant minds that don't see and understand the things which seem so obvious to him and Cumberbatch brings that out beautifully. Martin Freeman as John Watson on the other hand plays a perfect foil to Cumberbatch's eccentric genius-the everyday man. Looking for meaning and purpose after returning from the War in Iraq, Watson gets swept into Holmes' mad cap world of brilliance and chaos. Freeman's earnest and subtle performance complements Cumberbatch's Holmes beautifully.

Sherlock though, is not about acting performances. It's about bringing the experience of the world of Sherlock Holmes to the world we live in. Moffat and Gattis recreate the world of the Victorian detective in a completely new setting and do it superbly. Nothing about it is elementary-it is pure genius!