Have we reached a limit on Sherlock Holmes TV shows? We may have reached it!
It’s no wonder so many TV creators are drawn to new takes on Sherlock Holmes. After all, every mystery show has been influenced by Arthur Conan Doyle’s brilliant detective, who set the standard for the mystery as we know it.
Now, Prime Video is joining the long legacy with its upcoming Young Sherlock series (via TV Insider). It’s based on the 1985 movie of the same name showing how a young Holmes (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) embarked on his first mystery, solving a murder at Oxford University.
Interestingly, there’s no John Watson in this retelling as the cast includes Colin Firth as Sir Bucephalus Hodge, Dónal Finn as Holmes’s future arch-enemy James Moriarty, Ravi Aujla as Kishore Malik, Numan Acar as Esad, and Zine Tseng as Princess Gulun Shou-an. Also, Tiffin’s real-life uncle Joseph Fiennes plays Sherlock’s father.
The series is directed and produced by Guy Ritchie, who has experience with the character, having directed two movies starring Robert Downey Jr as Holmes with Jude Law as Watson. The series boasts a unique style that only Ritchie can pull off and an intriguing turn on the mythos.
That’s the key problem, however: Is there really too many recent TV takes on Sherlock Holmes to work?
Why the Holmes series are a bit much
The last decade or so has seen Holmes-related TV shows grow to wild lengths. First was Sherlock, the BBC series that made Benedict Cumberbatch a star in the title role. Simultaneously, CBS had Elementary with Johny Lee Miller as Holmes and Lucy Liu as Watson. Both shows were fantastic hits that put Holmes into a modern setting, and each boasted fun turns on the Holmes mythos (such as Elementary’s Irene Adler turning out to be Moriarty).
Netflix’s 2021 The Irregulars focused on the street kids helping Watson search for a missing Holmes. 2025 gave us a spin with CBS’s Watson, featuring Morris Chestnut as Watson using his skills learned from Holmes to solve medical mysteries. Season 2 had Robert Carlyle popping up as the famed detective.
The CW’s Sherlock and Daughter starred David Thewlis as Holmes with Blu Hunt as his potential daughter, helping him with a unique mystery. And we’re not even mentioning the numerous international productions with their own turns on the story.
In short, it’s like a year can’t go by without a network or streamer proposing a new version of Sherlock Holmes. It’s fun to put a spin on it like him in modern times, or focusing on his friends and allies. A problem is that it waters down what makes Holmes work so well for so many and why he’s endured so long.
Why a Holmes show should be back to basics
The most accurate depiction of Holmes on television was the 1980s BBC series starring Jeremy Brett in the role. To many aficionados, Brett is the definitive Holmes, stepping off the pages of Doyle, nailing his genius, arrogance and even action. The period setting also made it work while being faithful to the original books.
Too many of the later adaptations and reworkings ignore the subtle part of Brett’s turn. They emphasize too much Sherlock acting like a jerk, his mild arrogance an excuse to insult and belittle everyone, including Watson. The worst versions have Holmes as a cold person with some takes like Elementary, forcing him to open up to others. The latter show also had Holmes as a recovering addict, which was a good flaw and more recognition of the help of Watson and the police.
However, the versions that have Holmes as more of a side character, like Watson, undermine why he’s been so iconic. Holmes should be the smartest guy in the room, maybe flaunt it, but still dedicated to justice above all else. Takes that have Holmes pushing his fame and solving crime just out of boredom or show his smarts miss that it’s not about ego to Holmes, just something he has to do.
There’s also how some shows render Holmes more of a caricature than a character. They’ll do something like him talking about how stupid his deerstalker cap looks or not smoking a pipe, which isn’t deconstructing the character, just a lame joke. Also, some shows have a Holmes that’s the character in name only, a standard detective struggling with clues, not the man who can take one look at a person and instantly figure out their entire background.
Putting on too many Holmes shows with so many different variations also waters down the character. There are way too many versions to go for and leave viewers turning away from yet another take rather than embracing it. That’s a shame when we’re talking about one of the most iconic characters in all of fiction. The way the airwaves have been flooded with Holmes takes is too much for even the biggest fans.
Maybe a show that breaks it back down to basics with Holmes and Watson solving smart but simple crimes in Victorian London is the best way to go. They don't have to directly adapt the Doyle novels but eschew deconstructing the character and mythos. It should be a reminder why every TV detective has been influenced by Holmes, not a Holmes that's too much like a modern TV cop.
Being in the public domain is why we get so many different Sherlocks and it’s good he remains so beloved. But just maybe the character can take a break from being the star on TV for a bit as there really is too much of a good thing and may hamper, rather than help, the love for this character.
Young Sherlock premieres on Prime Video in 2026.
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