8 Utterly Ridiculous TV Castings That Totally Rocked Anyway

3. Amanda Abbington As Mary Morstan €“ Sherlock

I don't think anyone was particularly surprised to see Mary Morstan in the main cast of Sherlock this year. She appears in several of the Conan Doyle mysteries as the doting wife to Watson, and Holmes' staged suicide in The Reichenbach Fall provided the perfect opportunity to work her into the BBC adaptation as a comforter to the grief-stricken doctor. Even with all the indications of her arrival, I was still interested to see how she would win over the quintessentially imprudent Sherlock Holmes where so many other potential Mrs Watsons failed. By the time 'A Sign of Three' ended however, it was abundantly clear she'd succeeded. Mary Morstan is perfect for Watson. She's intelligent, forward thinking and is one of the few people who could be in this 'You Me and Dupree' style three-way relationship without encroaching on the doctor-detective bromance. Of course, you didn't need a mind palace to see there was more to Mary than met the eye but I challenge anyone to claim they knew she'd turn out to be a reformed assassin before it came out in the series finale with a straight face. In hindsight, I'm not sure whether the biggest shock was learning some of the grizzly details in Mary's past or discovering that her actress Amanda Abbington is actually the real-life partner to Martin Freeman and they have two children together. Compared to the other castings on this list, using a real life couple to portray a romantic relationship on-screen makes sense on-paper. It explained why Freeman and Abbington looked so natural together and meant the production team could spend more time concentrating on weaving gritty, elaborate stories rather than having to waste time building the foundations of their courtship and subsequent marriage. And whilst it is understandable to find the idea of nepotism distasteful in those casting decisions, taking one look at Abbington's acting reel shows that she's paid her dues playing bit parts on the detective show circuit and is more than qualified to take on a role such as this. Overall, Mary Morstan was one of the highlights in a slower than usual season of Sherlock, and if she can get the approval of the great Holmes even after she put a bullet in his chest then she's most definitely a keeper.