I am confused because I thought I was only going to have access to 1,000 results, but it’s currently showing me 1,428 results so we’re going to just go with it!
Q1: Which episodes of Sherlock did you love? There were 1,428 responses.
A Study in Pink was the most popular, loved by 88.38% of responders (1,262 votes). Makes sense, since it’s the first episode you see!
Close on its heels was The Reichenbach Fall with 84.31% loving it (1,204 votes), followed by The Great Game with 77.87% loving it (1,112 votes).
On the other end of the spectrum, the least loved episode was The Six Thatchers, with only 8.61% loving it (123 votes), followed by The Final Problem, with 13.94% loving it (199 votes), followed by The Blind Banker, with 18.7% loving it (267 votes).
Interesting that the most loved episode was followed immediately by one of the least loved episodes!
Season 2 was actually the most well-loved season, with an average across all three episodes of 65.85% love, followed by Season 1 with 61.65% love, Season 3 with 51.24% love, and Season 4 with 25.44% love.
Here are all the raw numbers so you can poke around and have fun yourself!
A Study in Pink 88.38% 1,262
The Blind Banker 18.70% 267
The Great Game 77.87% 1,112
A Scandal in Belgravia 65.83% 940
The Hounds of Baskverville 47.41% 677
The Reichenbach Fall 84.31% 1,204
The Empty Hearse 39.92% 570
The Sign of Three 65.20% 931
His Last Vow 48.60% 694
The Abominable Bride 54.69% 781
The Six Thatchers 8.61% 123
The Lying Detective 53.78% 768
The Final Problem 13.94% 199Total Respondents: 1,428
Question 2: Which episodes of Sherlock did you hate? There were 1,233 responses, because 195 people skipped this question, presumably because they had no episodes they hated.
The most hated episodes were The Final Problem with 73.4% (905 votes) hating it, The Six Thatchers with 49.72% (613 votes) hating it, and The Blind Banker, with 24.49% (302 votes) hating it. Those were the least loved episodes, too, so that makes some sense (although not quite in that order).
The least hated episodes were The Great Game, with .41% (5 votes) hating it, A Study in Pink with .73% (9 votes) hating it, and The Reichenbach Fall, with 1.87% (23 votes) hating it. Those were the most loved, although not quite in that order.
Season 2 was the least hated season, with only 5.6% average hate, followed by Season 1 with 8.54% average, Season 3 with 10.78% average, and Season 4 with 46.34% average.
(If you’re wondering where TAB stands up, it was more loved than S3 but less loved than S2, with 54.69% love (781 votes), and less hated than Season 3 but more hated than Season 1, with 10.71% hate (132 votes).
I don’t know what I would have picked as my favorite season of Sherlock but it looks like it was Season 2, judging by these results.
Again, the raw data:
A Study in Pink 0.73% 9
The Blind Banker 24.49% 302
The Great Game 0.41% 5
A Scandal in Belgravia 6.24% 77
The Hounds of Baskerville 8.68% 107
The Reichenbach Fall 1.87% 23
The Empty Hearse 12.08% 149
The Sign of Three 6.73% 83
His Last Vow 13.54% 167
The Abominable Bride 10.71% 132
The Six Thatchers 49.72% 613
The Lying Detective 15.90% 196
The Final Problem 73.40% 905Total Respondents: 1,233
Question 3: Which episodes of Sherlock fall in the middle? There were 1,357 responses, because 71 people skipped this question.
I considered this question to be for all the episodes you like but don’t love, but also don’t despise. Presumable the people who skipped the question had no episodes that didn’t inspire strong feelings either way.
The most common in-the-middle episodes were The Blind Banker, with 56.67% of votes (769 people), The Empty Hearse, with 42.96% of votes (583 people), and The Six Thatchers, with 42.52% of votes (577 people).
This is interesting to me, because The Blind Banker and The Six Thatchers made all three lists: one of the least loved, one of the most hated, but also one of the ones that people also put in neither category. The Empty Hearse, however, was middle of the road in the other lists and middle of the road here. It just doesn’t seem to inspire major emotions in people.
The least common in-the-middle episodes were A Study in Pink, chosen by only 8.33% of people (133 votes), The Reichenbach Fall, chosen by only 10.02% of people (136 votes), and The Great Game, chosen by only 16.95% of people (230 votes). All three of those episodes were the most loved and least hated. That seems to indicate that people mostly feel strongly positive about those episodes.
What’s interesting to me is that every single one of the least common in-the-middle episodes were beloved. The most hated episodes The Final Problem, The Six Thatchers, and The Blind Banker, were all more common choices for middle of the road. TFP was just off the medals podium but it was, and the other two are comfortably in the middle, with around half the fandom putting them in neither love or hate. Which tells me that those episodes are not necessarily divisive between love and hate but more divisive between hate and middle-of-the-road.
The least middle-of-the-road season was Season 2 with an average of 25.5 cross episodes with no strong feeling. That makes sense, since it was the most loved. The most middle-of-the-road season was Season 3, with an average of 34.34. Season 3 was in the middle of the other rankings, so it makes sense it’s the most middle of the road. Season 1 finished with 27.32 with no strong feeling, and Season 4 (the most hated and least loved season) with 30.53 no strong feeling.
TAB, with 30.29% no strong feeling (411 votes), was also basically right in the middle.
Raw data:
A Study in Pink 8.33% 113
The Blind Banker 56.67% 769
The Great Game 16.95% 230
A Scandal in Belgravia 25.20% 342
The Hounds of Baskerville 41.27% 560
The Reichenbach Fall 10.02% 136
The Empty Hearse 42.96% 583
The Sign of Three 24.91% 338
His Last Vow 35.15% 477
The Abominable Bride 30.29% 411
The Six Thatchers 42.52% 577
The Lying Detective 29.99% 407
The Final Problem 19.09% 259Total Respondents: 1,357
Question 4: When did you start watching Sherlock? There were 1,412 responses, because 23 people skipped this question.
I was curious about this because I was wondering if there were any correlations between when you started watching and how you felt about the episodes, but then I realized that I would have go through all 1,412 responses individually to figure this out, so here, have some general data instead:
Most people started watching the show during the hiatus between S2 and S3 hiatus (29.96%, or 423 votes), or during the hiatus between S1 and S2 (19.19%, or 271 votes). The next most popular started watching while S1 was airing (18.56%, or 262 votes). The least amount of people started watching while S3 was airing (7.01%, or 99 votes) or while S2 was airing (10.62%, or 150 votes). Those who joined during the hiatus between S3 and S4 were in the middle (14.66%, or 207 votes).
Most people don’t pick up a show in the middle of a later season, so the hiatuses being common starting points makes sense. I was surprised by how few respondents had been watching the show from the beginning, so to speak.
Raw data:
I started while S1 was airing (either in the UK or the US) 18.56% 262
I started during the hiatus between S1 and S2 19.19% 271
I started while S2 was airing (either in the UK or the US) 10.62% 150
I started during the hiatus between S2 and S3 29.96% 423
I started while S3 was airing (either in the UK or the US) 7.01% 99
I started during the hiatus between S3 and S4 (including during TAB)14.66%207Total 1,412
I realize now that I asked the question poorly and should have left out the parenthetical in the choices.
Q4: Favorite characters? You could choose more than one! 1,434 people responded, one person skipped this question.
SO MANY CHARACTERS.
The most popular was Sherlock, beloved by 95.33% (1,367 votes), followed by John with 88.21% (1,265 votes), then Mrs. Hudson (77.48%, 1,111 votes). These were the only three characters to crack 1,000 votes. The least popular were the therapist (Eurus edition) (1.39%, or 20 votes); The Abominable Bride with 2.44%, or 35 votes; and Faith, with 3.35%, or 48 votes.
There were SO MANY CHARACTERS I MISSED. I’ve cut and pasted below if you’re curious, because re-typing 111 responses is too much even for me. 🙂
So here’s your raw data:
Sherlock 95.33% 1,367
John 88.21% 1,265
Mycroft 52.65% 755
Moriarty 48.47% 695
Lestrade 64.37% 923
Sally 10.32% 148
Anderson 8.16% 117
Molly 43.03% 617
Stanford 16.67% 239
Irene 21.34% 306
Mrs. Hudson 77.48% 1,111
Mary 16.95% 243
Magnussen 4.32% 62
Sholto 10.81% 155
Mummy Holmes 18.20% 261
Daddy Holmes 16.74% 240
The Abominable Bride 2.44% 35
Rosie 10.60% 152
Culverton Smith 4.39% 63
Faith 3.35% 48
Eurus 7.04% 101
The therapist (Eurus edition) 1.39% 20
The therapist (original edition) 7.95% 114
Angelo 20.92% 300
Wiggins 19.04% 273
Anthea 16.46% 236
Ajay 3.97% 57
The old man that goes to see John at the surgery and John thinks he’s Sherlock but he’s just an old man 20.22% 290
Characters I missed! 7.74% 111The client from t6t with the E cigarettes
Although we never see her, Harry Watson
Mike Stamford
The innkeepers in Baskerville!
Janine
Jim from IT
Sarah, the hot lieutenant in Hound, the hot detective in TST
Why there is no question about the characters I hate? I hated mummy Holmes at the last and John in the last season
Janine!
Janine
Janine
Soo Lin! Kitty Riley!
Harry (not that we get to see her but from the blog and fanon I would love her)
Redbeard/Victor Trevor (lol I know he’s in it for like two minutes but…)
DI Hopkins cause why not
Henry Knight
Hopkins ❤
New detective lady
Dimmock, Janine, Lady Smallwood
The Maid from TAB
Hopkins
Henry Knight
Toby the dog
Jim Moriaty.
Janine
Kate
Sorry to nitpick, but it’s “Stamford”, not “Stanford” 🙂
Harriet Watson
Hopkins
Henry Knight
Janine
Toby!! 🙂 And err, oh!! The gay couple in HotB!! And any other Sherlock and John mirrors!!
Lord Moran because he is so handsome.
Toby ❤
the drug friend who calls sherlock “shezza”
TOBY (both dog and cat editions), Craig the Hacker, DI Stella Hopkins
Janine
Redbeard as a dog
Janine
Janine
Lady Carmichael & Soo-lin
sally donovan
Mike Stamford, The Gay couple who own the pub in Baskerville
Toby!!!
Corporal Lyons
Ella
Henry Knight
Harry Watson – i liked the idea of her, would have liked to have seen her have her day in the sun.
Toby the dog
mycroft’s umbrella
Janine
The I like trains man
Redbeard the dog
Sarah Sawyer
John’s girlfriend to tells him off, janine[=]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
The gay couple at the inn in HOB
Janine, Billy the Skull, Janette
Archie!
Sarah Sawyer! One of my faves.
Billy and Gary the innkeepers
Victor Trevor
checked to comment only, I hated Mycroft, Mary and Molly in S4
Sebastian Moran
Janine
The gay innkeepers in THOB
Sebastian Moran!!!! (i know he’s not canon let me dream)
Fat!Mycroft, Young!Fat!Mycroft from The Final Problem
The gay couple who couldn’t kill their dog, Mrs Turner’s married ones
In reference to before the final problem
The chick in the red dress in Sherlock’s Mind Palace who talks about the dungeon…
The girl in teh who’s the leader of the sherlock fandom
Pidgeon, Toby, Redbeard (dog version), the couple in THoB
janine!
The character in THotB “the footprints of a gigantic hound”
innkeepers!
(well, it’s Stamford, not Stanford… I assume that was autocorrect fucking with you!)
Young Sherlock in His Last Vow; Janine
Toby!
That guy who thought he was crazy from hob
Sebastian Moran (not actually in the show, but shhh)
I liked Mary at the beginning but I didn’t like her redemption arc at all.
Archie
Gary and Billy from TRF
Mike
Irene’s girlfriend :}
Janine, Tessa, Vicky
The murderous cabbie
The guy at the wedding wearing an elephant tie who dances with Janine
Everyone except the bull crap characters of s4
JANINE!
Archie!
Janine
…
Billy
Janine
Mike Stamford
redbeard (the dog edition)
Janine
Janene
Poor DI Hopkins dragged in the fuckery just to be Lestrade crush
Total Respondents: 1,434
So, that’s all for right now. SUCH A DISCLAIMER: I am not in any way a statistician. I never even took stats. I just did this for fun!
I’m so happy I wasn’t the only one to write in those lovely innkeepers in Baskerville. That thrills me.
They got SO MANY VOTES. Adorable. 🙂
The reason why not so many people watched the show from the beginning might have been, because you explicitely refered to the UK/US air dates. I watched Sherlock from the start – but at first in the German dubbed version, which aired 2-3 months later, so technically already in S1/S2 hiatus. I would assume watching new! (foreign) tv shows online wasn’t as common in 2010 as it is now. So only a few people outside the UK/US might have even notived the initial broadcasting of s1.
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