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TV Show Salaries & Earnings: Sherlock

Most Puzzling Series or Mystery You’ll Love to Solve?

Despite the number of series and TV shows releasing every year and those that have been airing for a long time, it is hard to find one worth our time and sleepless nights because, no, we are not the type of people to watch one episode a day. 

The usual “Game of Thrones,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Grey’s Anatomy” are part of the few we binged every time the next episode was about to air. Still, with two of them completed and the latter not being that good as we continued to expect, we had to dive ourselves into new waters, and we are happy we did. 

Sherlock, the series from 2010, is definitely a masterpiece many people continue to skip because of the “countless” adaptations of the British character from the popular books written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 

For example, there are two movies starring Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock, so you might have binged those for a while now. 

But this TV series is quite to another level if you allow us to place a subjective opinion here, and we think you should give it a try today unless you already did. 

If it is the latter, what about learning a bit more about it? We are up for the challenge of sharing some details since we watched it just a few days ago, and we’re dying to tell you why you should watch it or do it again. 

Sherlock’s Plot: Is the Series the Same as the Book?

Well, from any adaptation, you should expect several changes since they will indeed follow the basic premise, but they won’t be identical to the books or novels most of the time. 

Besides, in the case of this TV show from 2010, we will be transported to a new era and not back to the years when the stories and cases of the character from the book took place. 

This means you can expect a change in several elements that determine the pace of the show and the original story, but we don’t think you will be disappointed.

Sherlock #2 - didyousaymoney.com

This modern adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories is pleasant for anyone who loves detective series and wants to follow a different show from the usual ones. 

In it, Sherlock Holmes, a consulting detective, lives in a London of 21st Century, where there is more mystery, crime, and deceit. 

Back streets are full of robbers and criminals trying to leave unpunished for their crimes. In other to avoid this, the police will call on Sherlock to help them solve their problems using his unusual methods of deduction. 

As in the original plot from the books, Sherlock is assisted by Doctor John Watson, an Afghanistan vet who recently returned from duty. 

Together, they attempt to solve some of the most difficult puzzles in the country, and Sherlock’s eccentric yet brilliant personality and mind will continue to be the best part of the story. 

Full of baffling, bizarre, and murder mysteries, the duo also has to deal with Holmes’ nemesis forever: genius Moriarty. 

We assure you this drama, mystery, crime, and comedy series will make you want more seasons. 

Sherlock #3 - didyousaymoney.com

Production & Cast Members: Making the Series

To bring such a character to the screen and ensure the show isn’t a disappointment for fans and nonfans, you really need great members behind and in front of the cameras, and Sherlock isn’t a series that disappoints in this. 

Instead, we have a lot of people with experience in the industry in charge of the production and just wait until we get to the cast members. 

Created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat following the “Sherlock Holmes” book series, it was also written by the duo with the assistance of Stephen Thompson. 

Executive producers were the same duo of creators along with Beryl Vertue, Rebecca Eaton, Bethan Joes, Sue Vertue (who is also a direct producer with Elaine Cameron). 

As for the cinematography, Fabian Wagner and Steve Lawes were in charge of it while Charlie Phillips, Mali Evans, Tim Porter, and Yan Miles were the editors. 

The production companies Hartswood Films, BBC Wales, and WGBH made it possible to bring this project to life. 

But what about the cast members? Well, you will love them. 

  • Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes. 
  • Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson. 
  • Rupert Graves as D.I. Greg Lestrade. 
  • Una Stubbs as Mrs. Hudson. 
  • Mark Gatiss as Mycroft Holmes. 
  • Louise Brealey as Molly Hooper. 
  • Andrew Scott as Jim Moriarty. 
  • Amanda Abbington as Mary Morstan Watson. 
  • Sian Brooke as Eurus Holmes. 

All the previous ones are part of the main and recurring cast. However, many others were the supporting and recurring members as guests or often appeared on the episodes. 

Some of them were Vinette Robinson as Sgt. Sally Donovan, and Zoe Telford as Sarah Sawyer.

Sherlock #5 - didyousaymoney.com

Was It Popular in Numbers? – Salaries & Earnings

Many would believe Sherlock wasn’t that popular, considering it aired from 2010 to 2017 and only had three episodes per season, and with a total of 4 seasons, you have 12 episodes + a special one. 

Now, this doesn’t mean it was bad or any of the sort. Instead, you will find some shows that we wish were longer and continued like those with hundreds of episodes, but we guess it is also part of the beauty of the short. 

What we can tell you for now is that none of the seasons disappointed either in critics and revenues. 

In pages like IMDb, the series holds 9.1 out of 10, while in Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 91% based on all seasons. 

However, the special and last season indeed fell quite a lot in reviews considering that the first three handled 93%, 94%, and 91% in rates (respectively). 

But when it comes to the special, it had only 61% and season fourth went down to 56%. 

Of course, this didn’t stop fans from loving it, and in the end, their critics and opinions tend to have much more impact, with a general ranking set at 9.1 out of 10, just like IMDb.

Sherlock #4 - didyousaymoney.com

What about the earnings? Although not many details have been disclosed by the production companies, Sherlock was the winner for BBC revenues during the first three seasons. 

With only nine episodes by the time and a budget of $8 million per season, it was an incredible win for the company. 

Worldwide, BBC generated about $300 million from broadcasted commercials, but compared to American shows, it was incredibly profitable with half or less budget, and viewers were always expecting new episodes.

In fact, by 2015, Sherlock became BBC’s most profitable television show. Despite the fall during the fourth and final season, the company and other production businesses involved got a lot of profit. 

We will owe you more details about the millions made over the years and since the series finished in 2017, but we can mention a few numbers for the salaries.

First, you must know Sherlock catapulted Benedict Cumberbatch to stardom thanks to his impressive performance and the show’s popularity. You might be familiar with him as Dr. Strange for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but real fans got to know him before all that. 

That being said, he earned about $560.000 per season, though some consider he got a big increase during the final one. 

Other actors like Martin Freeman, who played Dr. Watson, earned about $300k to $400k per season. As for the rest, not many details were disclosed, but we can tell you BBC made sure to take good care of them for each episode.

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6 Mysterious Facts About Sherlock 

  • The series led to a rise in book sales, almost doubling the copies sold the year previous to the series premiere. 
  • There’s a manga adaptation of the show, which was released in 2012 in Japan’s Young Ace magazine.
  • The fonts that appear on the screen for each chapter have a meaning, so you better lookup for that!
  • Sherlock Holmes, the character itself, was inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s teacher, Joseph Bell.
  • Cumberbatch does most of his scenes and stunts during the series.
  • Most of the actors, like Benedict, rose to stardom thanks to the series.

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