Sherlock (2010- )

Sherlock is a British crime drama television series that presents a contemporary adaptation Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, it stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson. Critical reception has been greatly encouraging, with many reviews praising the quality of the writing, performances, and direction. Sherlock has also been nominated for numerous awards including: BAFTAs, Emmys and Golden Globe, winning several awards across a variety of categories.

In this modern take on a cult classic, Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) is presented as a misunderstood genius with a detective mind like no other: occasionally, he lets his ego get the better of him, often unintentionally treating his peers as unimportant but is nonetheless undoubtedly the greatest detective in London. Holmes is assisted by his flatmate and friend, Dr John Watson (Martin Freeman), who has returned from military service in Afghanistan with the Royal Army Medical Corps. Though the Metropolitan Police Service are sceptical at first, over time his remarkable intellect and powers of observation persuade them of his value.

Presenting Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classics in this modern adaptation, rather than a periodical piece was unarguably a great idea for a number of reasons. Initially, those who are familiar with Conan Doyle’s work would come to expect something set in Victorian England, which I feel would limit the amount you could do in terms of story and characterisation. Basing the show in a more modern setting with a younger lead actor adds a distinctive variation from anything based on the same novels. Mark Gatiss has criticized recent television adaptations of the Conan Doyle stories as "too reverential and too slow", aiming instead to be as irreverent to the canon as the 1930s and 1940s films starring Basil Rathbone, which were mostly set in the then-modern interwar era. Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock uses modern technology, such as texting, the internet, and GPS, to solve crimes which in turn attracts a new generation to Sherlock Holmes while keeping older fans satisfied. Moffat and Gatiss do the work of Conan Doyle justice with their contemporary take on a cult classic.

Each episode of Sherlock adds something new, and the character development of not only Sherlock but Dr Watson perseveres far into the show’s continuation. The relationship between the two is somewhat admirable, and in the same sense that Dr Watson is always learning from Sherlock, Sherlock is also learning from Dr Watson. The intricate storylines are gripping, attaching viewers to the series and keeping them hooked, while the powerful performances from Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch help the show prosper.

Not unlike ‘Luther’, Sherlock’s character is extremely intelligent and thinks at a rate unmatched by those around him. Picking up on clues and tiny details which ultimately help him to resolve his cases, both Sherlock and Luther share a sense of great astuteness while remaining somewhat outsiders to society. 

I enjoy British dramas, as they add a gritty sense of realism unparalleled by shows produced in the US and all over the world. The true-to-life colour saturation, the extreme close ups and the realistic, unaltered cast of the show that often look as though you could see them walking around the streets of London and nobody would bat an eyelid; whereas in American crime dramas, the cast look over-‘Hollywood’ in my opinion; what I mean by the term ‘overly-‘Hollywood’’ is that in American television, the show will undergo a large amount of alteration and editing before a single episode is aired, so that it looks perfect. The experience of watching American dramas is not unlike watching a movie, because of how prefect everything looks, however this takes away a large amount of realism from the work, making them less lifelike and more movie-esc: more ‘Hollywood’. The reason so many people all over the world enjoy British crime dramas is because of the gritty, realistic nature of the characters and stories presented to us. Crime dramas like Sherlock and Luther give us a sense of versimilitude as we watch them, as though these things could actually happen in real life.

The audience for Sherlock and Luther are unarguably similar: fans of British crime drama with a strong lead paired with a correspondingly-influential supporting cast. The age range indicates that Sherlock fandom is not just for the young, despite slightly more than half of the fans taking this survey reporting they are under 30. After the roughly one-third (32.6%) in the 20-29 age range, the next highest percentage (21.2%) is 15-19 years old, and from this I can infer that a show fairly similar to Sherlock would be extremely hospitable amongst E4’s demographic.