Sherlock (2010)
Sherlock is a 2010 crime series created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Una Stubbs.
A phone that never stops buzzing, nicotine patches instead of a pipe, and a blogger for a sidekick: Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss drop Arthur Conan Doyle's detective into present-day London and dare you to keep up. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Sherlock Holmes as a self-described high-functioning sociopath who reads a crime scene like a page of text; Martin Freeman's Dr John Watson, an army doctor back from Afghanistan, supplies the pulse. Each feature-length episode reworks a classic case with rapid-fire deduction, on-screen text, and a running duel of wits against Moriarty and Holmes's own brother.
Quick answers
What is Sherlock about?
A phone that never stops buzzing, nicotine patches instead of a pipe, and a blogger for a sidekick: Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss drop Arthur Conan Doyle's detective into present-day London and dare you to keep up. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Sherlock Holmes as a self-described high-functioning sociopath who reads a crime scene like a page of text; Martin Freeman's Dr John Watson, an army doctor back from Afghanistan, supplies the pulse. Each feature-length episode reworks a classic case with rapid-fire deduction, on-screen text, and a running duel of wits against Moriarty and Holmes's own brother.
When was Sherlock released?
Sherlock was released on 25 July 2010.
How many episodes does Sherlock have?
Sherlock has 12 episodes across 4 seasons.
Who made Sherlock?
Sherlock was created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat.
Where can I watch Sherlock?
Sherlock is available on AMC+, Britbox, Britbox (Via Amazon Prime), DirecTV On Demand, Hulu and PBS.
Where to watch Sherlock
Stream: AMC+, Britbox, Britbox (Via Amazon Prime), DirecTV On Demand, Hulu, PBS, PBS Masterpiece (Via Amazon Prime), Philo, Spectrum On Demand, WETA+, YouTube TV
Watch free: Hoopla
Rent: Google Play
Buy: Amazon, AppleTV, Fandango at Home, Google Play
Official site
Cast
- Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes
- Martin Freeman as John Watson
- Una Stubbs as Mrs. Hudson
- Rupert Graves as DI Greg Lestrade
- Louise Brealey as Molly Hooper
- Mark Gatiss as Mycroft Holmes
- Andrew Scott as Jim Moriarty
- Amanda Abbington as Mary Morstan
- Jonathan Aris as Dr Anderson
- Vinette Robinson as Sgt Sally Donovan
- Tanya Moodie as Ella
- Lars Mikkelsen as Charles Magnussen
Similar series
Explore Sherlock guides
Sherlock in our writing
- Companion guide: British Crime Drama: The Complete Guide
- Companion guide: Detective & Mystery
- Companion guide: Locked-Room Mysteries: The Complete Guide to the Impossible Crime
- Companion guide: Victorian London
A few thoughts on Sherlock
Agatha Christie's Crooked House delivers the same pleasure of a closed circle of suspects and a final logical snap. In manga, Death Note pits two brilliant minds in a deductive duel worthy of Holmes and Moriarty, while The Kindaichi Case Files runs on locked-room puzzles. For a playable version, Disco Elysium hands you a wrecked detective and a city full of clues.
Modern detectives who solve crimes by pure deduction
Sherlock rebuilds Arthur Conan Doyle around a hero who reads a room in seconds and announces the answer before anyone else sees the clue. These British detective series share that pleasure, following prickly, brilliant investigators who care more about the puzzle than the paperwork and let the deduction carry every episode.
Golden Age whodunits straight from the page
The cases Sherlock updates began on the page, in the Golden Age of the locked room and the impossible poisoning. These classic mysteries from Agatha Christie and the Nancy Drew tradition give you the same tidy machinery: a closed circle of suspects, a hidden motive, and a final reveal that reorders everything you read.
Detective games where you read the scene like a page
Sherlock treats a crime scene like text to be parsed, and these games hand you the magnifying glass. Each one asks you to gather evidence, read people, and piece a case together yourself, trading nonstop action for observation, dialogue, and the slow satisfaction of watching a theory click into place.
Teen sleuths cracking cases in their own town
Before Sherlock there was the amateur who solves the murder the police cannot, often while still in school. These teen and outsider sleuths crack cases across TV, novels, film, and manga, mixing sharp deduction with the ordinary chaos of growing up in a place that suddenly has a body count.