Sherlock: 10 Best Minor Characters

The trajectory of this character was fascinating as he went from being an irritating thorn in the side of our lead to an obsessive fanatic who seemed to encapsulate a fourth-wall-breaking manifestation of the viewer. He essentially played two roles in the show, both of which were just as fun as the other.

At first, Anderson was a typical cynic detective working underneath Lestrade, like Sally Donovan. He was constantly at odds with Sherlock and, while he was good at his job, was always overshadowed by the brilliant detective. It seemed that this would be his character forever, but it all changed in season three.

After Sherlock's supposed demise during season two's climax, Phillip Anderson was unconvinced, as he became obsessed with proving that Sherlock was still alive. He went from a clean-shaven detective to a ragged and scruffy conspiracy theorist, and it was incredibly entertaining.

Every viewer could relate to his paranoia and enthusiasm. They were just as desperate as him to find out how Sherlock managed to evade the reaper's scythe, which took him from a seemingly unimportant distraction to a very likeable and memorable character.