4. Sherlock

“Sherlock” famously ended on the most maddening of cliffhangers, and creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss tantalizingly fed the curiosity of their audience while slyly skirting the solution. Irritating yes, but what they did do was return to the dynamic between their leads. Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) is as deliciously haughty as ever and John (Martin Freeman) has a brilliant new girlfriend (Amanda Abbington). It was a season full of emotional swings ranging from Sherlock’s reemergence to Watson’’s marriage. Thanks to Cumberbatch and Freeman, it is so easy to become invested, but as with every season they soar to new heights only to fall in the face of impending disaster. The beauty of it all is that despite a devastating ending, the denouement places Sherlock back where he started with new cases to be solved and old villains to be outwitted. It also helps that he was not nearly killed off this time around.

– Tynan Yanaga, Staff Writer