Sherlock Holmes is one of the UK’s famous fictional characters. The original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that were published between 1887 and 1927 were extremely popular throughout and after their publication run and has subsequently led to Holmes and the other recurring characters in the stories to wind up in various adaptations over the last near century. Now whilst the character may be most easily remembered internationally by Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal in the 2009 Guy Ritchie film; if you were to ask any modern Sherlock fan which on screen version of the famous detective to check out, the answer would undoubtedly be the BBC series created by two of the men behind the 2005 Doctor Who revival Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.
The series, simply named Sherlock, adapts many of Holmes’ most famous cases to the small screen but alters the time period from the early twentieth century to the modern day…or at least the modern day of when they were created over the course of the last decade.
After returning from Afghanistan with PTSD and a walking stick, Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) finds himself lodging with the enigmatic private detective Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch). Whilst Sherlock certainly proves to be borderline insane, John cannot deny that he finds the man incredibly interesting and quickly gets swept up in his mysterious investigations. With the assistance of Sherlock’s brother Mycroft (Mark Gatiss), D.I Greg Lestrade (Rupert Graves), coroner Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey), and their landlady Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs), Holmes & Watson make a name for themselves at 221b Baker Street as private detectives and face off against some of the most devilishly fiendish criminals the world has ever seen in cases that no ordinary man could solve.
The series, simply named Sherlock, adapts many of Holmes’ most famous cases to the small screen but alters the time period from the early twentieth century to the modern day…or at least the modern day of when they were created over the course of the last decade.
After returning from Afghanistan with PTSD and a walking stick, Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) finds himself lodging with the enigmatic private detective Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch). Whilst Sherlock certainly proves to be borderline insane, John cannot deny that he finds the man incredibly interesting and quickly gets swept up in his mysterious investigations. With the assistance of Sherlock’s brother Mycroft (Mark Gatiss), D.I Greg Lestrade (Rupert Graves), coroner Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey), and their landlady Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs), Holmes & Watson make a name for themselves at 221b Baker Street as private detectives and face off against some of the most devilishly fiendish criminals the world has ever seen in cases that no ordinary man could solve.
Sherlock ran for four series between 2010 and 2017 for a total of thirteen episodes that ran for roughly ninety minutes each. So, despite being a TV series it akin to a series of films. Each series consisted of just three episodes with a Christmas Special between series three and four, and there were gaps of several years between each series of the show. I remember when I was a teenager and the show was airing they were considered major TV events due to them having a considerably larger budget than was usually afforded to British TV series and usually managed to bag some of Britain’s biggest TV personalities to star. The show was also given a huge popularity boost outside of the UK thanks to The Hobbit films releasing around the time of series 2&3, which Freeman and Cumberbatch also starred in.
So, as you can see, Sherlock was not your average TV show, but its thirteen-episode run is widely considered among the best that British TV has to offer. A fifth series has been planned, but as in the usual fashion for Sherlock nothing has materialised yet despite being in the pipeline for four years now. The fourth series also had a somewhat definitive ending to it, and until recently I had never seen more than the first series. So, now that the dust has settled and the hype has died down, I watched it all to see whether Sherlock really was worth all the fanfare.
The short answer is sort of. But in the style of the cases Watson and Holmes tackle on a daily basis it’s not quite as straightforward as one would hope. The show is incredible up until roughly the final episode of the third series, there had been some cracks starting to show in the armour throughout series 3, but it was the finale where the show truly took a turn in a direction it would never return from.
Up until this point everything had been almost too good to be true. Freeman & Cumberbatch not only were great performers, but they had excellent chemistry together. They were the glue that everything else stuck to and it was brilliant. No matter how long the time between episodes, whenever it returned these two jumped back in those shoes like they’d never even left.
The early seasons did a great job of fleshing out Holmes’ character in ways that had never been done before, whilst still retaining that level of inhumanity the man has. The modern setting also allows for the stories to play out in different ways to how they were original written, as well as incorporate more modern attitudes towards things. These give the stories a new lease of life and do truly make them stand out from the source material.
The first two series become are bingeable because of how well each episode flows into one another. Initially plotting the rise of the criminal mastermind Moriarty (Andrew Scott) until he finally reveals himself to our heroes, and then seeing how Holmes & Watson go about stopping Moriarty.
Then series 3 comes along and it starts strong, several years have passed since the conclusion of series 2, and John has a new life. Only to have it thrown into disarray by the return of Sherlock for new adventures, however it’s from this point on that the series feels like it’s constantly chasing old ghosts. The idea that Moriarty is still alive is always present but never comes to fruition, John’s wife Mary (Amanda Abbington) is revealed to be a secret agent and not only dies multiple times, but then also leaves behind multiple different goodbye messages for John following her actual death that are conveniently themed around the case he and Sherlock are currently trying to solve.
The series really goes off the rails in the series 3 finale where Sherlock kills a man in cold blood because he had outsmarted him. It totally ruins the character and unfortunately the show never recovers from then on as Sherlock becomes a paranoid murderous drug addict. The show’s finale also really jumps the shark by revealing Sherlock has a sister he doesn’t remember and she places him, John, and Mycroft in a Saw-esque game where they must decide who lives and dies. By this point in the show it doesn’t even feel like Sherlock anymore and this slow descent into absurdity truly starts with the Series 3 finale.
So, as you can see, Sherlock was not your average TV show, but its thirteen-episode run is widely considered among the best that British TV has to offer. A fifth series has been planned, but as in the usual fashion for Sherlock nothing has materialised yet despite being in the pipeline for four years now. The fourth series also had a somewhat definitive ending to it, and until recently I had never seen more than the first series. So, now that the dust has settled and the hype has died down, I watched it all to see whether Sherlock really was worth all the fanfare.
The short answer is sort of. But in the style of the cases Watson and Holmes tackle on a daily basis it’s not quite as straightforward as one would hope. The show is incredible up until roughly the final episode of the third series, there had been some cracks starting to show in the armour throughout series 3, but it was the finale where the show truly took a turn in a direction it would never return from.
Up until this point everything had been almost too good to be true. Freeman & Cumberbatch not only were great performers, but they had excellent chemistry together. They were the glue that everything else stuck to and it was brilliant. No matter how long the time between episodes, whenever it returned these two jumped back in those shoes like they’d never even left.
The early seasons did a great job of fleshing out Holmes’ character in ways that had never been done before, whilst still retaining that level of inhumanity the man has. The modern setting also allows for the stories to play out in different ways to how they were original written, as well as incorporate more modern attitudes towards things. These give the stories a new lease of life and do truly make them stand out from the source material.
The first two series become are bingeable because of how well each episode flows into one another. Initially plotting the rise of the criminal mastermind Moriarty (Andrew Scott) until he finally reveals himself to our heroes, and then seeing how Holmes & Watson go about stopping Moriarty.
Then series 3 comes along and it starts strong, several years have passed since the conclusion of series 2, and John has a new life. Only to have it thrown into disarray by the return of Sherlock for new adventures, however it’s from this point on that the series feels like it’s constantly chasing old ghosts. The idea that Moriarty is still alive is always present but never comes to fruition, John’s wife Mary (Amanda Abbington) is revealed to be a secret agent and not only dies multiple times, but then also leaves behind multiple different goodbye messages for John following her actual death that are conveniently themed around the case he and Sherlock are currently trying to solve.
The series really goes off the rails in the series 3 finale where Sherlock kills a man in cold blood because he had outsmarted him. It totally ruins the character and unfortunately the show never recovers from then on as Sherlock becomes a paranoid murderous drug addict. The show’s finale also really jumps the shark by revealing Sherlock has a sister he doesn’t remember and she places him, John, and Mycroft in a Saw-esque game where they must decide who lives and dies. By this point in the show it doesn’t even feel like Sherlock anymore and this slow descent into absurdity truly starts with the Series 3 finale.
I also have an issue with how women are portrayed in the show. Moffat and Gatiss have had issues for years when writing female characters and Sherlock is no different. Particularly the characters of Molly (Louise Brealey) and Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs) are glorified set dressing that serve only to stroke Sherlock's ego. Molly does get a bit more emotional depth in the later series, but it's still shallower than a toddlers paddling pool. The female character with the most depth is Mary, but her character gets butchered in the last few episodes she stars in because she keeps fake-out dying.
Whilst I agree that Sherlock is generally good TV and I would argue it’s worth checking out if you haven’t seen it before, it’s disappointing final two series are almost enough to derail all the good the show does in the first two. Is it the best British TV has to offer like it was made out to be when it was airing? No. But it does take the Sherlock Holmes license and changes it in significant enough ways to make the character and scenarios feel fresh, exciting, and relevant once again? Absolutely, and I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t want to see it return for another shot at recapturing what it once had.
Whilst I agree that Sherlock is generally good TV and I would argue it’s worth checking out if you haven’t seen it before, it’s disappointing final two series are almost enough to derail all the good the show does in the first two. Is it the best British TV has to offer like it was made out to be when it was airing? No. But it does take the Sherlock Holmes license and changes it in significant enough ways to make the character and scenarios feel fresh, exciting, and relevant once again? Absolutely, and I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t want to see it return for another shot at recapturing what it once had.