Sherlock (2010)
A new sleuth for the 21st century.
A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London.
| Type | TV series |
|---|---|
| First aired | 25 July 2010 |
| Status | Ended, last episode 15 January 2017 |
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Mystery |
| Created by | Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat |
| Starring | Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman |
| Seasons | 4 seasons, 12 episodes |
| Episode length | about 90 min |
| Time to watch it all | about 18 hours |
| Rated | TV-14 |
| Scores | TMDB users 8.5/10 |
Where to watch Sherlock
Sherlock is streaming on Hulu ($18.99 a month) in the US. At ten hours a week, all of the series takes about 1 month of Hulu, or $18.99 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 1 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
What kind of watch this is
The hook is the speed. Cumberbatch’s Holmes processes the world at a clip that leaves Watson, and the audience, slightly breathless. It is a crime drama where the investigation feels less like a procedural and more like a high-speed chess match. The 18 hours of runtime pack a punch because every minute is spent observing, deducing, or arguing. Lestrade’s bewildered reactions anchor the madness, grounding the spectacle in human scale. It is a watch for people who find standard mystery pacing tedious and prefer their logic delivered at a sprint.
What the critics said
Critics adored the first three series. Metacritic scores them 85, 91, and 88 out of 100, respectively. Rotten Tomatoes agrees, with approval ratings of 93%, 94%, and 91% for the same runs. The fourth series landed at 56%, a sharp drop from the earlier consensus.
Praise focused on the writing and the leads. The Observer called it "a cross between Withnail and I and The Bourne Ultimatum." The Guardian’s Dan Martin found the first episode "brilliantly promising." Reviewers noted that Cumberbatch’s Holmes is "cold, techie, slightly Asperger-ish," while Freeman’s Watson provides a dependable counterweight. The show’s dedication to the source material earned it respect from Doyle purists.
How it did with audiences
The first series opened with 7.5 million viewers. By the second series, the average climbed past 8 million. That jump turned a strong debut into a cultural habit. Series three became the UK's most watched drama since 2001, averaging 11.82 million viewers. The fourth series started with 11.3 million but ended on 5.9 million. An 8.5 TMDB user score suggests the audience still remembers the good parts, even if the numbers wobbled later.
Awards
Sherlock collected 19 wins from 25 nominations. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman took home Primetime Emmy Awards for Lead and Supporting Actor in 2014. Steven Moffat won for writing that same year. The show also bagged a BAFTA for Best Drama Series in 2011.
What came next for the cast
Benedict Cumberbatch moved from Atonement (2007) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) to Doctor Strange (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Martin Freeman moved from Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007) to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), Captain America: Civil War (2016), and Black Panther (2018). Rupert Graves moved from V for Vendetta (2006) and Death at a Funeral (2007) to The White Queen (2013), Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (2016), and Emma. (2020). The credits do not prove the show caused the shift. They just mark where the path bent.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Sherlock.
Sources
- Sherlock on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q192837 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Sherlock (TV series)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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