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Throughout the 2010s, Benedict Cumberbatch's performance as a modernized Sherlock Holmes gave the BBC one of its biggest and smartest detective thriller mystery shows of all time. However, as much as some fans would love to insist otherwise, the series could often come across as far too impressed with itself. Cumberbatch's version might be a fan-favorite, but that came with absurd feats of the mind and convenient plot twists.
Sherlock might still be among the most cerebral mystery shows of its day, but there are plenty that have an edge on it. Where some show a much better understanding of police work and detective skills, others boast greater writing and more complex characters. From small-town serial killer stories to genre-bending reimaginings of Holmes himself, these are must-see sleuth shows even smarter than the BBC's hit.
Wire in the Blood Gets Much Darker Than Sherlock
Wire in the Blood casts Robson Green in the role of Dr. Tony Hill, a forensic psychologist who works with the police to try and solve Britain's worst crimes. A series that often feels inspired by David Fincher's Se7en, it takes viewers down the rabbit hole of the worst acts imaginable, from child abductions to serial killers. From case to case, Hill shows the police the value of understanding the criminal mind, though it can sometimes feel all too real.
Willing to go places Sherlock never could, Wire in the Blood remains, by far, the darkest British crime series ever made. Rather than relying on Holmes' often too convenient encyclopedic mind, Tony Hill is a psychological profiler whose intelligence feels far more realistic and grounded.
What audiences see here is something closer to real detective work, and the show refuses to hold their hand as it exposes them to the brutality of the real world.
House Turns the Sherlock Holmes Formula Into a Medical Drama
In 2004, Hugh Laurie was cast in what is by far the most interesting reimagining of Sherlock Holmes himself when he took the role of Gregory House. A unique part of 2000s-era television, it walks the line between medical drama and detective, depicting its titular character as a world-renowned but unorthodox pathologist. Along with a small team of doctors, he pulls out all the stops to diagnose and treat every patient who comes into his care.
The best way to describe House is a medical drama with the structure of a mystery procedural, and it does show the characters conducting actual detective work. It might defy reality on numerous counts, but it's an exponentially smarter modernization of Doyle's literary sleuth than Sherlock.
As great as Cumberbatch may be, Hugh Laurie's doctor steals the show in every way possible, from writing and character development to the nature of his mysteries.
Broadchurch Is Small-Town Murder Mystery at Its Finest
The early 2010s saw the rise of three key British mystery shows as Sherlock was joined by Luther and Broadchurch. In the case of David Tennant and Olivia Colman's show, audiences were given a story that revolved around the death of a child, forcing police officers Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller to investigate. The deeper they probe, the more the idyllic seaside town starts to unravel, all while the cops deal with their own personal issues.
Broadchurch distinguishes itself from its contemporaries by being a slower-burning, more character-driven approach to the mystery genre. Where Sherlock can often feel almost self-congratulatory in how it writes its lead, the characters here are notably more complex, flawed, and human. On its worst day, this series felt closer to reality and more mysterious than Cumberbatch's show, crafting a much darker and more interesting plot.
Twin Peaks Defies Conventional Explanation in Classic Lynchian Fashion
David Lynch's Twin Peaks is a small-town mystery series that centers around the murder of a teenage girl, Laura Palmer, the local homecoming queen. In response, the FBI sends agent Dale Cooper to investigate, dredging up town secrets and scandals as he searches for the killer.
As he reaches out to the people close to the victim, he realizes there's far more to the story than a simple crime of passion. Unlike Sherlock, it feels like a truly unique piece of 1990s television, straying from typical tropes for something different.
Where Sherlock could pull from Arthur Conan Doyle's novels, Twin Peaks' feat lies in how effortlessly David Lynch builds the character of the town around his own story. Much like his enigmatic movies, this series twists and turns through a variety of genres, throwing everything from drama to supernatural mystery at its audience.
A series perfect for fans of Mulholland Drive or Lost Highway, it manages to keep every episode feeling fresh, unsettling, and intriguing.
True Detective's First Season Is an Outstanding Piece of Television
In 2014, HBO changed modern detective fiction for an entire era when they cast Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson in True Detective. The first season follows the duo as Louisiana detectives Rust Cohle and Marty Hart investigate the ritualistic murder of a woman named Dora Lang. What follows is a dark descent into the worlds of the occult, religious fundamentalism, child abuse scandals, and organized crime.
From style and writing to mood setting and pacing, HBO's show makes Cumberbatch's BBC feel like amateur hour. While the writers behind Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes were busy obsessing over meme-worthy moments, its American competition was busy rewriting the genre's rulebook.
After 12 years, nothing has surpassed the perfection of True Detective's first season, by far and away a smarter detective show than Sherlock.
