Sherlock Holmes (Seasons 1–7)

Sherlock Holmes (1984) is a British detective series from ITV's Granada Television that you can watch online on iFILM. Jeremy Brett's performance in the title role became the benchmark — the Holmes that later actors have been quietly measured against ever since.

Each episode adapts a story from Arthur Conan Doyle's original canon: a private detective at 221B Baker Street takes on cases that have baffled Scotland Yard, with Dr. Watson alongside him — David Burke in the early series, Edward Hardwicke later. Brett's Holmes is not a whimsical eccentric. He's sharp-edged and high-strung, brilliant in observation and frequently unkind to anyone who can't keep up. The performance has a realism most screen Holmeses avoid.

Granada ran the series from 1984 to 1994, working through a substantial portion of the Doyle stories with period-accurate production design and tight scripts. If you want to understand why the character has lasted more than a century, this is the place to start. Stream Sherlock Holmes (1984) online on iFILM.