Sherlock, A High-Functioning Sociopath

Sherlock, A High-Functioning Sociopath

Kavitha Babu

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch on BBC, Sherlock is one of the most popular T.V. shows to come out of the United Kingdom; it has been sold to 224 countries worldwide. As the company is based in the UK, hence the acronym for the British Broadcasting Corporation, the release of the show and its byproducts have helped the country’s economy sufficiently, at least the entertainment sector. Except, the release of long awaited series (a.k.a. season) 4, may have had unforeseen effects on the television programme and possibly on the BBC.

The show focuses on Sherlock Holmes and best friend John Watson, played by Martin Freeman. As many have said, the show’s success is because of these two actors and their wonderfully heartwarming chemistry. With magnetic storylines, witty comebacks, and numerous plot twists, Sherlock has developed one of the largest fandoms on the Internet. If you wish to divulge in this phenomena, then here lies the gate to this dark abyss. It also happens to have a major female audience, especially those aged 16-25. In my opinion, I would say this is because of the numerous ships between characters on the show, especially Johnlock. The ship between Sherlock Holmes and John Watson is one of most popular amongst the Internet. Fans go wild over the relationship between these two characters, whether it be a friendship, or as many believe, a romance. (As for me, I totally ship it. I mean, have you seen the way they look at each other? They are in love, I tell you. Absolutely, irrevocably in love.).

Being one of the major sources of revenue for the BBC, Sherlock is responsible for much of the entertainment finances. In 2012, their total revenue was £407 million, whereas in 2014 the total revenue was £526 million. Since 2014, however, the BBC is slowly decreasing in terms of their profits, and have been undergoing a deficit.

The income of this firm, thus is a part of the United Kingdom’s gross domestic product. Although, their portion is small in the GDP, being the largest broadcaster in the world, the BBC has a lot of influence domestically and internationally in terms of sales, be it through their news branch, worldwide branch, or entertainment branches. As seen in the graph below, the UK’s GDP has been increasing steadily, despite a few recessions here and there. Since consumer spending is a major part of GDP, the amount of money spent on Sherlock merchandising, DVD/Blu-Ray box sets, redistributed books, and many other products sold by the BBC, this show does in fact make an impact towards this value, however large or small it may be.

The release of the fourth series has sparked controversy, however, amongst fans and critics alike. In 2010, the first series had an average rating of 85 (out of 100). Series two, released in 2012, had an average of 92/100. And in 2014, the third series, captured a rating of 88. It’s sustained progress however came to an abrupt drop to 63, in series four. Having been four weeks since series four has come to a close, many fans across the world have been disappointed.

This show contains three 90-minute episodes per series, and as seen, each series has a long hiatus in between. There has been one special, released in 2016, which made over £24 million worldwide in the box office. However, in my opinion and many others, the previous seasons have had a unique feeling to them that was completely lacking in the fourth. The essence of Sherlock was the relationship between John and Sherlock as they solved mysteries. Each of the three episodes connect together, creating a larger storyline. There’s a classic villain, jaw-dropping moments, and epic cliffhangers. The whole show is a masterpiece, then came series four.

Without becoming a T.V. show critique, I digress. Having such an impact, the disappointment of this latest series has been lashed onto the BBC. Because of this major downfall, fans are expecting a series five to blow them away. The BBC has not directly taken this head on yet, but the unexpected turn of events has had many diminishing effects towards the company. Because of this, I suspect that in this year, the BBC’s revenue will decrease quite a bit, at least more than usual. Although since the influence is not large, the GDP will still continue to increase as a whole.

Although series four was a mess in some areas, there were some amazing Johnlock moments. So, to those who I may have discouraged from watching this show, it’s still amazing. Sherlock is the best thing to ever exist. Here is a link to the YouTube channel for trailers, clips, and interviews. I highly recommend it, especially for the first three seasons. I guarantee it will blow you away. There are some people who loved series four, so if you’re not much of a critic then go watch it on Netflix. And so, was series four really a mistake? Do John and Sherlock end up together? Will you lose your mind and want to scream every waking moment? I guess you’ll just have to find out for yourself.

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