The Best Sherlock Holmes Movies and TV Shows By Release Order | Rotten Tomatoes

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Sherlock Holmes

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The Best Sherlock Holmes Movies and TV Shows By Release Order

100 years after 1922’s Sherlock Holmes, the watershed movie that proved Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character a Hollywood leading man, the detective remains on the case! He’s been adapted to movies and TV countless times, and we’ve organized all of his works which got a Tomatometer score in chronological order. That includes films from Basil Rathbone’s defining decades-long run accessorized with the deerstalker hat, Robert Downey Jr.’s blockbuster take, and Sherlock‘s modern spin with Benedict Cumberbatch. To complete the picture, Holmes-adjacent works are included, including Gene Wilder’s The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother, Disney’s The Great Mouse Detective, and Netflix’s Enola Holmes, featuring Sherlock’s teenage sister as played by Millie Bobby Brown. Now let’s chase the thread through this study in scarlet tomatoes, as we reveal the best (and worst) Sherlock Holmes movies and series. —Alex Vo

#1

Sherlock Holmes (1922)
78%

#1
Adjusted Score: 78679%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes (John Barrymore) is a master at solving the most impenetrable mysteries, but he has his work cut out... [More]
Starring: John Barrymore, Roland Young, Carol Dempster, Gustave von Seyffertitz
Directed By: Albert Parker

#2
#2
Adjusted Score: 94366%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: While investigating a secretive group of aristocrats, Sherlock Holmes (Reginald Owen) and Dr. Watson (Warburton Gamble) must contend with a... [More]
Starring: Reginald Owen, Warburton Gamble, Anna May Wong, June Clyde
Directed By: Edwin L. Marin

#3
#3
Adjusted Score: 91589%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) is intrigued by a centuries-old legend in which every generation of the wealthy Baskerville family is... [More]
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Richard Greene, Wendy Barrie
Directed By: Sidney Lanfield

#4
#4
Adjusted Score: 89300%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) square off against their archenemy, Professor Moriarty (George Zucco), who has... [More]
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Ida Lupino, Alan Marshal
Directed By: Alfred L. Werker

#5

The Woman in Green (1945)
100%

#5
Adjusted Score: 100227%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: When a number of attractive women are found dead and with fingers missing, Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson... [More]
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hillary Brooke, Henry Daniell
Directed By: Roy William Neill

#6

Terror by Night (1946)
75%

#6
Adjusted Score: 75314%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In London, Lady Margaret Carstairs (Mary Forbes) and her son, Roland (Geoffrey Steele), engage renowned detective Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone)... [More]
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Alan Mowbray, Dennis Hoey
Directed By: Roy William Neill

#7

Dressed to Kill (1946)
83%

#7
Adjusted Score: 81842%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Holmes and Watson hunt for three music boxes containing directions to the whereabouts of six valuable engraving plates stolen from... [More]
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Patricia Morison, Edmund Breon
Directed By: Roy William Neill

#8
#8
Adjusted Score: 95330%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cushing) and Doctor Watson (Andre Morell) meet with a certain Dr. Mortimer (Francis De Wolff), who tells... [More]
Starring: Peter Cushing, Andre Morell, Christopher Lee, Marla Landi
Directed By: Terence Fisher

#9
#9
Adjusted Score: 92761%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A bored Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens) meets Madame Petrova (Tamara Toumanova), a famed ballerina, who tries to seduce him, hoping... [More]
Starring: Robert Stephens, Colin Blakely, Geneviève Page, Irene Handl
Directed By: Billy Wilder

#10
#10
Adjusted Score: 56152%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Sigerson Holmes (Gene Wilder) has something to prove as the lesser-known brother of famed detective Sherlock Holmes. When Sherlock and... [More]
Starring: Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman, Dom DeLuise
Directed By: Gene Wilder

#11
#11
Adjusted Score: 73498%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In this bizarre twist on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic detective tales, Sherlock Holmes (Nicol Williamson) finds himself experiencing vivid... [More]
Starring: Nicol Williamson, Alan Arkin, Robert Duvall, Vanessa Redgrave
Directed By: Herbert Ross

#12

Murder by Decree (1979)
86%

#12
Adjusted Score: 86581%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After learning of mass murderer Jack the Ripper's gruesome reign of terror, private detective Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Plummer) decides to... [More]
Starring: Christopher Plummer, James Mason, Donald Sutherland, David Hemmings
Directed By: Bob Clark

#13
#13
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cook) and Dr. Watson (Dudley Moore) try to break a noble family's killer-dog curse.... [More]
Starring: Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Denholm Elliott, Joan Greenwood
Directed By: Paul Morrissey

#14
#14
Adjusted Score: 69338%
Critics Consensus: Young Sherlock Holmes is a charming, if unnecessarily flashy, take on the master sleuth.
Synopsis: A teenage Sherlock Holmes (Nicholas Rowe) meets and befriends his future sidekick, the bemused and bespectacled John Watson (Alan Cox).... [More]
Starring: Nicholas Rowe, Alan Cox, Sophie Ward, Anthony Higgins
Directed By: Barry Levinson

#15
#15
Adjusted Score: 78975%
Critics Consensus: The Great Mouse Detective may not rank with Disney's classics, but it's an amiable, entertaining picture with some stylishly dark visuals.
Synopsis: Rodent supersleuth Basil and his bumbling partner must thwart evil Ratigan's plot to depose the Mouse Queen.... [More]
Starring: Vincent Price, Barrie Ingham, Val Bettin, Susanne Pollatschek
Directed By: John Musker, Ron Clements, David Michener, Burny Mattinson

#16

Without a Clue (1988)
62%

#16
Adjusted Score: 62306%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Brilliant sleuth Dr. Watson (Ben Kingsley) solves a royal case with a third-rate actor paid to be Sherlock Holmes (Michael... [More]
Starring: Michael Caine, Ben Kingsley, Jeffrey Jones, Lysette Anthony
Directed By: Thom Eberhardt

#17

Sherlock Holmes (2009)
70%

#17
Adjusted Score: 80025%
Critics Consensus: Guy Ritchie's directorial style might not be quite the best fit for an update on the legendary detective, but Sherlock Holmes benefits from the elementary appeal of a strong performance by Robert Downey, Jr.
Synopsis: When a string of brutal murders terrorizes London, it doesn't take long for legendary detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.)... [More]
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong
Directed By: Guy Ritchie

Sherlock (2010)
78%

#18
Synopsis: In this contemporary version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective stories, Dr. John Watson is a war vet just home... [More]
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Andrew Scott, Vinette Robinson
Directed By: Paul McGuigan

#19
#19
Adjusted Score: 69134%
Critics Consensus: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a good yarn thanks to its well-matched leading men but overall stumbles duplicating the well-oiled thrills of the original.
Synopsis: When Austria's crown prince is found dead, evidence seems to point to suicide. However, detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.)... [More]
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Rachel McAdams
Directed By: Guy Ritchie

Elementary (2012)
95%

#20
Synopsis: This take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic character has Sherlock Holmes fleeing London for present-day Manhattan after a stint... [More]
Starring: Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, Aidan Quinn, Jon Michael Hill
Directed By: Robert Doherty, Carl Beverly, Sarah Timberman, John Polson

#21

Mr. Holmes (2015)
88%

#21
Adjusted Score: 96707%
Critics Consensus: Mr. Holmes focuses on the man behind the mysteries, and while it may lack Baker Street thrills, it more than compensates with tenderly wrought, well-acted drama.
Synopsis: Long-retired and near the end of his life, Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) grapples with an unreliable memory and must rely... [More]
Starring: Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Milo Parker, Hiroyuki Sanada
Directed By: Bill Condon

#22

Holmes & Watson (2018)
10%

#22
Adjusted Score: 13735%
Critics Consensus: The lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson than does Holmes and Watson.
Synopsis: Detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson join forces to investigate a mysterious murder at Buckingham Palace. It seems like... [More]
Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Rebecca Hall, Rob Brydon
Directed By: Etan Cohen

Miss Sherlock (2018)
100%

#23
Synopsis: Two females, a surgeon and an investigative consultant, lead this bold interpretation of Sherlock Holmes.... [More]
Starring: Yuko Takeuchi, Shihori Kanjiya, Ken'ichi Takitô
Directed By: Junichi Mori

#24

Enola Holmes (2020)
91%

#24
Adjusted Score: 102825%
Critics Consensus: Enola Holmes brings a breath of fresh air to Baker Street -- and leaves plenty of room for Millie Bobby Brown to put her effervescent stamp on a franchise in waiting.
Synopsis: While searching for her missing mother, intrepid teen Enola Holmes uses her sleuthing skills to outsmart big brother Sherlock and... [More]
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Sam Claflin, Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter
Directed By: Harry Bradbeer

#25

Enola Holmes 2 (2022)
93%

#25
Adjusted Score: 98017%
Critics Consensus: Building on its predecessor with boisterously entertaining flair, Enola Holmes 2 solves the mystery of how to make a satisfying sequel -- and makes it look positively elementary.
Synopsis: Fresh off the triumph of solving her first case, Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) follows in the footsteps of her... [More]
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter, David Thewlis
Directed By: Harry Bradbeer