Sherlock (2010–2017)

Sherlock reinvented the detective genre for modern audiences, with its third season premiere attracting 9.8 million UK viewers—nearly 40% higher than the average for #5 Game of Thrones in the same slot. The series earned 13 Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations, including lead Benedict Cumberbatch's first nomination, and its 90-minute episodes cost an average of £1 million each, outperforming the typical BBC drama budget by 25%. Its IMDb rating of 9.1 ties it with #6 Mad Men, but its 8.5/10 average review score from critics surpasses the franchise average by 1.2 points.