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Sherlock is a critically acclaimed British television series. Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss took Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s old-school detective, put him in present-day London, and just let everything else unfold. It dropped back in 2010, with Benedict Cumberbatch nailing the role of Sherlock Holmes, an awkward genius with zero social skills. Plus, Martin Freeman as Dr John Watson is everyone’s favorite exasperated sidekick.
The series has four seasons, plus a special — and every episode is a movie. It has got that slick, cinematic vibe, but also enough of little details and character moments to keep you hooked for way longer than you planned.
The writing was razor-sharp, never afraid to twist your brain around a bit. Cumberbatch as Sherlock made every other detective look like an amateur, and Freeman’s Watson brought real heart. No wonder the show blew up everywhere — people still rave about episodes like A Scandal in Belgravia or The Reichenbach Fall, which straight up punched everyone in the feelings. The critics loved it, and the IMDb scores were through the roof.
The show did not just look good or have a killer cast. You’ve got those lightning-fast deduction scenes, camera tricks that slap Sherlock’s brain or text messages right onto the screen, and a vibe that at the same time winks at old-school Holmes fans and messes with what they expect.
However, just because a show is a hit, it does not mean every episode gets its due. Some gems get totally lost in the hype, buried under the big, flashy finales or the episodes everyone loves to argue about online.
You know the type: There are those sneaky, brilliant episodes with clever writing or surprising character moments that barely get a mention when people rank their favorites. It is honestly absurd how many episodes that are crucial to the story end up ignored while the usual suspects hog the spotlight.
So, we are giving seven of these underrated episodes their moment. We will get into why they actually slap and whether that’s because they nail the vibe of the show, push the characters in cool directions, or just mess with the formula in ways that totally work.
7 underrated Sherlock episodes
The Blind Banker (Season 1, Episode 2)
After the pilot, A Study in Pink, knocked it out of the park, Episode 2 of the first season — titled The Blind Banker — swoops in and throws Sherlock and John right into a world of mysterious symbols and Chinese mobsters, where dead bodies pop up. The episode starts with a bank break-in, and then there are secret codes everywhere, and people are dying.
Now, why do people sleep on this one? People usually write it off as too much of a by the numbers affair. Maybe, the episode is not as flashy as the pilot or as explosive as the finale. But probably, they are selling it short.
First off, the episode is dripping with suspense with shadowy alleyways covered in graffiti, booby-trapped apartments, and grimy underground markets. It has got an almost pulpy noir thing going on, and you can feel the Conan Doyle-inspired “exotic mystery” energy. The camera work gets playful, too, switching up styles and keeping you on your toes.
And let’s not forget DI Dimmock. The guy starts off rolling his eyes at Sherlock, but by the time that scene in the book stacks rolls around, you can see him start to realize Holmes actually gets stuff done. It is a nice and subtle bit of character work.
Then there is Watson. We love that they let him get his hands dirty this time — not just playing the sidekick, but running his mini-investigation, poking around, doing interviews, getting pretty close to the action. You see the seeds of him becoming Sherlock’s actual partner, not just the man trailing behind.
Plus, the themes here are sneakily sharp. It is not just about a gang with dragon tattoos. There is this anxiety running all through the story, about globalization, hidden power, and how sometimes the police are just totally out of their depth when crime gets all coded and international.
The Blind Banker is not perfect, but it is way more interesting than the haters give it credit for.
The Hounds of Baskerville (Season 2, Episode 2)
Imagine Sherlock and John bumbling around the foggy wilds of Dartmoor, chasing rumors about hellhounds. It is a reboot of the classic Conan Doyle story, but with a twist: There is a shady military lab nearby, and this guy, Henry Knight, who is just a panic attack away from losing it.
Why people sleep on this episode, we will never get. When the episode dropped, everyone loved it, but now some fans act like it is just background noise, grumbling about the weird horror vibes or saying it is not as memorable.
What they are missing are the mind games. Hallucinogens, PTSD, unreliable memories — this is not just about Sherlock showing off, it is about him being genuinely rattled. You barely ever see him this thrown off in his game. He is usually untouchable, but here? Not so much.
And the way they have shot the episode is insane. Everything is all warped and gloomy, the lighting is creepy, and the sound design just messes with your head. It is a total 180 from the usual London backdrop, and makes you feel like you are stuck in a nightmare with Sherlock and John.
Plus, the story here is not just about scary dogs. The episode digs into military secrets, sketchy science, and that “should we really trust the government?” paranoia.
Maybe it is not everyone’s top pick, but this episode takes risks. It shoves Sherlock out of his comfort zone, and the show could use more of that. People need to give it some credit for being bold.
The Empty Hearse (Season 3, Episode 1)
So, Sherlock “dies” and Moriarty is behind it, and then The Empty Hearse rolls in with our favorite detective making his over-the-top comeback. There is a whole Parliament terrorism thing swirling in the background, but the real drama is all about Sherlock and John trying to figure out how to be bros again.
Everyone is too busy picking apart the troll-y fake death reveals or complaining about the fan service. The writers trolled the fandom, throwing in wild conspiracy theories and a bunch of wink-wink explanations for how Sherlock lived.
But Martin Freeman just crushes it as Dr Watson here. He is wrecked and pissed and confused, and it feels real. You don’t see that kind of weirdly honest male friendship stuff in most shows, especially the procedural ones that are all about the case-of-the-week.
Then, the Parliament bomb plot. Sure, it is a bit of a McGuffin, but it ties everything together, turning what could have been a one-note reunion story into something that matters on a bigger scale.
People always rank this one in the middle or bottom because they want a “real” answer for how he survived. They miss how clever and meta the episode is, though. It has heart, jokes, and a sly wink at the fans.
The Sign of Three (Season 3, Episode 2)
If you ask us about The Sign of Three, it is one of those episodes that people just shrug off, which is outlandish, because it is Sherlock at his weirdest and most charming. The episode features John and Mary’s wedding, Sherlock is up there giving the best man speech — except, well, he is Sherlock. So the whole thing spirals into this tangled web of murder plots, social anxiety, and a bit of awkwardness.
Most wedding episodes in crime shows are just fluffy filler or a half-hearted attempt at comic relief. This one messes with the formula. The way they layer those little mysteries inside Sherlock’s speech — like Russian nesting dolls of crime and comedy — keeps things moving, but also hits you right in the feels.
The human side of Sherlock gets some spotlight, too, for once. Watching him stumble through social stuff, desperately trying to do right by John, is both hilarious and heartbreaking.
Some fans didn’t like it at first, citing that it is too slow, and there is too much talking. But if you watch it again, there is so much cleverness in how it all ties together. That “Elephant in the Room” bit from his speech is low-key brilliant.
The Six Thatchers (Season 4, Episode 1)
The Six Thatchers gets roasted in fan circles. People love to dunk on it for being all over the place. But it’s kind of bold. You have Sherlock chasing down smashed Thatcher busts, and you are knee-deep in Mary Watson’s spy-thriller backstory. The woman has her secrets, and it all crashes down in the most gut-punch way possible.
Why doesn’t the episode get more love? Maybe because it tries to do three shows at once. You have your classic detective stuff, a dash of MI6 drama, and then relationship angst.
Let us not ignore the main thing: grief. The back half of the episode gets messy, but it is raw. Watching Sherlock and John flail through that pain hits hard.
The Six Thatchers is not as tight as the earlier ones, but it swings for the fences.
The Lying Detective (Season 4, Episode 2)
Sherlock’s life is a mess here as addiction is eating him alive, guilt is clawing at him, and he is obsessing over slimeball billionaire, Culverton Smith. Sherlock thinks the guy is a serial killer, and catching him messes with Sherlock’s brain and what’s left of his morals. Meanwhile, poor Watson is still reeling from Mary’s death.
Critics gave it the gold star, but scroll through Reddit or X and you will see people calling The Lying Detective a snooze fest or just too damn grim. However, they are probably missing the point here.
First off, Toby Jones as Culverton is creepy. He nails that “smiling psychopath” vibe that almost makes your skin crawl.
Then there is the psychological stuff. Addiction, grief, the ugly sides of friendship — it’s all more cluttered and more real than the show usually gets.
And the Eurus Holmes reveal is bananas. The episode actually delivers one of those rare “wait, WHAT?” moments that even seasoned Sherlock fans didn’t see coming.
A lot of outlets like Collider admit the episode has killer acting and wild narrative flips, but they are quick to say it is too bleak or slow. However, we feel the darkness is what makes it hit differently. It is a brave deep dive into genius gone wrong and trust falling apart.
The Abominable Bride (Special episode)
In The Abominable Bride, while everyone else was recovering from New Year’s hangovers, Sherlock and John were chasing a zombie bride through foggy Victorian London.
People brush this episode aside, which is nuts considering it snagged an Emmy. It has that Christmas special label, and the structure is all meta and twisty — maybe too much for some fans who want their mysteries straight-up and canon. But that’s what makes it fun.
The episode bounces between Sherlock’s drug-fueled mind palace and Victorian cosplay. The whole thing pokes fun at adaptations, gender politics, and how history gets rewritten. There is a lot going on — maybe too much for your average viewer — but if you stick with it, it is clever.
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Meanwhile, this isn’t just a throwaway special. It is basically a deep dive into Sherlock’s psyche, and it ties up messy threads between seasons. You get a glimpse into the chaos of his brain, his mental health struggles, and it makes him way more interesting than just being “the smart guy who’s kind of a lout.”
Fan forums still argue about what actually happened in this episode. Some people think it is all style, no substance, and complain about the timelines. However, the gothic vibes and the sheer fearlessness of the whole thing make it worth another look.
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