Young Sherlock might just be the Conan Doyle reinvention that Prime Video were banking on. Co-created by Matthew Parkhill, Guy Ritchie, and Peter Harness – this formative foray into the things that shaped Sherlock senior is disarming stuff. Headlined by Hero Fiennes Tiffin, which audiences might remember as Tom Riddle from an early Harry Potter, this show also feels like a Fiennes family reunion.
Set before Doctor Watson ever made an appearance, it spends a few episodes establishing this new incarnation, and then a few more convincing audiences Fiennes can pull it off. Copybook MacGuffins are deployed as well as obligatory introductions to Sherlock and his nemesis Moriarty, exploiting dramatic opportunities for other supporting players to get involved. Chief among them being Joseph Fiennes as Sherlock’s father Silas.
Still best remembered for Shakespeare in Love, this older arm of the Fiennes family tree shines in a role that conceals more layers than audiences might think. Alongside his on-screen wife Natasha McElhone, they prove a formidable pairing in a series that seems deceptively simple. Visual hallmarks from the Guy Ritchie back catalogue are in full effect, while he lifts tone and feel from his Robert Downey Jr films.
Image via Prime Video
In truth, Young Sherlock only finds its feet when the eponymous hero comes home. The fractured dynamic of this family not only takes this series in a different direction but proves that Hero Fiennes Tiffin is no nepo baby being indulged. His bromance chemistry opposite Donal Finn as Moriarty feels like a parlour trick in those opening episodes but soon flourishes into something else entirely.
Soured by romantic rivalry and personal insecurity, their relationship is the backbone to a series that does more than reinvigorate English fiction’s finest detective. There is a complexity to the plotting that consciously levels up expectations across eight episodes and lays solid foundations for an imminent renewal. This is a period drama police
procedural with elements of character study thrown in for good measure, that honestly delivers.
Cameos worth noting include Colin Firth as a cantankerous and overbearing Oxford don, who stands in the way of investigations, while Max Irons gets short thrift as Mycroft Holmes by barely getting any screentime. Like The Gentlemen on Netflix, which pilfered Guy Ritchie’s filmography and hit a home run, there are shades of that intention all over Young Sherlock. Whetting the appetites of audiences looking for another deducing combo they can invest in.
With second seasons for MobLand and The Gentlemen already confirmed, Guy Ritchie remains a juggernaut of creativity when it comes to crafting character. However, in every example including Young Sherlock, there is a sophistication behind these shows that speaks to his love of collaboration. Across this cast there are Oscar winners and nominees standing shoulder to shoulder who signed up because Ritchie guarantees a degree of quality control. This Prime Video original is no exception, and what’s more it might just turn Hero Fiennes Tiffin into a star.
Young Sherlock premieres on Prime Video Mar. 4