Young Sherlock is a British mystery television series that is created by Matthew Parkhill and developed by Peter Harness and Guy Ritchie who also directed two episodes. It is inspired by Andrew Lane's Young Sherlock Holmes book series, itself a pastiche of Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories. Hero Fiennes Tiffin stars as Holmes. The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 4 March 2026. In April 2026, the show was renewed for a second series.
Contents
Premise
As a 19-year-old at Oxford University, Sherlock Holmes is not yet the master detective he grows up to be. He is raw and unfiltered, and he lacks discipline. A murder at Oxford puts Holmes's freedom at risk, and he sets out to solve his first murder mystery that leads him to a global-level conspiracy.
Cast and characters
Main
Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Sherlock Holmes, an unruly 19-year-old amateur investigator
Dónal Finn as James Moriarty, Sherlock's new friend
Zine Tseng as Princess Gulun Shou'an / Xiao Wei (season 1), a scholar and martial artist posing as a princess of the Qing dynasty. She is Sherlock's rival turned ally and love interest.
Joseph Fiennes as Silas Holmes (season 1), the father of Mycroft, Sherlock, and Beatrice
Natascha McElhone as Cordelia Holmes, the mother of Mycroft, Sherlock, and Beatrice
Max Irons as Mycroft Holmes, the older brother of Sherlock and Beatrice
Colin Firth as Sir Bucephalus Hodge (season 1), a dean at Candlin College in Oxford
Numan Acar as Esad Kasgarli (season 1), Silas' intermediary
Holly Cattle as Edie / Beatrice Holmes, Hodge's helper who later turns out to be the younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft, who had been falsely deemed dead.
Olivia Williams (season 2)
Sophie Skelton (season 2)
Indira Varma (season 2)
Aidan Gillen (season 2)
Supporting
Ravi Aujla as Professor Kishore Malik
Paul Antony-Barber as Professor Charles Thompson
Ian Midlane as Professor Ambrose Roberts
James Sobol Kelly as Professor Theodore Enright
Stephen Agnew as Nathan Burford
Nicholas Asbury as Ezra Hornsby
Jeff Bennett as Smudger
Scott Reid as Constable Lestrade
Simon Delaney as Detective Fitget
Iris Li as Mei Yi Liu
Adam James as Dr. Charles Maltby
Rachel Shelley as Anna Tilcott
Jessica Zhou as Emine
Production
Development of a television series adaptation of the Young Sherlock Holmes books written by Andy Lane was first reported in April 2024 with Hero Fiennes Tiffin starring as a young Sherlock Holmes and Guy Ritchie attached to the project as well. Amazon Prime Video ordered eight-episodes of the series in May 2024 to be executive produced by Inspirational Entertainment and Motive Pictures. The series was written by showrunner Matthew Parkhill, who also executive produces. Ritchie directs and executive produces alongside Lane, Simon Kelton, Ivan Atkinson, Simon Maxwell, Harriet Creelman, Dhana Gilbert, Colin Wilson and Marc Resteghini. Ritchie previously helmed two unrelated cinematic Holmes adaptations: Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011). The role of the nineteen-year-old Holmes is played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin, who had previously worked with Ritchie on The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
In June, Fiennes Tiffin's uncle Joseph Fiennes was cast as Sherlock's father, alongside Natascha McElhone as his mother. In July, Zine Tseng, Colin Firth and Dónal Finn joined the cast. Max Irons was seen filming scenes in late August, and he was revealed to be playing Mycroft Holmes shortly afterwards.
Filming of the series began in the United Kingdom in July 2024. Scenes were filmed in Bristol. In 2024, filming took place in Spain (specifically Jerez, Cádiz and Seville), and Cardiff, Wales. Filming on the series wrapped in late February 2025.
In April 2026, Amazon Prime Video renewed the show for a second series, with Ritchie set to direct the first episode. The show's success led executive producer Marc Resteghini to extend their overall deal with Amazon MGM Studios. Filming of the second series is underway in Palermo and Caccamo, Sicily, Italy. In July, Olivia Williams, Sophie Skelton, Indira Varma, and Aidan Gillen were announced to have joined the main cast for the second season, while Tseng, Acar, Firth and Joseph Fiennes were confirmed not to return.
Release
All eight episodes of Young Sherlock premiered on 4 March 2026 on Amazon Prime Video. The trailer for the series, which was released on 5 February 2026, set a new record for the most watched Amazon Prime Series trailer in its first seven days. On 9 February, a screening of the first episode was held in New York City. On 17 February, a screening of the first two episodes was held in Mexico City. On 24 February, a screening of the first episode was held in London.
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 84%, based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Young Sherlock doesn't aim to recreate Conan Doyle's work, rather, it takes pride in its liberal adaptation, delivering Guy Ritchie's signature blend of precise entertainment, sly style, and ingratiating characters". Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 65 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. While Tiffin received praise for his performance as Sherlock Holmes, some critics felt that Finn's portrayal of James Moriarty stole the spotlight.
