The BEST episodes of Sherlock

Every episode of Sherlock ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Sherlock!

Sherlock Holmes and his partner Dr. John Watson solve crimes in 21st century London.

Last Updated: 5/21/2023Network:BBC One
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The Reichenbach Fall
star
8.68
10451 votes

#1 - The Reichenbach Fall

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/15/2012

James Moriarty possesses the greatest criminal mind that the world has ever seen. Sherlock and John knew he wouldn't stay hidden for long, but even they never guessed the sheer scale and audacity of the crime that would propel Moriarty back into the headlines. Sherlock must fight for his reputation, his sanity and his life. But is he all he claims to be?

Directors: Toby Haynes
Watch Now:AmazoniTunes
His Last Vow
star
8.57
8312 votes

#2 - His Last Vow

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/12/2014

A case of stolen letters leads Sherlock Holmes into a long conflict with Charles Augustus Magnussen, the Napoleon of blackmail, and the one man he truly hates. But how do you tackle a foe who knows the personal weakness of every person of importance in the Western world?

Directors: Nick Hurran
Watch Now:AmazoniTunes
The Lying Detective
star
8.47
7423 votes

#3 - The Lying Detective

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/8/2017

Sherlock faces perhaps the most chilling enemy of his long career: the powerful and seemingly unassailable Culverton Smith — a man with a very dark secret indeed.

Directors: Nick Hurran
Watch Now:AmazoniTunes
A Scandal in Belgravia
star
8.45
11461 votes

#4 - A Scandal in Belgravia

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/1/2012

A case of blackmail threatens to topple the monarchy itself, but soon Sherlock and John discover there is even more to it than that. They find themselves battling international terrorism, rogue CIA agents and a secret conspiracy involving the British government. But this case will cast a longer shadow on their lives than they could ever imagine, as the great detective begins a long duel of wits with an antagonist as cold and ruthless and brilliant as himself: Irene Adler.

Directors: Paul McGuigan
Watch Now:AmazoniTunes
A Study in Pink
star
8.42
14312 votes

#5 - A Study in Pink

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/25/2010

A war hero, invalided home from Afghanistan, meets a strange but charismatic genius who is looking for a flatmate — it is London, 2010, and Dr Watson and Sherlock Holmes are meeting for the first time. A string of impossible suicides has Scotland Yard baffled — and only one man can help.

Directors: Paul McGuigan
Watch Now:AmazoniTunes
The Empty Hearse
star
8.34
9259 votes

#6 - The Empty Hearse

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/1/2014

Two years after the devastating events of The Reichenbach Fall, Dr. John Watson has got on with his life. New horizons, romance and a comforting domestic future beckon. But with London under threat of a huge terrorist attack, Sherlock Holmes is about to rise from the grave with all the theatricality that comes so naturally to him. It's what his best friend wanted more than anything, but for John Watson it might well be a case of 'be careful what you wish for!' If Sherlock thinks everything will be just as he left it, though, he is in for a very big surprise...

Directors: Jeremy Lovering
Writer: Mark Gatiss
Watch Now:AmazoniTunes
The Great Game
star
8.31
11325 votes

#7 - The Great Game

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 8/8/2010

A strange clue in an empty room, a blood-soaked car, a priceless Old Master, a deranged bomber. With the clock ticking, the curtain rises on a battle of wits between Sherlock, John and the shadowy stranger who seems to know all the answers...

Directors: Paul McGuigan
Writer: Mark Gatiss
Watch Now:AmazoniTunes
The Sign of Three
star
8.29
8361 votes

#8 - The Sign of Three

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/5/2014

Sherlock faces his biggest challenge of all — delivering a Best Man's speech on John's wedding day. But all isn't quite as it seems. Mortal danger stalks the reception, and someone might not make it to the happy couple's first dance. Sherlock must thank the bridesmaids, solve the case and stop a killer!

Directors: Colm McCarthy
Watch Now:AmazoniTunes
The Final Problem
star
8.15
6902 votes

#9 - The Final Problem

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/15/2017

Long-buried secrets finally catch up with the Baker Street duo. Someone has been playing a very long game indeed and, alone and defenseless, Sherlock and John Watson face their greatest ever challenge. Is the game finally over?

Directors: Benjamin Caron
Watch Now:AmazoniTunes
The Hounds of Baskerville
star
8.10
9920 votes

#10 - The Hounds of Baskerville

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/8/2012

Something terrible has happened to Henry Knight — Sherlock and John investigate the truth about the monstrous creature which apparently killed their client's father. A hound from hell? What seems like fantasy in Baker Street is a very different prospect in the ultra-secret army base that looms over Dartmoor.

Directors: Paul McGuigan
Writer: Mark Gatiss
Watch Now:AmazoniTunes
The Blind Banker
star
7.99
12620 votes

#11 - The Blind Banker

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 8/1/2010

A mysterious cipher is being scrawled on the walls around London. The first person to see the cipher is dead within hours of reading it. Sherlock plunges into a world of codes and symbols, consulting with London's best graffiti artists. He soon learns that the city is in the grip a gang of international smugglers, a secret society called the Black Lotus.

Directors: Euros Lyn
Watch Now:AmazoniTunes
The Six Thatchers
star
7.85
8080 votes

#12 - The Six Thatchers

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/1/2017

One mysterious case in particular baffles Scotland Yard, but Sherlock is more interested in a seemingly-trivial detail. Why is someone destroying images of the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher? Is there a madman on the loose? Or is there a much darker purpose at work?

Directors: Rachel Talalay
Writer: Mark Gatiss
Watch Now:AmazoniTunes

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