Moffatiss, I'm waiting.

Sherlock
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman
Written by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat (often referred to on tumblr as Moffatiss)

So I think it’s been established by now that I’m a pretty big Sherlock Holmes fan. And the BBC’s Sherlock is most definitely included in that. I was relatively behind the crowd; I came to the first two series reasonably late, however, by the time the third and latest season came out, I was well and truly caught up and I’d been counting down the days. I can tell you now, I was not disappointed-but let’s back up a bit.

Sherlock, if you have not yet been brought under its spell, is a BBC TV series adaptation of –you guessed it – Sherlock Holmes set in modern-day London. Each episode is a magical hour and a half long and is based on the original Arthur Conan Doyle books. The episodes aren’t retellings of the original mysteries, some are loosely based on the originals and some are predominately original cases with references and homages to different stories. These are handled brilliantly; each case is different enough from the books that they're not predictable to anyone who’s read the books, yet they’re incredibly faithful to the series and to the characters.

It’s also brilliantly cast. Benedict Cumberbatch makes a wonderfully neurotic, sociopathic Sherlock who is faithful to Conan Doyle’s original character, while still being modern and likeable. Over the course of the three series, Sherlock develops as a character, but it’s handled very cleverly, and a very careful balance is kept with Sherlock becoming a more empathetic character, while still keeping the core character elements that make him Sherlock Holmes. Martin Freeman as John Watson provides a very nice contrast to Sherlock. As the series progresses he becomes a stronger character, but doesn’t overshadow Sherlock. The two characters balance each other out very nicely.

Sherlock is a very smart show, and what’s more, it’s about characters who aren’t afraid or ashamed to be smart. It’s also incredibly funny with smart humour. Each case is hard enough that you can’t easily predict what’s going to happen, while at the same time, when all is finally revealed, it all makes sense and it’s very logical. (Even if you have to think about it a little.)

In summary, Sherlock is the whole package; smart, funny and incredibly addictive. What’s not to love?  I warn you, though, there’s only three episodes per season, so if you haven’t already seen them, pace yourself, because after those nine episodes, you’ll have to wait until next year.

Now, uh, if it could just be 2015, that’d be great

Feisty chick-o-meter: 8/10
Age rating: 14+
Rating: 10/10
Number of explosions: Ummmmm...