About Sherlock
Sherlock brings Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective into modern-day London, where smartphones, text messages, blogs, and CCTV cameras join more traditional clues in Sherlock Holmes’s relentless pursuit of a solution.
Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the BBC series stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson. The two meet after Watson returns to London following military service in Afghanistan and soon share rooms at 221B Baker Street. From there, John is drawn into Sherlock’s unusual work as a consulting detective—and into cases that routinely baffle Scotland Yard.
The series borrows freely from Doyle rather than simply updating his stories. Familiar characters, titles, clues, and plot elements appear throughout, but they’re often rearranged or given an entirely new significance. A Study in Scarlet, for example, becomes A Study in Pink, while The Hound of the Baskervilles provides the foundation for The Hounds of Baskerville. That makes the series accessible without any knowledge of the original stories while giving Holmes readers plenty of references to spot.
Sherlock ran for four seasons, from 2010 to 2017, with three feature-length episodes in each season. The Victorian-set special The Abominable Bride aired between Seasons Three and Four, bringing the show’s versions of Holmes and Watson into the period more traditionally associated with the characters.
Follow the cases from the beginning in our Sherlock episode guide, or get to know Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Andrew Scott, Una Stubbs, and the rest of the ensemble in a look at the show’s cast and characters.
Sherlock at a Glance
First aired: 2010
Seasons: Four
Episodes: 13, including The Abominable Bride
Created by: Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman
Setting: London
Based on: The Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle