Sherlock/Characters

Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch)
""Who cares about decent? The game, Mrs Hudson, is on!""

"Sherlock: Sex doesn't alarm me. Mycroft: How would you know?"
 * Allergic to Routine
 * All of the Other Reindeer: In addition to being hated by pretty much the entire police force sans Lestrade, in The Blind Banker it is revealed that all his classmates hated him when he was in school.
 * A Man Is Not a Virgin: Subverted, hard. John is still in disbelief that Sherlock has apparently never had a "girlfriend, boyfriend, a relationship of some kind, ever."
 * Not to mention Moriarty's nickname for him is "The Virgin".
 * Even Mycroft mocks his brother:

"Sherlock: Decent? Who cares about decent when there's finally something interesting going on? Lestrade: Sherlock Holmes is a great man, and I think one day, if we're all very very lucky, he might even be a good one."
 * Ambiguous Disorder
 * Watson does suggest Asperger's Syndrome at one point, though.
 * Anti-Hero: Type V. Sherlock solves crime for fun and not justice. He's fully aware that he's not very heroic and tells John that there's no such thing as heroes and if there were he wouldn't be one. It is hinted that with time and the right company, however, he may lose the 'anti' part.

""I upset her? Me? It wasn't ME who upset her!""
 * As of the end of Series 2, he may have gone up to Type III.
 * Badass Baritone
 * Badass Bookworm
 * Badass Longcoat: Sherlock sports a nicely tailored, expensive woolen one. In real life, the coat costs £1,350.
 * Berserk Button: Don't . Sherlock does not take it well. Specifically, he looks at you and.
 * And you will not realize he's angry until after he's beaten the crap out of you.
 * Break the Haughty: Happens to Sherlock in the climax of both "The Great Game" and "A Scandal in Belgravia". In the first, he dismisses the lives put on the line by Moriarty, ecstatic about the puzzles set before him and the pleasure of unraveling the mystery of Moriarty's overall plan. But then  Then in "Scandal in Belgravia,"
 * Happens to him again in "The Reichenbach Fall."
 * Brilliant but Lazy:
 * In "A Study in Pink", is too lazy to lift his hand about three inches to grab the phone John offers him, forcing John to actually place it in his palm. Sheesh. However this may be less Sherlock being lazy and more him being a Manipulative Bastard- testing how much bossing around John is going to take from him.
 * In "The Great Game," while fiddling with instruments, Sherlock asks Watson to hand him his (meaning Sherlock's) phone, which was in his jacket. The one he was wearing.
 * In "A Scandal in Belgravia" gets John to skype him a view of crime scene because he doesn't want to get out of bed. Then can't be bothered to get dressed when summoned by the Queen.
 * Brutal Honesty: Sherlock's M.O. Used in several settings -- one time he might comically extort someone with sensitive information, the other John chews him out for being rude and tactless.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Averted. No matter how many times Sherlock proves himself to be absolutely brilliant, he will still be known as the "freak" or "psychopath" down at Scotland Yard. Lestrade defends him as much as he reasonably can, but admits that he wouldn't accept Sherlock's help if he had any choice.
 * This ultimately causes
 * Byronic Hero
 * Catch Phrase: "Obviously."
 * "Not Good?"
 * Celibate Hero
 * Celibate Eccentric Genius
 * Cloudcuckoolander
 * Creepy Good
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Defrosting Ice Queen: Over the course of Series 2.
 * Ditzy Genius: Justified as Sherlock only keeps important information in his "hard drive," which does not include tact, common sense or the idea of heliocentrism.
 * Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette
 * Even High-Functioning Sociopaths Love Their Mamas:
 * Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette
 * Even High-Functioning Sociopaths Love Their Mamas:

"(John and Sherlock are in a restaurant) John: Aren't you going to eat? Sherlock: What day is it? John: ...Wednesday. Sherlock: I'm okay for a bit."
 * Also, don't insult, threaten or hurt Mrs. Hudson in front of him.
 * Fan Nickname: In-universe, he gains several.
 * "Hatman" from the press, due to wearing a deerstalker to hide his face.
 * "The Reichenbach Hero" for his most famous case to date.
 * "Sir Boasts-A-Lot", which Moriarty alludes to while telling a fairytale.
 * Forgets to Eat: Cumberbatch purposefully lost weight to highlight this.
 * From the unaired pilot:
 * From the unaired pilot:

""We've got ourselves a serial killer. I love those, there's always something to look forward to!""
 * Good Is Not Nice: As he tells in The Reichenbach Fall, "I may be on the side of the angels, but don't think for one second that I am one of them."
 * Grammar Nazi: Just a bit, yeah. Though it's also likely he was deliberately correcting the prisoner in Minsk just to test his control of his temper.
 * In all likelihood he was also doing it to irritate the guy making the errors.
 * Gray Eyes: Type 2.
 * Kaleidoscope Eyes: Their colour varies from shot to shot, from icy blue to grey to slightly green. That's not editing, that's Benedict Cumberbatch's glasz eyes in action.
 * Guile Hero: To an extent, not that he can't handle himself in hand to hand as well.
 * Heroic BSOD: Hits it in "The Hounds of Baskerville", when he experiences fear and doubt for what likely could be the first time.
 * Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Literally.

"Sherlock: (on the "drugs bust") This is childish. Lestrade: Well, I'm dealing with a child."
 * Incompatible Orientation: With just about anyone.
 * Inferiority Superiority Complex: As Sally Donovan explains to John Watson, Sherlock isn't paid for his help to the police. The payoff for him is brain exercise, but also the feeling of importance it gives him. He even goads Lestrade into admitting that Scotland Yard needs his detective skills. He is offended when John casts doubt on the claims made on his website, and anxious to prove that he really is as clever as he says. The cabbie, calling him "stupid", nearly talks Sherlock into a suicidal game, and Sherlock is clearly hurt by Sebastian's remark in "The Blind Banker" that his fellow students at university hated him. His reaction to John calling his deductions "amazing" and "quite extraordinary" seem to indicate he hardly ever hears praise for his abilities. As he has (up until this point) no real friends, it's inferred that one-upping people with his brilliance is the only way he can feed what seems to be extremely poor self-esteem.
 * Insufferable Genius: He really can't help himself, not even after getting tossed out of a courtroom where he's the star witness and into a prison cell for showing off.
 * Intelligence Equals Isolation: Zig Zagged. It's hard to say what came first, Sherlock's incapacity of social interaction, or his aversion of it. Although Mycroft seems to have encouraged distance to others, his friendship with John proves that he is neither above nor averse to relationships with other people as long as it does not hinder his work.
 * Lack of Empathy: Subverted, at least when it comes to his friends.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Limited Wardrobe: Black suit, grey coat, dark shirt, blue scarf, black leather shoes. And now, a word from the fashion coordinator.
 * What, no mention of the infamous "purple shirt of sex"?
 * Mad Scientist: He keeps a human head in the refrigerator and human eyeballs in the microwave, both of which are being used in "experiments". Enough said.
 * Man Child: Especially when he's bored or irritated.

""Careful.""
 * Manipulative Bastard: Definitely has his moments, which can range from tricking a victim's distraught family members into giving him information or conniving his way into making John answer his phone… when it's in the front pocket of a jacket he's wearing.

""Why is it always the hat photograph?""
 * Married to the Job: Ambiguous (a?)sexuality aside, this is the reason he gives for why dating (or human social interaction in general) isn't "his area". You can count the number of people close to him in any sense on one hand.
 * Memetic Outfit: The deerstalker gets this treatment in-universe, to his exasperation.

"Sherlock: Merry Christmas, Molly Hooper."
 * Motor Mouth: It's entirely possible that Cumberbatch does not need to breathe; for example, just listen to his explanation of Watson's phone or much of "Hounds of Baskerville".
 * In one interview, Gatiss comments on the extreme length of the deduction in Baskerville; apparently, on Cumberbatch's script he actually wrote "Sorry, Benedict" next to it.
 * Must Have Nicotine: It's impossible to sustain a smoking habit in London nowadays, so Sherlock confines himself to patches. It just might end up being "a three-patch problem".
 * Goes absolutely haywire in "Hounds of Baskerville" when he's detoxing, turning the entire flat upside down and outright begging John to give him a cigarette.
 * Nice Hat:
 * Sherlock's stolen security guard hat.
 * in "A Scandal in Belgravia", which also doubles as a Mythology Gag.
 * Nightmare Fetishist
 * No Social Skills: Yet again, high-functioning sociopath here..
 * Odd Friendship: With John.
 * Pet the Dog: His apology to Molly for verbally tearing her apart on Christmas, complete with a sincere kiss on the cheek.

"Sherlock: I'm not a psychopath, Anderson, I'm a high-functioning sociopath. Do your research."
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to John's red.
 * Sacrificed Basic Skill for Awesome Training: Sherlock's brilliant deductive reasoning comes at the expense of practical knowledge and ability to interact socially.
 * Scarf of Asskicking
 * Sherlock Scan: Demonstrated brilliantly. Even John admits he is impressed.
 * The Sociopath: Played with regularly. Sherlock has all the classic signs of a sociopath: a general lack of empathy; self centered behavior; total disregard for laws; regular use of fake charm, lies and manipulation to achieve his goals; he even goes so far as to call himself one. Ultimately subverted however, since when push comes to shove Sherlock really does care about his friends.

"Sherlock: I may be on the side of the angels... but don't think for one second that I am one of them!"
 * The Spock: John even calls him "Spock" in "The Hounds of Baskerville."
 * Sticky Fingers: John's laptop, Lestrade's warrant card, an ashtray from Buckingham Palace, and Mycroft's clearance ID.
 * The Stoic: Most of the time, especially compared to those around him at crime scenes or during an investigation.
 * Not So Stoic: Whenever John is genuinely threatened or in danger. Strap a bunch of bombs to or point a gun at the good doctor's head, and Sherlock's cool mask will evaporate in two seconds flat.
 * Tall, Dark and Snarky
 * Token Evil Teammate: Effectively calls himself this in "The Reichenbach Falls".


 * The Unfettered: Most of Scotland Yard seem to think he's this.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: Gets this a lot when he says or does cruel things to people around him. John valiantly attempts to avert or correct Sherlock's social issues whenever possible.
 * The Wonka

John Watson (Martin Freeman)
""How— oh, never mind.""

"Jeanette: My friends were wrong, you know. You're a great boyfriend - and Sherlock Holmes is a very lucky man."
 * Adorkable: Doctor Watson. Martin Freeman's support of Woolly Hat Day.
 * Badass Adorable: Whether it's shooting a guy dead under improbable odds, sassing back criminal masterminds who've kidnapped him or ordering around CIA agents who have a gun to the back of his head, chances are he'll be doing it in a cardigan. Also is strongly implied to be one of those people who starts celebrating Christmas in October.
 * Berserk Button: Actually punches out the superintendent of Scotland Yard because he called Sherlock a "weirdo".
 * Beware the Nice Ones: They have bad days like everybody else. John's killed people.
 * Blood Knight: John Watson keeps having battle flashbacks. As correctly deduces,
 * Boring Yet Practical: Prefers to use diaries and cameras to record data instead of bizarre memory techniques. Also prefers to call the police using a phone instead of a gun, and would like Mycroft to call him instead of kidnap him.
 * Cloudcuckoolander's Minder
 * Combat Medic: He is a military doctor, after all.
 * Curse Cut Short: Almost every episode. Most memorably in 'The Great Game', when he.
 * As Series 2 goes on, more of John's curses are left in-episode, mostly to demonstrate that the tone has gotten noticeably darker. He has two particularly PG-13 words in Episode 3.
 * Distracted by the Sexy: Frequently. At Buckingham Palace, he gets so carried away imagining that he nearly drops the fine china.
 * Foil: To Sherlock. Pretty much an obligatory aspect of his character.
 * Friendly Sniper / Improbable Aiming Skills: Once shot a guy through two windows, in another building. With a pistol.
 * Giver of Lame Names: Sherlock is consistently unimpressed with the case titles John comes up with.
 * Hospital Hottie
 * If It's You It's Okay: When he tells Irene he's straight, she implies this.
 * Incompatible Orientation / Married to the Job: He's starting to catch this from being around Sherlock; none of his girlfriends have been able to put up with their adventuring for long.

"Sherlock: You've seen a bit of trouble too, I bet. John: Of course, yes. Enough for a lifetime, far too much. Sherlock: …Want to see some more? John: Oh, God, yes."
 * Jumped At the Call

"Sherlock: I don’t have friends. I've just got one."
 * Logging Onto the Fourth Wall: His blog documenting his and Sherlock's adventures, which is widely read in-universe, can be found here.
 * Morality Pet: For Sherlock, letting him know whenever he's said or done something "not good".
 * Mysterious Middle Initial: In "A Scandal in Belgravia," John H. Watson finally reveals his much-speculated upon middle name:.
 * Nice Guy
 * Nothing Exciting Ever Happens Here: A variant; John says "Nothing ever happens to me" to his psychologist's suggestion that he blogs everything that happens to him. And then a couple of scenes later, he meets Sherlock…
 * Not So Stoic: In The Hounds of Baskerville, the audience finally sees what happens when John freaks the everloving hell out. It's not pretty.
 * Odd Friendship: With Sherlock.
 * Only Friend: To Sherlock — and everyone who knows Sherlock is amazed that he's even managed that much. And as Sherlock almost affectionately points out in "The Hounds of Baskerville":

"John: (has Sherlock in a headlock) You ought to remember, Sherlock, I was a soldier! I killed people! Sherlock: You were a doctor! John: I had bad days!"
 * Only Sane Man: Frequently. Especially when Mycroft and Sherlock are yelling at each other and playing tug-of-war with a bedsheet protecting Sherlock's modesty. In the middle of Buckingham Palace.
 * Pint-Sized Powerhouse: As seen in A Scandal in Belgravia, where Sherlock learns it's not a good idea to hit him. John hits back. Hard.

"John: We've only just met.
 * Reaction Shot: John is boss at these.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to Sherlock's blue.
 * The Southpaw: Played with. Sherlock identifies him as left-handed in "A Study in Pink", but he consistently shoots and throws punches with his right hand. Possibly cross-dominant.
 * Guns are asymmetric so unless he has a left-hand designed gun, he'd NEED to shoot right-handed to accommodate the safety,sight and grip.
 * Martin Freeman is left handed, so he definitely qualifies.
 * The Stoic: Although John is more in touch with his emotions than Sherlock is (generally), he's remarkably stoic under pressure. He in A Study in Pink, he  in The Great Game with intense calm, he  in A Scandal in Belgravia, and in The Reichenbach Fall, he
 * Straight Man
 * Throwing Off the Disability: His limp is psychosomatic, meaning that he can lose it when he forgets about it.
 * Unfazed Everyman: He adjusts remarkably quickly to the weirdness that comes with being Sherlock Holmes's sidekick.
 * And since yesterday you've moved in with him and now you're solving crimes together. Might we expect a happy announcement by the end of the week?"

""How— oh, never mind"."
 * The Watson: Well, duh. Occasionally Played for Laughs.


 * What the Hell, Hero?: If Sherlock's getting one of these, chances are good that John will be the one lecturing him.

Mycroft Holmes (Mark Gatiss)
""All lives end. All hearts are broken. Caring is not an advantage, Sherlock.""

"John Watson:(wondering what they're doing in Buckingham Palace) Here to see the Queen? (Mycroft walks in) Sherlock Holmes: Oh, apparently yes. (Sherlock and John giggle like children)"
 * Aloof Big Brother: To Sherlock.
 * Ambiguously Gay: If you take Sherlock's "queen" joke at face value. He does have a few of the traits.

"Mycroft: (pouring tea) I'll be "mother''. Sherlock: And there's a whole childhood in a nutshell."
 * Ascended Extra: Originally just a cameo, Mycroft is central to most of the happenings of Series 2.
 * Badass Bureaucrat
 * Big Brother Is Watching: Quite literally, in fact. Mycroft's command of seemingly every surveillance camera in London under the vague name of the "government".
 * Big Brother Instinct: In a rare tie in with Big Brother Is Watching. Apparently, when you're a shadowy government official, keeping tabs on your little brother involves kidnapping and bribery.
 * Brilliant but Lazy: Typical for the character, he can even outdo Sherlock when it comes to deductions, but he dislikes legwork.
 * The Chessmaster
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Formerly Fat: Gatiss claims Mycroft was on a lot of yo-yo diets.
 * Genre Savvy: When John asks why Mycroft doesn't trust his own subordinates, Mycroft points out that they all spy on people for money.
 * Guile Hero: It comes with the territory of being a Knowledge Broker and The Spymaster.
 * Ice Queen: A true male example - Moriarty's code name for him is "The Iceman". Mycroft's feelings only extend to Sherlock's well-being; everyone else is expendable.
 * Not to mention that Sherlock's "queen" joke [see Ambiguously Gay above] combines with this to form a rather interesting pun.
 * Insufferable Genius: Though to a lesser degree than his brother.
 * Kick the Dog: Sherlock doesn't like it when people insult Mrs. Hudson, remember? Mycroft telling her to "shut up" wasn't the wisest idea.
 * The Kindnapper: To John, usually when he's concerned about Sherlock.
 * Knight Templar Big Brother
 * Lonely at the Top: He is seen sitting alone doing nothing on Christmas Eve in A Scandal in Belgravia. Of course to him it may be a special luxury to do so.
 * Parental Substitute: Besides his "constant" worrying about Sherlock, it's made fairly clear in Scandal that Sherlock regards him as this:
 * Parental Substitute: Besides his "constant" worrying about Sherlock, it's made fairly clear in Scandal that Sherlock regards him as this:


 * Pet the Dog: Regardless of how they interact, he does genuinely care for Sherlock, and respects Watson.
 * Sharp-Dressed Man
 * The Sociopath: Has even fewer emotions and less genuine feeling than Sherlock, but hasn't hit Moriarty levels, so far.
 * The Spymaster: According to Sherlock, he "is the British Government," in addition to a number of foreign agencies that Mycroft supposedly controls.
 * Tall, Dark and Snarky
 * Unwitting Pawn:
 * Waistcoat of Style
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: Will do just about anything in the interests of British national security (as well as keeping his little brother safe), up to and including assassinations.
 * The Wonka: Though certainly to a lesser degree than his younger brother.

Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott)
""Every fairytale needs a good, old-fashioned villain.""

"[Straightens suit] Westwood!"
 * Ambiguously Gay: Keeps up his Camp persona after . As always, it's hard to tell what really motivates him.
 * Always Someone Better: What motivates him to take down Sherlock.
 * Ax Crazy
 * Badass in a Nice Suit: Westwood, to be precise.
 * Beware the Silly Ones
 * Big Bad: Every major villain or antagonist on the show has answered to him.
 * Camp Straight
 * Card-Carrying Villain: Is openly proud of being reprehensibly evil.
 * The Chessmaster: In Series One, he's behind every case Sherlock investigates. In Series Two about the only one he wasn't involved in was an actual accident.
 * Dangerously Genre Savvy: As Scandal shows, if it comes down to a choice between baiting Sherlock Holmes and his actual job, he'll pick the job. After all, crime is a heavily trust-based business.
 * Taken up to eleven in "The Reichenbach Fall", where he plays - and wins - Xanatos Roulette with both Holmes brothers, and even forces Sherlock to.
 * Deadpan Snarker: When he's not giggling.
 * : Ominously, Jim shares Sherlock's excruciating boredom with the world. In fact, he seems to be nearing the end of his tether.
 * Diabolical Mastermind
 * Evil Counterpart: To Sherlock, naturally.
 * Faux Affably Evil: Makes him even creepier.
 * For the Evulz: Has no real reason behind his cruel Evil Plan except that he is a psychopath and he "got bored". Remarkably like our hero, in fact.
 * Giggling Villain
 * Knight of Cerebus
 * Large Ham: In conjunction with his high-pitched voice and mannerisms, it works to make him continually appear on the very edge of psychotic madness.
 * Man of Wealth and Taste
 * Knight of Cerebus
 * Large Ham: In conjunction with his high-pitched voice and mannerisms, it works to make him continually appear on the very edge of psychotic madness.
 * Man of Wealth and Taste

"Moriarty: You're just getting that now?"
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Mood Swinger: Holy crap.
 * The Napoleon: Of Crime!
 * Not So Different
 * Obfuscating Stupidity
 * Psychopathic Manchild: Type C.
 * Shadow Archetype: He's Sherlock if our protagonist had decided to commit crimes rather than solve them to pass the time, and didn't have the moral guides of John, Mrs Hudson and Lestrade.
 * Sissy Villain: How Jim liked to portray himself to Sherlock, at first.
 * South Paw: If you watch closely, when Sherlock hands him a cup of tea he gives it with the handle on the right side and Moriarty irritably turns it around to pick it up.
 * The Sociopath: A genuine example, unlike Sherlock.
 * The Unfettered: Ultimately a deconstruction. Having absolutely no empathy and no limits, Jim's one and only concern is to try and stave off his endless boredom...even if that means putting his own plans and well-being at risk to do it. Best illustrated in the second series finale
 * Unwitting Pawn: Makes one out of Molly Hooper, Sally Donovan, and arguably Such is his Manipulative Bastardy that he even makes pawns out of .
 * Victory Is Boring: As Sherlock points out, there is nothing that Moriarty can't already steal or buy. No problem presents a challenge for him. And Jim absolutely can't stand it.
 * You're Insane!: Sherlock says this to Moriarty in The Reichenbach Fall.

Irene "The Woman" Adler (Lara Pulver)
""Do you know the problem with a disguise, Mr Holmes? However hard you try, it's always a self-portrait.""


 * Adaptational Badass: In the original stories, Irene Adler's impressive feat was simply seeing through Holmes' ruse and having the good sense to skip town while she has the chance. Here, she manages to . It takes a last-second epiphany for Sherlock to recover himself and make up for his own royal fuckup.
 * Big Bad Wannabe: For all of Irene’s alleged cleverness, it’s still clear that she wouldn’t have gotten away with as much.
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She may not have been a sweetheart when she was introduced but by the time the episode ends, it’s revealed.
 * Bond Villain Stupidity: Honestly, Irene, how difficult would it have been to  Even Sherlock points that out to her.
 * Brains and Bondage: A dominatrix who caters to the highest echelons of society. The only person to get several over on Sherlock Holmes.
 * Brainy Brunette
 * The Chessmaster: Outplays both Holmes brothers, at one point.
 * Cultured Badass
 * Dark Action Girl
 * Faux Action Girl
 * Dominatrix
 * Easily Forgiven: She was perfectly willing to  yet she
 * Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette
 * : Twice.
 * Femme Fatale
 * Fetish Fuel Station Attendant: In- and out-of-universe. It comes with the job.
 * Fun with Subtitles: When Sherlock does his trademark scan, a subtitle floating beside the clue says what he's noticed. When he first meets Irene, all his scans get is "???????".
 * Jerkass
 * Karma Houdini: For all the havoc and damage she caused,
 * Lipstick Lesbian: Identifies as gay (with a willingness to "scold" men in a professional context) — with one niggling exception.
 * Mata Hari: One of her many tricks for stealing blackmail material.
 * Ms. Fanservice
 * Naked on Arrival: Pulls this on Sherlock to defeat his trademark scan. Can't tell anything from a person's clothes if they're not wearing any, right?
 * Show Some Leg: Or, you know, the whole package.
 * Silk Hiding Steel
 * Smug Snake: especially in the last ten minutes.
 * Unusual Euphemism: At one point, her occupation is described as "recreational scolding".
 * Woman Of Wealth And Taste: The phone everybody was fighting for in "A Scandal in Belgravia" was a Vertu Constellation Quest smart phone, with a price tag of £17,300. There was more than one reason she was fighting tooth and nail to get it back.
 * Whip It Good: Introduced holding a riding crop, which features extensively in her website's photos, and uses it for reasons very different from Sherlock's.

Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade (Rupert Graves)
""Well, don't let it get to you, I always feel like screaming when you walk into a room. In fact, so do most people.""

"John: That's his name.
 * Big Good: In-universe. Moriarty of all people, even compares him to King Arthur.
 * Busman's Holiday: How he becomes involved in Hounds.
 * Butt Monkey: Is apparently one to the rest of the police force, over his support of  Sherlock Holmes.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Distracted by the Sexy: Molly's Christmas dress in Scandal causes Lestrade to need to pick his jaw back up off the floor.
 * Donut Mess with a Cop: When Sally startles Lestrade in his office at the beginning of "Reichenbach", it's to find him with his feet up on his desk, classily stuffing his face with a doughnut and talking with his mouth full.
 * Fair Cop
 * Friend on the Force: To Sherlock. The only one.
 * Give Me Back My Warrant Card
 * Hero of Another Story: Cast by Moffat and Gatiss specifically because Rupert Graves gave off this trope when he played the role.
 * Lawful Good: In-universe, while he briefly seems to contemplate that Sherlock might be a fraud, he shows up to speak to Sherlock first before returning with a warrant to arrest him. Even then, he warns Sherlock and John in advance, causing John to lampshade this.
 * Manipulative Bastard: "What, this? This is a drugs bust."
 * Must Have Nicotine: Shows off his own patch to Sherlock.
 * No Name Given: All we get in the series is "G" for his first initial, but Word of Gatiss says his name is "Greg".
 * Later confirmed in "The Hounds of Baskerville", when Sherlock mocks him for going undercover to spy on him with a lame alias of "Greg".

Sherlock: Is it?

Lestrade: Yes! If you ever bothered to find out!"


 * Only Sane Employee: The only copper in Scotland Yard willing to put up with Sherlock, because he gets results.
 * And the only copper who doesn't immediate jump to the conclusion that Sherlock is a fraud in "The Reichenbach Falls".
 * Only Sane Man: Frequently, especially when Sherlock's around.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure
 * Silver Fox

Detective Sergeant Sally Donovan (Vinette Robinson)
""Are these human eyes?""


 * Bullying a Dragon: Sherlock exposes her affair with Anderson at a crime scene just by taking a whiff of her. Doesn't stop her from calling him 'freak' or encouraging John to leave him.
 * By-The-Book Cop: Does not approve of Sherlock's consulting. To her, he's always "Freak".
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * The Dog Bites Back: It doesn't pay to have enemies in the police force, Sherlock, no matter how lowly they seem.
 * Fair Cop
 * The Lancer: To Lestrade.
 * Unwitting Pawn: To.
 * Your Cheating Heart: Sleeping with Anderson, who's married.

Anderson (Jonathan Aris)
""Never mind that, we found the case! According to someone, the murderer has the case, and we found it in the hands of our favourite psychopath.""

""Anderson, don't talk out loud, you lower the IQ of the entire street.""
 * Bad Cop, Incompetent Cop: It's unclear if he's actually good at his job or not, since all we hear is Sherlock trashing him. In the original pilot, Lestrade seems to treat him better.
 * Bullying a Dragon: Sherlock only has to sniff him to figure out he's having an affair with DS Donovan.
 * Butt Monkey: Sherlock can't stand him, and as such, treats him horribly.


 * Gratuitous German: Apparently knows enough to tell Lestrade and Sherlock that "Rache" is German for revenge.
 * Lab Rat: An in-the-field version, as he's a crime scene tech.
 * Last-Name Basis: We've never learned what Anderson's first name is.
 * Mark Gatiss jokingly said it was "Sylvia" on his twitter.
 * Your Cheating Heart: Gets his affair with Donovan exposed at a crime scene by Sherlock.

"Anthea" (Lisa McAllister)



 * Girl Friday: To Mycroft.
 * The Nameless: Her name is never given; she introduces herself to John in "A Study in Pink" as "Anthea", but cheerfully admits that it isn't her real name.
 * Sexy Secretary

Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey)
""I know what that means, looking sad when you think no-one can see you.""

"OMG! I nearly just wrote 'At least Toby will never leave me'. I am becoming a Mad Spinster!"
 * Butt Monkey: Verging on Chew Toy at times, with the way Sherlock treats her.
 * Closer to Earth: The only one to see Sherlock's  in "The Reichenbach Fall", and ultimately.
 * Crazy Cat Lady: She worries about becoming one on her blog.


 * Dogged Nice Girl: To Sherlock. No matter how horribly he treats her, she just can't give up on him.
 * Incompatible Orientation: With.
 * Also has it with Sherlock. She wants his body; he wants her dead bodies.
 * Lab Rat: The coroner at St. Bart's.
 * Plucky Girl: Despite everything that happens to her.
 * She Cleans Up Nicely: In a jaw-dropping black and white dress in "A Scandal in Belgravia". Even Lestrade is Distracted by the Sexy.
 * Unwitting Pawn: uses her to get close to Sherlock.

Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs)
""I'm your landlady, not your housekeeper.""


 * As You Know: Her screen-name is "Marie Turner" which is her friend's name (Mrs. Turner, next door, with "the married ones"). Becomes a Running Gag on Sherlock's site and John's blog where every time she comments, she immediately double-posts a reminder: "It's Mrs. Hudson, by the way."
 * With the exception of the one time Mrs Turner herself actually commented.
 * As of Christmas 2011, she now signs under 'Mrs. Hudson'. John and Sherlock got her a computer for Christmas.
 * Badass Grandma: Played CIA agents, police officers, and even Watson himself in Scandal by faking tears and sneaking Irene's phone out in her bra.
 * Berserk Button: Is officially Sherlock's, considering he throws her attacker out multiple windows.
 * Don't lead her on, or let her find out about your marriage from Sherlock.
 * Catch Phrase: "I'm your landlady, dear, not your housekeeper!"
 * Cloudcuckoolander: She's cheerfully oblivious to most of Sherlock's strange living habits. Or she simply doesn't care (or at least she didn't until she found the thumbs in the fridge.)
 * Cool Old Lady: Mrs. Hudson is one of a select few who can tolerate Sherlock for extended periods of time, gave Sherlock a special deal on the apartment (as thanks for helping her out with getting her husband executed), and keeps some kind of "herbal soother" in her apartment that she doesn't want the cops to know about.
 * She also pretends to be much more of a fragile old woman than she actually is when . When Sherlock, her first reaction is simply that her bins are getting dented.
 * Gossipy Hens: In the un-aired Pilot, Sherlock says, with genuine appreciation, that little old ladies are better than security cameras.
 * G-Rated Drug: Her "herbal soothers" she doesn't want the drugs bust to find.
 * Informed Deformity: Her notorious hip has come up multiple times, and yet, she's never seen limping or otherwise uncomfortable because of it, and she seems to have no trouble going up and down the stairs in 221B.
 * Morality Pet: To Sherlock and John.
 * Shipper on Deck: She assumes that John and Sherlock are a couple, and won't be persuaded otherwise.

Sarah Sawyer (Zoe Telford)



 * Action Girl: Took on Chinese gangsters with a wooden stick.
 * Alliterative Name: Presumably as a Shout-Out to Mary Morstan.
 * Badass Bookworm
 * Bound and Gagged: In the 'Blind Banker'.
 * Damsel in Distress: See above. She handles herself relatively well, though.
 * Hospital Hottie
 * Hot Scientist
 * We Hardly Knew Ye: Disappears from the narrative when she and John break up sometime after "The Great Game".

Detective Inspector Dimmock (Paul Chequer)

 * Inspector Lestrade: Plays this role in "The Blind Banker", as temporary replacement for the real Lestrade. (Soak up the irony!)
 * Reasonable Authority Figure
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute

Harriet "Harry" Watson

 * The Alcoholic: Harry's a known alcoholic, but has tried to quit various times according to John's website.
 * Big Sister Instinct: Is very protective of John on the forums of his website.
 * Samus Is a Girl: Invoked by Sherlock, while deducting who John's phone belongs to, he assumes that Harry is a boy; turns out that it's Harriet, but she does happen to be a lesbian.
 * Tomboyish Name: During his investigation of Watson's phone, Sherlock notices the name "Harry" on it.
 * The Unseen: While mentioned in the show, Harry has yet to show up. She is, however, a frequent poster on John's blog.