SERIES REVIEW — There have been so many Sherlock Holmes adaptations by now that it already feels like you could dam up a river with them, so these days, it is honestly an achievement when a new version does not just recycle the same worn-out trick in a different wrapper. Young Sherlock, thankfully, is not that. This is not some dusty museum-piece revival, but a fresh, energetic, and at times delightfully cheeky reimagining that is not afraid to get its hands on source material that is often treated like sacred ground. This Sherlock is not yet the cold, all-knowing, almost machine-like genius people usually expect. He is smart, wounded, impulsive, and still figuring out how to turn chaos into method. That alone makes the whole thing feel far more alive, immediate, and entertaining than you might expect from yet another Holmes adaptation.

Let’s be honest: Dr. John Watson’s most interesting trait has always been that he is Sherlock Holmes’s friend. Remove Watson from the equation, and the detective of Baker Street immediately breaks free from one of the tightest constraints of Arthur Conan Doyle’s original formula. Enola Holmes handled that by shifting the focus onto Sherlock’s teenage sister, while Young Sherlock tries something similar, only this time it puts the spotlight directly on a younger Sherlock himself, played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin. Based on Andrew Lane’s Young Sherlock Holmes YA thriller series, the Prime Video show follows a 19-year-old Sherlock Holmes at Oxford University, long before the Hound of the Baskervilles is even on the horizon, or before he ever steps into the world of A Study in Scarlet. Directed by Guy Ritchie and shepherded creatively by Matthew Parkhill, the series is packed with action, mystery, and swagger, while boldly digging into the existing mythology and cooking up a surprisingly distinctive take of its own.

It Does Not Cling to the Canon

From the opening minutes, it is obvious that Young Sherlock has no intention of rigidly sticking to canon. Leaving Watson out is only the first move, because Tiffin’s Sherlock at this stage of life is impulsive, emotional, and still far removed from the master detective most viewers would expect based on the name alone. The series also kicks aside many of the more modern interpretations of Holmes. He is not as icy as Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock, not as unraveling and unpredictable as Jonny Lee Miller in Elementary, obviously not as balanced or mature as Henry Cavill in Enola Holmes, and definitely not throwing punches like Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes. Tiffin shapes a new version of the character, but keeps his core intact. He is still unbelievably sharp, still obsessed with details and deductive reasoning, and still merciless once he catches the scent of a truly great mystery.

When a murder takes place in Oxford, Holmes befriends a student named James Moriarty, played wonderfully by Dónal Finn. Yes, that James Moriarty. But in Finn’s version, there is initially no trace of the usual devilish grin or theatrical villainy. This young man is every bit as clever as Sherlock, only much more willing to cross legal lines and much looser in his attitude toward authority. One of Young Sherlock’s strongest moves is this Sherlock-Moriarty relationship. Instead of throwing them together as instant enemies, the show builds a real friendship between them, and Moriarty even becomes almost like part of the Holmes family. That makes the inevitable dark turn hurt all the more when it finally arrives.

In truth, while the show is called Young Sherlock, it also works in part as an origin story for Doyle’s most infamous villain, who is rarely portrayed as this human. There are scenes where Moriarty and Sherlock pore over a case together, trying to fit the clues into place, and both step into a kind of “mind palace,” where they can talk through the tiniest details of the crime in order to crack the mystery. These moments give the series some of its best flavor, and they strongly underline the fact that these two figures are operating on exactly the same level.

From an Oxford Case to an International Mess

The central mystery of Young Sherlock begins with a murder in Oxford, but it quickly expands to bring in characters like Princess Shou’an of China, played by Zine Tseng, Sherlock’s own relatives, and suspicious figures emerging from the Holmes family’s past. As the mystery slowly unfolds, the larger conspiracy hiding underneath becomes one of the show’s best trump cards. The execution of the final major twist alone is almost good enough to make you binge all eight episodes in one sitting. On top of that, the show skillfully folds in horror, suspense, and adventure elements, which keeps the pace tight all the way through.

This is where Guy Ritchie’s directorial style really steps forward. The pulsing action scenes, snappy dialogue, and restless camera work that keeps pushing your face right into the middle of events are all there. But this time, Ritchie also shows enough restraint not to smother the entire series in his own stylistic quirks. His sense of rhythm is a perfect match for this younger Sherlock, and it fits neatly onto a story that keeps its characters in a near-constant state of alert.

From Oxford to the Holmes estate and then across the English Channel into Europe, Matthew Parkhill crams an impressive amount into these eight episodes. At the center is always an appealing mystery that at first seems fairly straightforward, before slowly pulling the audience into a twisting, self-coiling path. If you are looking for a Sherlock story where the lead solves a different case every episode, this is not that show. This series is more interested in weaving a dense conspiracy web and dropping Sherlock right into the middle of it, without ever really losing focus.

It Is Not Just Sherlock Who Works — the Supporting Cast Delivers Too

Young Sherlock is full of strong characters. Tiffin is convincing in the title role because he brings a kind of naivety that you rarely see in Sherlock Holmes, yet given the character’s age, it never feels false. It is genuinely fun to watch a version of Sherlock who does not have an answer for everything and does not pretend otherwise. Finn is enormously charming as James Moriarty, arriving from the first moment with a grin, swagger, and the kind of flirtatious energy aimed at basically anything that breathes. It is almost impossible to see the monster he might eventually become, yet Finn’s performance cleverly sneaks that mischievous chaos-agent quality under the surface, hinting at the first crack in what otherwise looks like a spotless personality.

Tseng is a very pleasant surprise as Shou’an. Explaining exactly how a Chinese princess fits into the story would be such a major spoiler that it is better left untouched. What makes her especially memorable is that, at first, she genuinely feels like she wandered in from a completely different series. Shou’an is not some hand-wringing royal damsel, but a martial artist, a highly intelligent student, and every bit as cunning as Sherlock or Moriarty. Tseng gives the character real layers, and as the show slowly peels them back — while also revealing why she is actually in England — each new piece of information adds another twist to the story.

Sherlock’s Mother Is a True Femme Fatale — and the Emotional Core of the Series

The supporting cast is a genuine parade of stars. Joseph Fiennes plays Silas Holmes, Sherlock’s somewhat distant and seemingly insignificant father. Max Irons, as Mycroft Holmes, is perhaps the weakest link in the series, because his version comes across as much more ordinary than the rest of the family, and is a long way from the brilliant strategist who is supposed to be even smarter than Sherlock. He is clearly one of the weaker characters, although the natural chemistry between Irons and Tiffin does smooth over some of the role’s flaws. Colin Firth plays Sir Bucephalus Hodge, an Oxford professor who is both pompous and strangely inept. Alongside him is his surprisingly capable assistant Edie, played by newcomer Holly Cattle, who becomes unexpectedly dynamic in the second half of the season.

But among the supporting players, the biggest standout is Natascha McElhone as Cordelia Holmes, Sherlock and Mycroft’s mother. Sherlock and Cordelia are bound together by grief, since both still carry the loss of Beatrice, Sherlock’s younger sister, who died in an accident as a child. When we first meet Cordelia, she seems scattered and distant, living alone in an institution. But as the show moves forward, McElhone’s charisma practically leaps off the screen, and Cordelia grows into such a warm, lovable figure that she almost seems to glow.

Although this is by no means the most faithful Sherlock Holmes adaptation ever made, whatever Young Sherlock loses in loyalty to the source material, it more than makes up for in sheer entertainment value. It does not want to be self-important, and it does not want to posture as high art. It just wants to have a good time and pull the viewer along for the ride. By the end of the season, it is hard not to wonder where the next mystery will take Sherlock and his circle. Every character changes at least a little, and the whole thing feels like the chess pieces have only just been set up for a much bigger game that lies years ahead. One thing is certain: Young Sherlock gives the famous detective a fresh, distinctive voice, and manages to stay gripping from beginning to end even while breaking with tradition.

-Herpai Gergely “BadSector”-