‘Young Sherlock’ series review: When Moriarty becomes the hero of Sherlock’s story

Can there be too many Sherlock Holmes adaptations? Going by the latest series, Young Sherlock, the answer is no. There are enough blanks in the biography of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous Baker Street resident to generate content till kingdom come. Where did Sherlock Holmes go between his fall down the Reichenbach Falls in ‘The Final Problem’ and his reappearance in ‘The Adventure of the Empty House’? Apart from his brilliant brother Mycroft, who is the government, not much is known of Sherlock’s family either.

Guy Ritchie, who made two films (Sherlock Holmes, and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) based on the detective, with Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson, has directed the first two episodes of this adaptation of Andrew Lane’s YA book series, apart from developing and executive producing the series.

All the Ritchie flourishes are present and correct — from stylised action and a thumping, addictive soundtrack to quirky characters and irreverent humour. Holmes (19 in the series as opposed to the books’ 14 years) in the show seems to be channelling a teenage RDJ Sherlock.

Sherlock (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) is released from jail for pickpocketing by his brother, Mycroft (Max Irons), who puts him in Oxford — not to study but to be a “scout”, or a personal attendant to the undergraduates.

At Oxford, he meets the brilliant scholarship student, James Moriarty, (Dónal Finn) as well as a Chinese princess, Shou’an (Zine Tseng), who was attacked on her way to Oxford. She proves to be no fainting violet, as she dispatches the highway robbers and recovers the priceless scroll they were after in short order.

As the series progresses, we learn of the tragedy that splintered Sherlock’s family, putting his mother, Cordelia, (Natascha McElhone), in an asylum and sending his scientist father, Silas, (Joseph Fiennes, Tiffin’s uncle in real life) taking extended trips to far-off lands.

A death in Oxford and Sherlock as the prime suspect finds him and Moriarty racing against time to find the real culprit, during the course of which they uncover a gigantic conspiracy involving a scary weapon called the Creeping Death, unscrupulous governments and double crosses galore. There is Sir Bucephalus Hodge (Colin Firth), who is puffed with a sense of his own importance, while Professor Malik (Ravi Aujla) seems in fear of his life.

The action takes our intrepid heroes from Oxford, to Sherlock’s gracious family home in the country, houses of ill repute in Paris, and a factory in Istanbul. Did they travel on the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul? Was a magnificently moustachioed Belgian solving a murder involving 12 stab wounds in the next coach?

All those steeped in Holmes lore would be pleased with the Easter eggs from the appearance of Lestrade (Scott Reid), as yet only a humble constable with dreams of going to Scotland Yard, as well as Napoleon’s hat being a clue, bringing memories of Holmes’ description of Moriarty as the Napoleon of crime in ‘The Final Problem’. Even the episode titles are reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes stories.

The music is standard-issue Ritchie and adrenaline-charged. From Nancy Sinatra’s ‘Lightning’s Girl’ and Black Sabbath’s ‘The Wizard’ to Johnny Cash’s ‘The Man Comes Around’, The Cure’s ‘A Forest’ and Radiohead’s ‘Talk Show Host’, the soundtrack adds a boost of irresistible energy.

As far as the cast goes, while Firth has immense fun as the pompous Hodge and Fiennes is inscrutable, it is Finn who owns the screen to the extent that Tiffin’s Holmes seems to be the sidekick to his Moriarty.

Being an origin story means Holmes is just growing into his formidable brain power. Even with everyone around him bowing to his superior intellect, they often seem to do a better job of figuring things out.

That is a small quibble in this excellently produced show with its lush score and sets, sharp costumes (Cordelia’s gowns are the height of Victorian chic while Shou’an’s give a new meaning to practical silhouettes) and runaway train energy.

Young Sherlock currently streams on Amazon Prime Video

Published – March 07, 2026 06:30 pm IST