10. The Writing
Sherlock has two of the best writers in the UK at its core. Steven Moffat is no stranger to modern day adaptations, having written a thrilling version of Jekyll and Hyde starring James Nesbitt in 2007. Mark Gatiss, who also plays Mycroft Holmes in the series, is a founder of The League of Gentlemen and a regular collaborator on Moffat's other BBC series: Doctor Who. These are two men behind some of the most intelligent and witty genre television the BBC is currently producing. The show has always had fantastic scripts behind it. Granted they are based on pre-existing classics, but it is the way they are modernised and altered that makes them thrilling. In the Final Problem as written by Conan Doyle, Watson deduces that Holmes and Moriarty have both met their demise at the bottom of Reichenbach Falls . The writers of Sherlock realised that a second hand, unverified account wouldn't fly with a 21st century audience and so we actually saw the detective dive of a skyscraper. One of the biggest mysteries for fans has been trying to solve how he has managed to fake his own death in such a manner. This reveal and its aftermath will likely have viewers too distracted to mourn the consulting criminal.