The BBC is known for producing some top-tier television. Aside from the countless true crime programs and daytime procedural dramas, it’s also a network known for producing some of the most iconic TV shows of the decade. Namely, a little one you might have heard of called Sherlock.
Sherlock, one of the best TV series since Doctor Who adorned our screens, made literary adaptations cool again. But now we feel old, because today marks the 13-year anniversary since the first episode. On July 25, 2010, Sherlock would premiere and bring us the dynamic duo of Holmes and Watson, played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, respectively.
Of course, we now know the two best actors from the series from their work in the likes of the MCU and The Lord of the Rings, but back in 2010, their names were about to skyrocket to household status.
The best thriller series of the early 2010s, Sherlock was a contemporary retelling of the Arthur Conan Doyle stories, taking place in metropolitan London and utilizing various modern-day tech.
Sherlock was not the first adaptation of the famous detective stories (and it likely won’t be the last), but it may just be the best. Created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat (both of whom had major creative roles to play in the modern day continuation of Doctor Who), the series was hailed for its unusual format and genuinely inciting mysteries.
Despite the fact that it only ran for two seasons (and a special), Sherlock would garner an unprecedented fanbase and rivaled that of Doctor Who. In fact, if you were like us and logged on to Tumblr at all during the 2010s, you would encounter some form of Sherlock content. He basically ruled the site at the time.
While we think that Sherlock stands as a modern masterpiece, don’t just take our word for it. The series currently sits at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and 88 on Metacritic. It also dominated the awards circuit during its run and would take home BAFTAS for best drama series and best supporting actor.
For more literary tales, check out our guides to the Bridgerton season 3 release date and the Sherlock Holmes 3 release date. Or, if sci-fi is more your thing, take a look at our guides to the Doctor Who season 14 release date and Severance season 2 release date. (We’ve also got all of The Doctor’s incarnations ranked, just to clear up where we stand on the Time Lord.)
Don’t forget to take a look at our list of the best detective movies, and see what other shows are worth watching with our guides to everything new on Amazon Prime and everything new on Netflix this month.