Young Sherlock [S1] Series Review In Focus

Young Sherlock (Season 1, 2026) is an eight-part British period drama airing on Amazon Prime Video. Notably, Guy Richie and his team have created a thrilling series that takes a closer look at the life of a famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, as he tries to unravel the mystery that surrounds his first crime case.

Entertaining Crime Drama Involving Young Sherlock, His Family, His Friends & More

Key Details

Series Poster

Synopsis of the Young Sherlock

Set in the 1870s in Oxford and exploring foreign lands, the Young Sherlock (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) unravels a globe-trotting conspiracy and investigates his first criminal case.

In the series, Sherlock Holmes is a young man in a state of disgrace, raw and unrefined, when he finds himself involved in a murder case that threatens his freedom. So, it explores the legendary origin tale of Sherlock Holmes in this irreverent, action-driven mystery that depicts the early journeys of the iconic detective. Moreover, his very first case uncovers a worldwide conspiracy, culminating in a dramatic confrontation that transforms his life irrevocably. In fact, the series will highlight the early exploits of the rebellious youth who has not yet matured into Baker Street’s most illustrious resident.

Series Storyline

In this eight-part detective tale, the episodes have been divided into 8 layered and different cases (details shared below in the spoiler). In addition, these

And now it is up to teenager Young Sherlock (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) and his new enigmatic friend from college, James Moriarty (Dónal Finn), to find the common threads running through these 8 cases, which are somehow deeply intertwined with each other. While carrying out their investigation into their first case, both Sherlock and Moriarty meet another mysterious character, Chinese Princess Gulun Shou’an (Zine Tseng), at Oxford University campus. It seems someone is targeting and murdering the professors at the campus, and as usual, both the police and the authorities are clueless.

One side of the story focuses on the personal life of Sherlock and his family. So, in a fascinating aspect of this detective tale is the fact that we meet his entire family. As he digs up the childhood trauma from the past and tries to unearth the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of his sister, Beatrice.

And each member of the Sherlock Holmes family plays a very important role in this crime drama.

On the other side are the (somewhat professional) cases involving very powerful, deadly weapons of mass destruction that threaten to change the balance of power in the world. And somehow, Sherlock finds himself right in the middle of this international conspiracy involving quite a few secret yet lethal players.

In short, this show depicts how Young Sherlock is going to solve this first complex and complicated detective case.

Spoiler Alert: Episode Summary

Boasts Quite A Few Positives

➕ Guy Richie, the show creator, writer and director, is famous for his sleek and stylish movies and series. For instance, while watching this, keep a close eye to check out all the beautiful locales (sets too), and smartly dressed characters in this period detective drama.

In fact, the production value of the ‘Young Sherlock’ is of very good quality. And that makes it a captivating watch.

➕ The story about a young and reckless Sherlock Holmes is beautifully packaged, somehow like a famous Russian Doll, a matryoshka. While watching it, you find that its tale has nested, layered, and cyclical structures embedded in it.

And we really enjoyed the unfolding of the mystery right in front of our eyes. There are a good number of twists and turns in this tale that just keep coming. Moreover, almost all the characters are hiding their personal secrets from others. All of these make this a fun and engrossing detective show to watch.

➕ As the series title suggests, the show is targeted at the new and young generation. It seems that the established filmmakers from around the world are reintroducing and repackaging the famous characters from the last century to a new set of young viewers.

Therefore, they use fresh faces to narrate these stories, namely, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Dónal Finn, Zine Tseng, Holly Cattle, Iris Li and others. And to be frank, we really liked the performances by almost all the young actors and actresses in the show.

➕ Not to be left behind, the senior actors and actresses are quite good in the show. The performances by Natascha McElhone, Max Irons, Joseph Fiennes,
Colin Firth, Numan Acar and others are equally worthy.

Series Rating

The Conclusion

We have always been great fans of the “Sherlock Holmes” character, so we really enjoyed watching the well-made “Young Sherlock” series.

Markedly, this series is inspired by the Young Sherlock Holmes series of young adult novels by Andrew Lane. However, the filmmaker has clearly added five years to the age of the protagonist and modified the storyline accordingly. And so far, Andrew has published eight books about the ‘Young Sherlock’ character. After watching it, we believe that the open-ended first season finale suggests that it is just the beginning of a new detective series. Perhaps, in a way, it also marks the beginning of the present-1870s era friendship and the rivalry between Sherlock and Moriarty in the future. Thus, let’s wait for the future adventures of Young Sherlock while enjoying this one.

Bonus Info.: ‘YS’ Books by Andy Lane

Trailer of the Young Sherlock

YouTube Video Clip Link - Young Sherlock - Sneak Peek | Prime Video

Other Details

Lastly, also read the series review of “The Gentlemen” (Season 1, UK, 2024) series in our Focus Magazine.

Photo Credit: Amazon Prime Video | Video Credit: Prime Video/YouTube.