Sherlock

Sherlock reinvented the most famous detective in literary history for the 21st century and made it look effortless. Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss transplanted Holmes to modern London, gave him a smartphone, and cast Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in roles that launched both actors into global stardom. The first two series — particularly 'A Study in Pink,' 'The Reichenbach Fall,' and 'A Scandal in Belgravia' — are among the most thrilling hours of television the BBC has ever produced. Cumberbatch's Holmes is electric: a 'high-functioning sociopath' whose intelligence is rendered visually through some of the most innovative on-screen text work in television history. The later series stumbled, but those early episodes are flawless.