• Network: BBC-1 , PBS , BBC
  • Series Premiere Date: Oct 24, 2010
  • Season #: 1 , 2
Sherlock Image
Metascore

Universal acclaim - based on 17 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 377 Ratings

  • Summary: Part of PBS's Masterpiece Mystery, the three Sherlock Holmes stories set in modern-day London were created and written by Stephen Moffatt and Mark Gatiss. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman play the detective and Dr. John Watson.
  • Genre(s): Drama, Suspense
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    Oct 22, 2010
    100
    Tremendously clever fun, Masterpiece Mystery! presents the first of three modernizations of the Sherlock Holmes tales.
  2. Reviewed by: Robert Lloyd
    Oct 24, 2010
    80
    It is cinematic in the sense that nothing in it looks quite real. But it works: This is not the London known as jolly and old, but the new chilly city of glass, a place of missed connections, of aliens and alienation. And the smart dialogue and warm performances--even Holmes has a discernible beating heart, or perhaps two--keep ice from forming on the production.
  3. Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Dec 8, 2010
    80
    Clearly, there are few more durable figures in fiction, but capturing the fundamental appeal of Holmes is quite another matter. And on that level, Sherlock cannily cracks the case.
  4. Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    Oct 24, 2010
    80
    Thanks to committed performances from Cumberbatch and Freeman, and clever writing from Moffat and Gatiss, most of it works splendidly.

See all 17 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 65 out of 71
  2. Negative: 5 out of 71
  1. Even better than the film. This new take on Sherlock Holmes is absolutely brilliant, television does not get much better than this. Benedict Cumberbatch has mastered the role completely and the same can be said for Martin Freeman, they both work so well together and the banter between their characters is one of many things that makes this show brilliant. It is so cleverly written and directed that you're hooked as soon as the opening credits role and after that happens you are in for 90 minutes of sheer awesome. Theres not much more I can say, brilliant writing, directing, acting and some innovation has come together to make this show. Don't think twice about checking it out. Expand
  2. BBC's answer to House MD. A brilliant, bull-headed mind working through puzzles in a china shop atmosphere.Supporting characters spend most of their time catching fragile egos knocked off their perch while the main character charges after the solution. Fun, slightly lower production polish than House, and satisfyingly long episodes. Enjoy! Collapse
  3. 5
    Great cast and an imaginative concept. Poor character development and annoyingly muddled plots. The result entertaining but annoying because it could have been so much better with a more well written script. Expand
  4. The wife and I saw the brilliant un-aired pilot to Moffat's Sherlock reboot. It was tightly directed and scripted I like Moffat's work on Doctor Who and was excited about the show. . . . Until I saw the official pilot plodding, dull and stupid -They show the damn murder in the first scene- It was like they sent it to be re-written by a committee of 11 year old american boys and told them to dumb it up. I say to the wife "we are prolly are just underwhelmed because of how good the un-aired pilot was." or maybe she said it to me because she is clever like that.
    We watched the second episode "The Blind Banker" another murder in the first scene another give-me pseudo-mystery. Don't get me wrong there is some delightful racism throughout, fortune cookie accents, and inscrutable Asians. So it was not a total loss. the show is fun it is just not smart and worse it assumes we are not smart.
    Then came the "The Great Game" and the worst Moriarty ever. He plays a hyper-controlled super-genius criminal like Jim Carey playing "gay". Speaking of which the already have in the cast the perfect Moriarty Mark Gatiss. When he appeared in the Pilot I thought what a great choice of Moriarty. Not only is Mark number 3 on the list of people I would go gay for. He is wasted on Mycroft. He is the right age a -generation older than Benedict Cumberbatch-, the right temperament, he is a member of the league of gentlemen and can actually act. More importantly he is believable as a math-professor that controls the criminal world like a chess game. The fool they have playing the part, screams and chews the scenery any time he gets a cellphone call. The "I am sOoOo changeable" line had me on the floor laughing and not in the good way.
    I guess I should be grateful Moffat has presented me with a real mystery - why does this show only have good reviews?
    Expand

See all 71 User Reviews

Related Articles

  1. Best and Worst New Shows of the 2011-12 TV Season

    Best and Worst New Shows of the 2011-12 TV Season Image
    Published: May 23, 2012
    We've reached the end of another TV season, so it's time once again for our annual look at the best and worst shows. Find out which first-year series impressed critics and users the most, and see how the major networks compared.
  2. Summer TV Preview: The Best New & Returning Series

    Summer TV Preview: The Best New & Returning Series Image
    Published: May 3, 2012
    Summer will bring some of TV's best shows (including "Breaking Bad" and "Louie," and--possibly--new shows like "The Newsroom"). Inside, we look at the 20 most noteworthy series, specials, and miniseries coming this summer. You'll also find a full calendar of premiere dates from now through August.