Claim: Sherlock's fourth series lost about twenty percent of audience interest.

Sherlock is a crime drama television series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 's Sherlock Holmes detective stories . Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss , it stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson . Thirteen episodes have been produced , with three-part series airing from 2010 -- 2017 , and a special episode airing on 1 January 2016 . The series is set in the present day , while the one-off special features a Victorian period fantasy resembling the original Holmes stories . Sherlock is a co-production of the British network BBC and the American station WGBH Boston for its Masterpiece anthology series on PBS , along with Hartswood Films , with Moffat , Gatiss , Sue Vertue and Rebecca Eaton serving as executive producers . The series is primarily filmed in Cardiff , Wales , with North Gower Street in London used for exterior shots of Holmes and Watson 's 221B Baker Street residence .   Critical reception has been highly positive , with many reviews praising the quality of the writing , performances , and direction . Sherlock has been nominated for numerous awards including BAFTAs , Emmys , and a Golden Globe , winning several awards across a variety of categories . The show won in three categories at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries , Movie or a Dramatic Special for Moffat , Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for Cumberbatch , and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for Freeman . Two years later , it won Outstanding Television Movie . In addition , the show was also honoured with a Peabody Award in 2011 . The third series has become the UK 's most watched drama series since 2001 while interest in the fourth series appeared to slip by approximately twenty percent . Sherlock has been sold to 180 territories .   All of the series have been released on DVD and Blu-ray , alongside tie-in editions of selected original Conan Doyle stories and original soundtrack composed by David Arnold and Michael Price . In January 2014 , the show launched its official mobile app called Sherlock : The Network .