Sherlock: Season 1 (2010)

What I love about Sherlock is how it's so smartly written and how perfect it is in most areas. Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch have a natural chemistry which shines throughout the episodes as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are shown to be more like brothers than just two friends solving murder cases for Lestrade. Freeman has an smarter-than-average everyman nature which befits John Watson spectacularly well while Cumberbatch's portrayal of Sherlock is proof that he is likely the best actor of his generation to come out of England, portraying Sherlock perfectly as a "high-functioning sociopath" while still retaining a human side which shines through in certain moments of need. I was skeptical when I first heard of Sherlock. I wasn't the biggest fan (more of a casual observer) of the Robert Downey Jr. adaption, and the thought of it being a modernized adaption set in modern day London gave me an uneasy feeling. In many cases it could have been a bigger disaster than Chernobyl, but it succeeds due to the modernity suiting Sherlock in ways many didn't expect it to. Although the season is only three episodes in length (albeit 1 hour and 30 minute episodes if that), the series is firmly established throughout season one in a way most shows take two seasons to do. We go from John and Sherlock having their first encounter and solving the Study in Pink to confronting Jim Moriarty played to absolute perfection by Andrew Scott while writer and actor Mark Gatiss' portrayal of Mycroft Holmes allows the show to exploit an adult sibling rivalry which is both humorous and reminiscent of a far more intelligent version of the Gallagher brother's rivalry in the 90s, only without Sherlock or Mycroft getting thrown off ferries or acting like football hooligans. The series in itself is a splendid masterpiece which will likely go down in television history as one of the best series' of all time in terms of quality and in the many fields which go into a production such as this. It's impeccably smart but also hooks the viewer from the get-go. It has the highest possible recommendation I can possibly give it.