The complete first series of Young Sherlock, a Prime Video mystery thriller from the creator of Netflix's The Gentleman, has been hailed "an absolute gem". All eight episodes are available to stream now, and a second season is already in production.
Television expert Anubhuti Navin, who runs the Instagram page The Watchlist Club, called the series a "must-watch", describing it as "one of the finest series with zero boring episodes". The show premiered on Amazon Prime Video in March and quickly became a viewer favourite.
A young detective's origin story
Young Sherlock follows a 19-year-old Sherlock Holmes before he becomes the world-famous detective. Teaming up with associate James Moriarty, who later becomes his greatest enemy, Holmes gets drawn into a murder investigation at Oxford University.
The series takes inspiration from Andy Lane's novels about Holmes' early years and draws on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic stories. Hero Fiennes Tiffin stars as the young detective, with Dónal Finn as Moriarty. The cast also includes Zine Tseng as Xiao Wei, Joseph Fiennes as Holmes' father Silas, and Colin Firth as Sir Bucephalus Hodge.
Guy Ritchie's return to Sherlock
The series was created by Guy Ritchie, the filmmaker behind Netflix hit The Gentleman and director of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. He also directed two Sherlock Holmes films in 2009 and 2011 starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law, and helmed the opening two episodes of Young Sherlock.
Filming took place at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, along with locations in Monmouth, Bridgend, and Margam Park near Port Talbot, as well as in Bristol and Spain. The second series was greenlit in April, with Game of Thrones actors Aidan Gillen and Indira Varma joining the cast alongside The Crown's Olivia Williams and Outlander's Sophie Skelton. The new series is expected to launch in 2027.
Critical reception
The show holds an 84 per cent critics' score on reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, plus an 83 per cent audience rating. One viewer commented: "This was way more fun than I expected. A little over-the-top at times, but I liked the energy and the mystery kept me interested."
Another reviewer noted: "With a talented cast, skilled direction, and intelligent writing, Young Sherlock is as compelling as it is intriguing. Every episode deepens your curiosity, not just about the mysteries, but about the journey of seeing how a young Sherlock Holmes evolves into the legendary detective."
A further viewer commented: "Great chemistry between the lead actors with the pace, excitement and wit you'd can expect from Guy Ritchie. If you love Ritchie's stuff you'll love this." Not everyone was won over, however. One critic noted: "Not a terrible show, pretty straightforward mystery. However most of the episodes are shot so dark, and poorly, you can barely see what is happening on screen. It would probably be three stars if it were shot better."
