Where to Watch Sherlock UK or USA Online
BBC’s Adaptation of Sherlock Holmes
It seems that every time a new Sherlock Holmes adaption appears it’s greeted with scepticism. Usually around the latest actor who’s brave enough to take on the daunting task of bringing the iconic character to our screens. My father still insists that they should have all stopped with Basil Rathbone and those films are 80 years old (they are great though).
The BBC’s new shows starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, is perhaps the most controversial yet. I must admit I was a little bit worried about this new ‘contemporary’ adaption which brings the character into the modern world complete with mobile phones! Sherlock Holmes outside anywhere but Victorian England didn’t seem quite right but it definitely works and I’d be amazed if even the most die hard Sherlock Holmes traditionalist wouldn’t enjoy this.
How to Stream BBC Sherlock Online in the US
To watch the new series of BBC Sherlock online in the US, you’ll need to stream it through a streaming service. It’s occasionally shown on various TV networks but it’s hit and miss trying to track it down. You might get lucky but here we’re going to cover two options for watching online in 2022.
Whichever you choose it’s well worth tracking down all the BBC’s Sherlock – remember it’s over 90 minutes and is more like an outstanding television movie than a simple TV series.
Now we’re definitely not saying these are the only options. There will probably be lots more dodgy web streaming sites riddled with malware that have some episodes of Sherlock. You could also try and download it from torrents or P2P sites which might have a few episodes. However we believe it’s not worth the risk to end up with some low grade copy embedded with viruses.
So these two options will ensure you can watch the original BBC Sherlock in whichever definition that your internet connection and screen can cope with.
What are the best ways to stream BBC Sherlock in the US
So we’ve established there are a variety of ways to stream BBC Sherlock online in the US. The two we recommend are as follows – Amazon Prime Video and directly on BBC iPlayer.
Amazon Prime – Sherlock Holmes
Amazon Video is a streaming service which offers BBC and ITV shows as well as many other British TV series. It’s available in the US and most other countries which will allow you to watch lots of BBC shows often not available anywhere else. The country you are in will sometimes effect what’s available and the price you have to pay.
In the UK at the moment each episode of BBC’s latest adaption of Sherlock Holmes is available for £3.99 (just over $4). Buying the whole series is slightly cheaper at £10 and you can get them for slightly less if you go for SD (standard definition).
These are purchase prices and will be added to your Amazon account to watch again. There’s no rental option available in the UK at the moment but that might be different in your location. If you just want the latest series or even a single episode then it’s a simple option to pick them up.
It’s a great value option and a simple way to pick up the exact seasons you want.
BBC iPlayer – Sherlock Holmes
Now this won’t be available for ever but at the moment another great way of watching all Sherlock series is on BBC iPlayer. This is the BBC’s online streaming service which broadcasts all the BBC’s channels live (about 11 of them) and contains a huge archive of previous shows. It’s packed full of brilliant programmes including some brilliant crime dramas like the wonderful Shetland. It also has at the moment every episode of the BBC’s new adaption of Sherlock.
The BBC iPlayer normally archives programmes after initial broadcast for 12 months but does keep them longer for some shows. Fortunately Sherlock is one of these and it currently has all four series available to stream for free on the platform. It’s not quite clear how longer they will be there but at the moment they’re marked as available for three months. This means that they will definitely be there until December 2022. It may be longer as the BBC often changes these dates, but you should check these shows are still available after this date. For example all the latest series of Dr Who have been there for years and don’t look like disappearing anytime either.
So if you’re quick you can enjoy the entire four seasons entirely free of charge as they were originally broadcast on the BBC. Remember the BBC has no adverts during any of it’s programmes so each episode is like a full movie lasting about 90 minutes. There’s also much, much more on the BBC iPlayer site and great new crime dramas are being released all the time.
The problem of course with this method is that the wonderful BBC iPlayer is only available in the UK.
There is a solution though for those who are outside the UK and will allow anyone from anywhere in the world to enjoy BBC iPlayer. We’ll cover the main method for watching the BBC abroad later in this article. It does involve a small subscription though the BBC iPlayer doesn’t cost anything when using this method.
How to Access the Best Quality BBC Sherlock on iPlayer Outside the UK
To access the very best quality BBC Sherlock streams in the US using BBC iPlayer then you need to use a VPN. A VPN will help encrypt your traffic and make sure that your data is safe However more importantly in this situation you can use a VPN to hide your real physical location.
BBC Blocked Outside UK
When anyone visits the BBC iPlayer site, their IP address is recorded and checked. If the address is registered in the UK then everything will work fine. However if the IP address is registered somewhere else then you’ll be redirected to the international version of the site.
What’s more if you do try and stream anything on BBC iPlayer you’ll be blocked with a polite warning message like one of these –
- BBC iPlayer only works in the U.K. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues
- This content is not available in your location
- This content doesn’t seem to be working
Anything like this means your location is the problem, the BBC has detected that you’re not in the United Kingdom.
Using a VPN to Hide Your Location
So moving country to watch the new series of Sherlock is a little over the top, so what can be done. Well if you want to access the treasure trove that is BBC iPlayer and all the season’s of Sherlock you need to pretend you’re in the UK.
This is actually easier than you’d think as if you use a VPN then your real location is actually hidden. What’s more if you connect to a VPN server in the UK then it will appear to any website you visit that you’re actually in the UK. This means that BBC iPlayer is completely accessible !
Sounds a bit geeky and techy but it’s actually very easy to do. Here’s a brief video showing you how simple it is to use one of the modern day VPNs
this ones called NordVPN.
In 2022, unfortunately not all VPNs work anymore. The BBC has blocked many of them which simply won’t work anymore. There are a few that still work fine and will allow you to watch BBC iPlayer and any UK TV from anywhere in the world.
If you use our recommended VPN – NordVPN make sure you use one of their optimized servers listed below. These are specially monitored and supported to ensure that they always have access to the BBC. Don’t worry, there’s nothing illegal about using a VPN although it does technically break the BBC’s terms and conditions. Although millions of us have been watching from all over the world for many years ! Most expats who move to Spain set up a VPN very quickly indeed!
BBC Optimized NordVPN servers
Always use one of the following UK servers when you’re watching BBC iPlayer from outside the UK using NordVPN.
UK# 1840-1847, 1850-1863, 1865, 1869, 1873, 1875-1878, 1880-1881, 1900-1901, 1903-1904, 1911, 1913, 1917, 1919-1920.
It’s best to use these when watching other UK TV sites like ITV Hub too.
What are the best episodes of BBC Sherlock to watch online in the US
It’s really difficult to say – we’ll all have our favourites. It’s best not to leave a large gap in between watching each episode as they can be quite detailed. Perhaps the best received where the first few episodes of the first series of BBC Sherlock. These episodes introduced all of the main characters and set up the plot for the rest of the season.
What Other Sherlock Shows Are Available Online
There is a wide and rich history of Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous creation being shown on the screen. His characters have been covered many, many times over the years and you could write a book about the various adaptions. Any Sherlock Holmes fan will have their favourites and indeed many will pick Benedict Cumberbatch’s unique portrayal.
However you can find lots of films and TV shows on the main media sites. Search through Amazon Prime and you’ll find many options for purchase and for free. If you want a more traditional version than the BBC’s Sherlock then for many ITV’s much earlier show is considered one of the best.
It starred Jeremy Brett and won countless awards in it’s time. You can find it on the British streaming service Britbox which is available in many countries including the USA for a small monthly fee (which is simple to cancel). There are currently the four full original series plus a few other special episodes of Sherlock Holmes. It’s a brilliant adaption and for many people – the definitive Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson – well worth checking out.