Sherlock: Favorite Episode?

To say all bbc programming is great and all American is poor is an over generalization with is not fair in my opinion. I do notice one thing though that can help aid the stereo type you put forth which is money. Budget for American shows especially American dramas are huge. So in an attempt to gain popular enough they must be watched by a majority of viewers to even stand a chance to make enough ad money to get off life support and into syndication. Taking chances can cost early viewer numbers and kill the rating enough to cut the show before mid season. BBC shows seem to be made with budgets a fraction of American shows so must use cleaver writing to make up for a lack of glitter and glamour of its American counter parts. This allowing them to partake more risks.
Beyond that where America has Hollywood to snatch the best talent into movies away from the taboo American Tv, the BBC is known to not be a step down for famous British born a list actors for work. Where Gary Oldman has done a guest spot on friends it would be shocking if he took on a contract job on a prime time American drama, but no one would bat an eye if he was the lead of a bbc mini series. Now beyond that there is the subject of quantity vs quality. The mentalist I think is a great show. It has it high points and low points alike. But each season has to be so many episodes. It has to be drawn out, and that means half way through the series it has already formed its own cliche moments. BBC seems to lack the need to have to leave bread crumbs toward the plot, but will tell the story as if the path is the story. If the story runs out it was ment to be over then. It it takes 6 episodes before the resolution it was because it needed 6 episodes to properly set it up. Not. Because sweeps week was comming up.
That all said there is plenty of crap on bbc and plenty of hidden gems in the states. One I though would be horrible, but ended up loving was The League. I went in thinking it was going to be a messy bad dream in a frat house with fart jokes. What I got was a show on that got to take enough risks because it was a network nobody expects anything from. Same goes for Louie, and Wilfred, but technically Wilfred is a remake from some other country like the office.

hounds of baskerville!!

I LOVE Scandal in Belgravia. Irene Adler is awesome.

this one was good too. i honestly enjoyed and was really drawn into every episode. it's a great series.

I like all of them & cannot wait until the next season. The Blind Banker was lackluster, but enjoyable after 20 mins, at least for me.

The BBC is funded by public money through the TV licence (and, obviously, selling rights overseas). Budgets are therefore very tightly monitored so quality drama will typically be recorded in a series of just 6 episodes (and a mere 3 for Sherlock, after all the original story supply is limited), as opposed to the 12 for a new US series, and 20+ for an established one. Thus the creative talent is spread less thinly - both main actors have done a good half-dozen projects between series.

Coincidentally, Sherlock series 2 is being repeated on BBC One starting tonight with A Scandal In Belgravia.