7 TV Shows That Went From Must-See To Completely Forgettable

Benedict Cumberbatch is now one of the biggest actors in the world thanks to his appearances in a range of Hollywood blockbusters. When Sherlock debuted back in 2010, however, he was a complete unknown. Martin Freeman was recognisable thanks to his appearances in The Office, but he had yet to secure the part of Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit series. Both would likely still be jobbing actors had the BBC not taken a second chance on Sherlock, which they almost canned after a dreadful reaction to the pilot episode.

Given just three episodes, Sherlock quickly left its mark, becoming the most hyped British series in years and earning plaudits far and wide for how well the characters were adapted into a modern setting. The twists were clever, the dialogue was sharp and witty and the chemistry between the two leads was warm. The second and third series also delivered, introducing Andrew Scott’s terrifyingly charming take on Holmes’ nemesis Moriarty.

By the time of the fourth series, made three years after the third, Sherlock had become a parody of itself, taking its following for granted and swapping the innovative solving of impossible crimes for a convoluted mess with twists introduced left, right and centre just for the sake of trying to be clever. The RottenTomatoes score plummeted from 88% to 55% and a fifth season now seems unlikely given Cumberbatch and Freeman’s stardom, giving the once ground-breaking series no opportunity to redeem itself.