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The Abominable Bride – Sherlock

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62% Tomatometer 39 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
In London, 1895, Sherlock and John investigate a ghostly bride who appears to have committed murder.
Sherlock — The Abominable Bride

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Critics Consensus

Although the back and forth between timelines is groan-worthy at best, the episode does a terrific job at transporting Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat's present-day characters into the dark, atmospheric world of Victorian London.

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Critics Reviews

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Melinda Houston Sydney Morning Herald I'm not sure Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat quite pull off the ole old-timey-yet-contemporary Sherlock in this special episode but it's a glorious ride all the same. Rated: 3.5/5 Apr 13, 2019 Full Review Robert Lloyd Los Angeles Times Cumberbatch has taken the possession of his part so successfully that his upturned collar now feels as much a Holmesean signature as a deerstalker cap. Apr 12, 2019 Full Review Allison Keene Collider The real sin of The Abominable Bride was that it just wasn't a particularly good case. And part of it may have been because of its truncated timeline, due to the show's other ghost. Rated: 3/5 Apr 12, 2019 Full Review Kelechi Ehenulo Confessions From A Geek Mind The Abominable Bride can be viewed as a little poetic. It may have thrown logic out the window but it never loses the essence. Rated: 3.5/5 Jul 17, 2020 Full Review Adam Sweeting The Arts Desk No doubt about it, this was a bravura display from the writers and their leading men. Rated: 4/5 Apr 13, 2019 Full Review Kaori Shoji Japan Times The Abominable Bride is a meticulously crafted, wonderfully atmospheric piece of filmmaking. It could well stand on its own, without the series' help or notoriety. Rated: 3/5 Apr 13, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Amir S A crazy special with a crazy twist. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/26/25 Full Review Korra N A whole lot of fun and a wonderful Sherlock special, The Abominable Bride acts both as a solid continuation of the series while creating a plethora of possibilities for the series to examine & pursue. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/04/24 Full Review Kesava Dharshan R This was so good... the story moves on even if yu ignore this episode. But they made an effort to show how this guy would have lived in the author's era. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/26/23 Full Review Audience Member The Abominable Bride is seen as a black sheep for the Sherlock series as a whole, but I genuinely don't understand why. I mean, yes, the episode kinda doesn't really need to exist, as it's sorta a fever dream of sorts, but it's also well-written, well-produced, well-acted and highly atmospheric. It also maintains the franchise's ability to ask many questions of the audience and subvert the audience with almost every one of these (without pulling out an M-Night style BS twist that you only didn't see coming simply because it was too stupid for you to anticipate). The new setting works well enough by recreating the original Sherlock Holmes setting, and the transplanting of the modern iterations of these characters into this setting works a lot better than one would expect. It looks and sounds great, is full of clever lines and the acting is as good as ever; beyond its dubious overall quasi-literal/quasi-meta narrative, it's genuinely excellent stuff, possibly the best thing of this series since Season 2 ended. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Fantastic show, fantastic cast! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member It was an interesting idea but why? It was weird to see them in last century. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Sherlock — The Abominable Bride

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Cast & Crew

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Benedict Cumberbatch

Sherlock

Martin Freeman

Watson

Una Stubbs

Mrs. Hudson

Rupert Graves

DI Lestrade

Mark Gatiss

Mycroft Holmes

Andrew Scott

Professor Moriarty

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Sherlock — The Abominable Bride

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Season Info

Synopsis In London, 1895, Sherlock and John investigate a ghostly bride who appears to have committed murder.
Director
Paul McGuigan
Screenwriter
Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss
Network
BBC
Rating
TV-14 (V)
Genre
Adventure, Crime, Drama
Original Language
British English
Release Date
Jan 1, 2016