Sherlock: The Final Problem
by Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss; dir. Benjamin Caron (BBC, 2017)
A cheerless conclusion to a series already skirting morbidly close to the edge. The scripting remains clever, but at too-distant remove both from Conan Doyle’s stories and from the humour and energy of the first three series. Sherlock himself is greatly reduced.
Sherlock: The Six Thatchers
by Mark Gatiss; dir. Rachel Talalay (BBC, 2017)
The beginning of the end, as Gatiss and Company run out of easily adaptable source material and instead take Sherlock in new, more darkly improbable directions. The Six Thatchers works in the little moments but is overly frenetic, fast-compressing major character arcs.
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
by Mark Gatiss & Steven Moffat; dir. Douglas Mackinnon (BBC, 2016)
Cleverly executed, presenting initially as a standalone special then morphing into a bridge between series. Gatiss and Moffat indulge in some social commentary while poking gentle fun at the original Sherlock Holmes canon. Cumberbatch and Freeman (especially) revel in the old-fashioned characterisation.
Sherlock: The Sign of Three
by Stephen Thompson, Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss; dir. Colm McCarthy (BBC, 2014)
Possibly the funniest of all Sherlock episodes, albeit skewed beyond the pale towards character development and adapting little of its plot from Conan Doyle’s stories. While Benedict Cumberbatch brings Sherlock’s misanthropy painfully centre-stage, Martin Freeman and Amanda Abbington are more humanly sublime.
Sherlock: The Empty Hearse
by Mark Gatiss; dir. Jeremy Lovering (BBC, 2014)
A fun, clever episode but one mostly devoted to reintegrating Sherlock after the Series Two cliffhanger. (The titular mystery takes barely any screen time.) Sherlock’s scenes with Mycroft are a highlight. Amanda Abbington, playing Mary, proves a welcome addition to the cast.
Sherlock: The Hounds of Baskerville
by Mark Gatiss; dir. Paul McGuigan (BBC, 2012)
Gatiss takes Sherlock’s modernisation to a new level. The script is a bit raw on this occasion, yet nonetheless constitutes a masterful adaptation of what in Conan Doyle’s original is an atmospheric but undemanding story. Martin Freeman once again adds subtle touches.
Sherlock: The Great Game
by Mark Gatiss; dir. Paul McGuigan (BBC, 2010)
A grim episode to round out Series One, its plot not obviously based on a particular Conan Doyle story. Moriarty (Andrew Scott) proves a revelation while Sherlock becomes less and less likeable—a smug, classist brainbox acting much as Sergeant Donovan cautioned.
The Dead Room: A Ghost Story for Christmas
by Mark Gatiss (BBC, 2018)
A clever short film written and directed by Mark Gatiss. In essence a two-hander between Anjli Mohindra (as a radio producer) and Simon Callow (a sonorous-voiced actor whose past comes back to haunt him, subverting his narration of a new horror story).
P.R.O.B.E. – The Zero Imperative
by Mark Gatiss (BBV, 1994)
A creepy Doctor Who spin-off that sees Liz Shaw investigating supernatural deaths at a psychiatric hospital. Liz, however, doesn’t actually feature that much, and it’s a little difficult to reconcile the other Who actors (four ex-Doctors, no less!) with their new roles.
Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time
by Steven Moffat; dir. Rachel Talalay (BBC, 2017)
The Christmas special has some touching performances (Mark Gatiss) and ends on a high with Jodie Whittaker’s first scene, yet for the most part spends too much time prepping the audience for the handover and trying—quite shamelessly—to manipulate our emotions.