Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (Season 1)

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (1980) is the cult Soviet detective adaptation of Conan Doyle that you can watch online on iFILM. This is the opening film of a long-running cycle: two parts in which retired army doctor Watson takes rooms on Baker Street and meets a peculiar flatmate who can read a stranger's whole life at a glance.

The first part, "The Acquaintance," throws the two men together and hands them the case of "The Speckled Band" — odd noises in a locked bedroom and a death with no obvious cause. The second, "The Bloody Inscription," draws on A Study in Scarlet: a corpse without a wound and a single scarlet word scratched on the wall. Holmes untangles both puzzles by a method that looks like sorcery to Watson, right up until the detective lays out every step.

Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin gave the world arguably its most beloved Holmes-and-Watson pairing — a performance for which Livanov was later named an honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire. Director Igor Maslennikov staged a cozy, unhurried London inside Leningrad interiors, set to a theme you'll recognize from its first bars. Perfect for anyone who loves classic mystery with no rush and no special effects. Stream Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (1980) online on iFILM.