The first-watch order for Sherlock is series one, series two, series three, the special The Abominable Bride, then series four. The special's Victorian setting can make it look like a separate introductory adventure. Its place in the release sequence is after series three, and that is where it belongs for a viewer meeting this version of Holmes and Watson for the first time.
Let the three early series establish the relationship
Start with A Study in Pink, the opening episode of series one, and follow the remaining episodes in their normal order. Continue through series two and series three without moving a later case forward because its title is familiar from Arthur Conan Doyle. This adaptation builds its own continuing relationships across the cases.
A recognizable source-story title does not make an episode interchangeable with another adaptation's version. A case can borrow a name or an image while relying on developments specific to this television series. The safest first-watch approach is therefore the series' presented sequence rather than the publication order of the original stories.
Episodes are substantial enough to function as an evening's main viewing. Check your edition's runtime before planning several together. Leaving time after an episode can also make it easier to separate the immediate case from the continuing relationship story.
Put The Abominable Bride between series three and four
The Abominable Bride premiered in January 2016, after the first three series and before series four. PBS and BBC Studios described it as a special; the change in period is part of its presentation. For a first watch, do not relocate it ahead of the modern-day opening.
Watch the complete special as released. Avoid an explanation of how it relates to the ongoing series beforehand, because explaining that relationship can itself disclose the special's design. Knowing its placement is enough preparation. The story should be allowed to reveal what kind of detour it is.
Catalog labels can differ. A service may place the special in its own group, among extras or alongside a numbered season. Search by the title The Abominable Bride and confirm you have the full special, rather than a trailer, interview or short companion clip.
Continue into series four
After the special, watch series four in order: The Six Thatchers, The Lying Detective and The Final Problem. PBS's episode pages identify that sequence. The cases continue the television version's established history, so this is the point where earlier viewing supplies its intended context.
If you have been away from the show for a while, use a recap restricted to series three and the special. An unrestricted character page may summarize the final series in a few words before you realize it has done so. Rewatching an earlier scene is often a more precise way to recover the relationship you need.
The route is compact enough that elaborate rearrangement adds little. First three series, The Abominable Bride, then the fourth series preserves the order of discovery. Save comparisons with other Holmes adaptations or the original stories for a separate viewing or reading project.
