A Subjective Ranking Of The Characters On "Sherlock"

On a series so perfect, it's hard to choose a favorite. Sherlock, please come back!

23. Jonathan Small, aka The Mayfly Man (Jalaal Hartley)

BBC

The Mayfly Man, the main villain in "The Sign of Three" wasn't a very memorable killer. In the episode he is the photographer at John and Mary's wedding. The character itself is the overused archetype of a family member of a dead person out for revenge. While he wasn't a memorable character, he did make for a very memorable Best Man toast.

22. Dr. Robert Frankland (Clive Mantle)

BBC

Dr. Frankland, the villain in "The Hounds of Baskerville," is interesting only in that he's able to fool Sherlock into thinking he's an ally.

21. Anthea (Lisa McAllister)

BBC

Anthea is, sadly, such a minor character that I usually forget all about her. There's not much else to her besides her occupation as Mycroft Holmes' assistant.

20. Lady Elizabeth Smallwood (Lindsay Duncan)

BBC

Lady Elizabeth isn't a very dynamic character, she essentially only exists to demonstrate how powerful Magnussen really is. In the end, the plot shifts away from her and we discover that Sherlock was unable to help.

19. Sebastian Wilkes (Bertie Carvel)

BBC

Sebastian only appears in "The Blind Banker" and is only known to be another person annoyed by Sherlock.

18. Sarah Sawyer (Zoe Telford)

BBC

Sarah was John's boss and former girlfriend. She generally wouldn't stand out as anything other than a great doctor but she fights off a bunch of Chinese gangsters in "The Blind Banker," which makes her a more dynamic character.

17. Kitty Riley (Katherine Parkinson)

BBC

Kitty Riley was a journalist who, under Moriarty's influence, writes an article accusing Sherlock of being a fraud. She wasn't much as a character, she was another pawn in Moriarty's grand scheme.

16. Jeff Hope (Phil Davis)

BBC

As the first antagonist of the show, in series one's "A Study in Pink" Jeff introduces Sherlock and viewers to the idea of Moriarty, a "fan" of Sherlock's. He's a bright, dying, cabbie who is really just looking out for his kids. He's not the most enticing villain but is the first pawn of Moriarty introduced in the series.

15. General Shan (Sarah Lam)

BBC

General Shan, the villain in "The Blind Banker" isn't incredibly interesting but she stands out because she is the only female villain Sherlock faces. She's smart, cunning and not afraid of Sherlock or Watson.

14. Sergeant Sally Donovan (Vinette Robinson)

BBC

Donovan's primary purpose on Sherlock is to act as a counter to Lestrade at Scotland Yard. While she's simply a static character used to mark the police forces' involvement in Sherlock's life, Donovan really holds her own against him and really doesn't take crap.

13. Janine (Yasmine Akram)

BBC

Janine, Mary Morstan's friend and later, Sherlock's girlfriend, wasn't a huge presence on camera, although she did have one of the more memorable arcs. She was funny, shallow and used her relationship with Sherlock for her own gain, essentially everything Sherlock needed from her.

12. Philip Anderson (Jonathan Aris)

BBC

Anderson, the crime scene guy, is such a weird character but I loved him so much. He spends much of the first two series doubting and hating Sherlock but becomes obsessed with him during the third. I think the use of Anderson is great way to demonstrate the confusing mixture of admiration and hate most people feel towards Sherlock.

11. Bill Wiggins (Tom Brooke)

BBC

One of the other bizarre characters, Wiggins becomes Sherlock's apprentice during the third series. While really just another background character, Wiggins is just so charmingly weird, that he's hard to ignore.

10. Charles Augustus Magnussen (Lars Mikkelsen)

BBC

Magnussen, the villain of Series 3, is a cool character in his own right, but fails to top Moriarty as Sherlock's nemesis. The character itself reminds me of a more clever Rupert Murdoch, who's actually intentionally evil. Magnussen is an incredibly complex villain who's only out-villained by Moriarty.

9. Irene Adler (Lara Pulver)

BBC

Irene Adler is really clever character. She challenges and puzzles Sherlock, and is one of the only people to do so. Although she is a fleeting character, appearing only primarily in "A Scandal in Belgravia" her presence remains throughout the rest of the second and third series.

8. Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs)

BBC

Mrs. Hudson is one of my favorite characters. She looks everything like a sweet old lady, but she keeps up with Sherlock better than almost every other character can. As a former exotic dancer and wife to a drug kingpin, Mrs. Hudson is a probably the coolest landlady.

7. Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade (Rupert Graves)

BBC

I have a soft spot for Lestrade, either because he's incredibly handsome, an interesting character, or both. He's an open admirer and friend to Sherlock, while trying to keep the streets of London safe.

#Silverfox

6. Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey)

BBC

Meant as a one-off character, Molly Hooper, the brilliant pathologist quickly became a fan favorite on Sherlock. Molly's crush on Sherlock and her ability to keep him in check (see "A Scandal in Belgravia") make her one of the best women on the show.

5. Mycroft Holmes (Mark Gatiss)

BBC

Mycroft is one of my favorite siblings on TV. His feud-based relationship with Sherlock, usually on which sibling is more clever than other, is probably one the most entertaining things about the series. Mark Gatiss (also co-creator of the series) is ***flawless.

4. Mary Morstan (Amanda Abbington)

BBC

It's no secret that Sherlock has some of the best female characters on television and John Watson's wife Mary is the best of the best. She encourages John and Sherlock's relationship without ever acting as their third wheel. Plus she has a secret past with the CIA so if she wasn't already cool enough...

3. Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott)

BBC

Moriarty is an incredible character. He's creepy and sinister, yet so intriguing. His fascination for Sherlock and his penchant for evil are what continues to make him a fan favorite despite his supposed Series 2 death. On behalf of all Sherlock fans, I really hope we haven't seen the last of him.

2. Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman)

BBC

Who doesn't love John Watson? Martin Freeman is fantastic as Sherlock's right-hand man. Watson is a very complicated character and Freeman plays him so well that there was no way he wasn't going to win an Emmy. Freeman is a ridiculously underrated actor and I don't think many could play Watson better. Series writer and co-creator Steven Moffat really distinguished Watson from being the nag he seems to be in the 2009 version (with Jude Law) to being a compelling second lead. Steven Moffat, you are a genius.

1. Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch)

BBC

How does an unlikable character become one of the best on television? On paper, Sherlock isn't very likable and not many characters within the show are huge fans so it's peculiar to see how popular he is to viewers. Benedict Cumberbatch is a fantastic actor who really brings Sherlock to life in a realistic way. As with Freeman, there's no mystery as to why he won an Emmy for playing Sherlock. Moffat does such an incredible job in shaping Sherlock that Watson (and the viewers) can never truly hate him.

BRB. Off to stream the first three series of in anticipation for Series four. #TeamSherlock.