●Director: Sue Vertue, Beryl Vertue
●Genre: Crime
●Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman
●Running Time: 90 mins each episode

Sherlock Holmes, famous around the world, is the Scottish novelist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original character and classic mystery solver. Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, writers and producers, reinterpreted the classic stories with a modern twist in the British drama Sherlock with the first season premiering on BBC on July 25, 2010. The second and third seasons were televised in 2012 and 2014, respectively.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays the logical private detective with outstanding observational skills. Sherlock Holmes’s friend, assistant and flatmate is Dr. John Watson played by Martin Freeman. This drama has many fans because the episodes are based on very famous stories that never get boring despite watching them many times. Also each of the three seasons of this drama consists of three episodes that are about 90 minutes, so they are perfect for binge watching.

The first season was on television from July 25 to August 8, 2010. The first episode, “A Study in Pink” is based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet. It is about the first meeting of Holmes and Watson and their attempt to solve a serial poisoning case. The second episode called “The Blind Banker” is a case about the murder of a bank clerk related to smuggling of Chinese antiques. In the last episode of the first season, “The Great Game”, Sherlock’s future enemy Moriarty appears. The most impressive words in this season were when a criminal said to Sherlock. “Clever enough to bet your life? But what’s the point of being clever if you can’t prove it? Still the addict. But this is what you’re really addicted to.” This scene was a little shocking because the criminal seemed to see through Sherlock who never lets anyone in. Some other unforgettable words spoken by Holmes to Watson were, “Will caring about them help save them? Don’t make people into heroes, John. Heroes don’t exist, and if they did, I wouldn’t be one of them.”

The second season was televised from January 1 to 15, 2012. This season has three interesting episodes. The first one called “A Scandal in Belgravia” is about psychological warfare with Irene Adler who has photos she uses to blackmail important people. In this episode, egocentric and dispassionate Sherlock seems to fall for Irene. The second episode is called “The Hounds of Baskervilles” and it’s about a monster dog and poisonous gas. The third episode called “The Reichenbach Fall” is about the unexpected death of Sherlock, which was unbelievable to everyone. Because of these impactful stories, it is probably the most interesting season.

The third season was broadcasted from January 1 to 12, 2014. In the first episode called “The Empty Hearse,” Sherlock returns, which shocked many viewers. The second episode called “The Sign of Three” is about an assassination attempt during Watson’s wedding. The final episode of this season called “His Last Vow” introduces Sherlock’s new enemy Magnussen.

When you watch this drama you can discover some interesting facts. Some scenes such as Sherlock hitting a corpse with a whip to observe a bruise patterns and poking a pig mercilessly are directly from the original stories. In the third season, Sherlock’s parents were played by Benedict Cumberbatch’s real parents and Watson’s wife was played by Martin Freeman’s real wife. Moreover, Mark Gatiss, who wrote this drama, played the role of Sherlock’s brother Mycroft Holmes. Knowing these facts makes the show more interesting.

This drama is about criminal investigation, but it also shows character growth. Sherlock is egocentric and a confessed sociopath, an anti-social person who never considers the thoughts or feelings of others. But when you watch all the seasons in turn, you can see Sherlock becoming more normal by having a true friend in John Watson and a love interest in the beautiful Irene Adler. This demonstrates that, despite someone’s outward behavior, they have hidden qualities that make them more than they appear.

The drama Sherlock immerses you in great stories with interesting characters so you feel like you are solving cases with Sherlock Holmes. The final season airs January, 2017, and is said to be the darkest of all the seasons. I hope you don’t miss it.