Sherlock

2010 • TMDB 8.5 • 4 seasons • Crime, Drama, Mystery

Overview

Sherlock Holmes has always been the world’s most famous detective, but in this modern BBC retelling he is a consulting detective for the 21st century: brilliant, abrasive and utterly incapable of switching off. From 221B Baker Street, and with army doctor John Watson at his side, he turns London itself into a crime scene, reading the smallest details in a scarf, a phone or a pair of shoes and spinning them into the truth. Each feature-length episode plays like a small film, taking Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic tales — a scandal, a hound, a fall — and rebuilding them for a city of smartphones, CCTV and tabloid headlines. The cases are dazzling, but the show’s real engine is the friendship at its center: Sherlock’s cold logic against Watson’s warmth, loyalty and stubborn humanity. As the shadows close in, and a consulting criminal named Moriarty begins to play his own game, the question becomes not whether Sherlock can solve the crime, but what solving it will cost him.

Creator and Main Cast

Sherlock was created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat for BBC One, based on the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle. The cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes (12 episodes), Martin Freeman as John Watson (12 episodes), Una Stubbs as Mrs. Hudson (12 episodes), Rupert Graves as DI Greg Lestrade (11 episodes), Louise Brealey as Molly Hooper (11 episodes), Mark Gatiss as Mycroft Holmes (11 episodes), Andrew Scott as Jim Moriarty (8 episodes), and Amanda Abbington as Mary Morstan (6 episodes).

Seasons Snapshot

Sherlock has run for 4 series and 12 episodes on BBC One, each series made up of three feature-length episodes. Series 1 premiered on July 25, 2010, Series 2 on January 1, 2012, Series 3 on January 1, 2014, and Series 4 on January 1, 2017, closing with the finale “The Final Problem” on January 15, 2017. The show also has 9 Specials, including the Victorian-era “The Abominable Bride,” which are not counted in the series totals.

Why Watch Sherlock?

Sherlock is the rare adaptation that honors its source while reinventing it completely. The modern setting makes Holmes’s deductions feel newly thrilling — texts flash across the screen, his mind palace unfolds in real time, and every case becomes a race against a city that never stops moving. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are perfectly matched, and Andrew Scott’s Moriarty is one of television’s great villains. Best of all, the show never forgets that behind the genius is a man learning, slowly and reluctantly, how to be a friend.

Trailer

Watch the official trailer on YouTube: Sherlock | Official Trailer | Hulu

Where to Watch

In the US, Sherlock streams on BritBox, Hulu, Philo, AMC+, and PBS. Availability was checked against JustWatch US listings on October 29, 2026, and may change over time.