Behind the Scenes with the Producer of “Young Sherlock”: A Fresh Take on Holmes and Moriarty and What’s Next for Season 2

EXCLUSIVE: Young Sherlock has emerged as Prime Video’s top-performing show, with producers optimistic about the potential for a second season and beyond.

The eight-episode series serves as the origin story for the iconic detective, portrayed by Hero Fiennes Tiffin. It explores the developing friendship between Holmes and his future rival, James Moriarty, played by Dónal Finn. Initially a murder mystery set against the backdrop of Oxford’s architecture, the narrative quickly escalates into a globe-trotting adventure that deeply affects Holmes and his family.

Viewers familiar with the characters know their eventual adversarial relationship adds tension to their on-screen camaraderie, a dynamic captured in the series.

“There’s a sort of inexplicable attraction between them because they stimulate each other as only intellectually they can; they’ve each met their match. At a young age, that translates immediately into friendship, but the competition between them and the foundations of the enmity are all there,” explained Simon Maxwell, an executive producer and founder of Fifth Season-backed Motive Pictures, which produces the series.

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Maxwell noted that the chemistry for the Holmes-Moriarty relationship drew inspiration from another iconic duo. “The relationship fizzes and crackles because you’re bringing that foreknowledge of what they will become, but meanwhile you’re just enjoying the ride of seeing a kind of Butch and Sundance dynamic. We wanted a lead cast who had oodles of charm.”

Matthew Parkhill & Simon Maxwell (L-R) on the set of Young Sherlock

Ritchie & Parkhill’s Take

Writer and showrunner Mathew Parkhill collaborated with director Guy Ritchie for the first time on this project. Ritchie, who previously directed two Sherlock Holmes films starring Robert Downey Jr., brings familiar stylistic elements to the series. An energetic Kasabian track, “Days Are Forgotten,” sets the tone during the opening credits, immediately followed by a prison-yard fight.

While the plot offers action, it remains suitable for younger audiences. “It had to feel sophisticated and emotionally rich enough for the adult audience, but also appealing for the younger generation,” Maxwell expressed. “Hopefully, we’ve hit all of those demographics and made a show that can feel like Saturday night at the movies, but with a modern sensibility. Those shows are few and far between these days.”

Investigating Holmes & Moriarty

This origin story allows for a different portrayal of Holmes. “He’s a work in progress, and we’re watching him making mistakes, and being formed against the wet stone of other characters, with Moriarty being a key one,” Maxwell noted.

“We obviously owe a massive debt to Arthur Conan Doyle and the canon, but we paid absolutely no heed to other [film and TV] adaptations. We wanted this to be its own thing. That was helped by the fact that it’s foundational and an origin story, or rather, it’s two origin stories. The idea that they were great friends before they became mortal enemies allowed us so much freedom.”

The series also adapts the characters’ ages from Andrew Lane’s book series, providing significant narrative room before reaching the classic partnership of Holmes at 221B Baker Street and Moriarty as his formidable adversary.

Is Season 2 Afoot?

Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Holmes & Dónal Finn as Moriarty in Young Sherlock

Hints about Moriarty’s future role emerge during the first season. “The foundations of the conflict [with Holmes] and the first fault lines in the relationship start to emerge in a really organic way,” Maxwell noted. “We see the first flicker of a darker criminal psychology, something that could even become, ultimately, sociopathy.”

With locations across the UK and Spain, producers are scouting for locations for a potential second season. Although Prime Video has not officially renewed the series, its strong performance and rich source material have elevated hopes for its continuation.

“We know that in terms of the origin and coming-of-age story, we’ve just told the first stage. It is absolutely designed to be a multi-season show,” Maxwell emphasized.

“We want to track the journeys that each of these characters are going to go on… by bringing Sherlock and Moriarty into the same frame, and positioning them as friends, what you’re implicitly promising the audience is that you’re going to show them how they become enemies.”

The core team remains in place should Prime Video decide to move forward. “It’s too early to say that it’s a green light, but we’ve got the core team and we’re in the early stages of prep, I would say. We’ve all worked together, obviously driven by Matthew, to build the story for a Season 2.”

“The intention is very much for Guy to come back and kick it off again with us.”