Sherlock review
9.0 / 10 — CineScope score
Overview
Arthur Conan Doyle's detective relocated to present-day London, where the deductions are faster and the friendship is more complicated.
The short verdict
A stylish, wildly entertaining reimagining that peaks early and knows it — the first two seasons remain superb television.
Story
Each episode is a self-contained mystery with a season-long thread behind it. The show's best trick is treating Holmes' intellect as a social disability rather than a superpower.
Direction
The directing team makes texting and deduction into visual language — on-screen text, whip-pans and speed ramps used as narrative devices.
Performance
Cumberbatch and Freeman have a genuinely funny, genuinely tender chemistry; Andrew Scott's Moriarty is a love-it-or-hate-it performance with real menace.
Cinematography
Fabian Wagner shoots the modern London of glass offices and soho alleys as a puzzle board.
Music
David Arnold and Michael Price's theme is one of the most recognisable in modern British TV.
Pros and cons
What works
- Dazzling first two seasons
- Cumberbatch/Freeman chemistry
- Mysteries that respect the audience
What does not
- Later seasons get self-referential
- The final episode divides fans sharply
Final verdict
The first two seasons are essential; after that, watch for the performances rather than the plot.
9.0/ 10