Prime Video’s Young Sherlock took audiences back to the early days of Sherlock Holmes, imagining the legendary detective not as the fully formed mastermind of Baker Street lore, but as a brilliant and reckless 19-year-old still figuring out who he is. Season 1 was a fun-filled romp, and now we get to continue that journey.
On April 14, Prime Video announced that the series will return for a second season, with Guy Ritchie also returning to direct the first episode of Season 2.
“Young Sherlock has that rare magic—millions of fans around the world aren’t just watching a detective story, they’re falling in love with the origin of an icon,” said Peter Friedlander, Head of Global Television, Amazon MGM Studios. “Guy Ritchie and Matthew Parkhill have cracked the code on making Sherlock’s early years feel fresh, dangerous, and utterly addictive, and have introduced a compelling take on James Moriarty that sets the stage for what’s to come. We can’t wait to see where they take him next in Season Two.”
More than a mystery, the series was also an origin story for one of literature’s greatest foes: James Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes. Played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Donal Finn, the two embodied the literary figures in their younger days before their tumble off Reichenbach Falls, when they were friends. Good friends. One might even say the best of friends. However, by the end of Season 1, their adventures have taken a far darker turn. Scroll down to find out more about how Season 1 ended and all we know about Season 2. Warning: Spoilers ahead for Season 1 of Young Sherlock.
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Will there be a Season 2 of Young Sherlock?
Yes! Prime Video announced there will be a second season thanks to the success of Season 1. The premiere date has yet to be announced, as it is still too early, but please check back here for any updates.
Through its first 28 days of release, Young Sherlock reached 45 million viewers and ranks among the top 10 Prime Original Seasons all-time. The series hit number 1 in over 95 countries worldwide, with 63% of its audience coming from international markets and an outsize performance in the U.K., India, and Germany.
The series is based on the Young Sherlock Holmes novels by Andy Lane, with the first season drawing heavily from the debut book Death Cloud. With seven additional books in the series, there is plenty of source material for the story to continue should the show return for Season 2.
What was Young Sherlock Season 1 about?
Based on Andy Lane’s Young Sherlock Holmes novels, the series reimagines the early life of Sherlock Holmes as a brilliant but reckless 19-year-old still learning the skills that will one day define him.
After being jailed for pickpocketing, Sherlock is bailed out by his brother Mycroft Holmes (Max Irons), who secures him a place at Oxford, albeit as a college scout rather than a student. There, he soon crosses paths with the equally sharp-minded James Moriarty, forming an unlikely partnership between two intellectual outsiders. What begins as a campus mystery quickly escalates when a series of murders targets four Oxford professors known as the “Four Apostles.” As the duo investigates, they uncover a web of espionage, political intrigue, and experimental science tied to a dangerous new chemical weapon.
Soon, the mystery becomes far more than a murder case, as Sherlock’s own family is drawn into the conspiracy, creating a tangled web of lies, deceit, gaslighting, and long-buried secrets that threaten to destroy everything he thought he knew about his past.
How did Young Sherlock Season 1 end?
Buckle up. It’s a doozy.
The faux Princess Shou’an (Zine Tseng) achieves her revenge, killing all of the professors whom she believed wiped out her village using a deadly nerve gas. Sherlock is left grappling with the knowledge that his father orchestrated much of the suffering around him in an effort to gain riches, both from the government and from his mother, whom he had committed. And Moriarty crosses a moral line when he kills a man during the conflict, discovering that violence changed him in ways he cannot fully ignore. He seemed to enjoy it.
Cordelia Holmes (Natascha McElhone) seems to have regained her sanity with the knowledge that her daughter, Beatrice (Holly Cattle), is alive, well, and a bit of a sociopath, manipulated by her father, Silas (Joseph Fiennes), into becoming his accomplice after being fed lies about her family for her entire life.
Sherlock, Moriarty, Shou’an, and Cordelia chase Silas to Constantinople, where he is mining and producing a poisonous gas for sale. They sabotage and destroy his operation, forcing a final confrontation. In the chaos, Beatrice turns on her father and shoots him, but Sherlock wants to bring him to justice. Sherlock and Silas fight on a cliffside, echoing the legendary Reichenbach Falls moment from the original Sherlock Holmes stories. Silas falls to his death, ending the immediate threat.
Daniel Smith/Prime
In the aftermath, Beatrice and Moriarty develop a quiet kinship that soon becomes an affair. However, they agree to keep the relationship secret, hiding their growing affection from Sherlock.
By the end of the season, Sherlock and Moriarty remain close friends, but subtle cracks have begun to form. Moriarty keeps part of the chemical weapon formula, believing the two of them could someday master it together. Sherlock recognizes the danger in that thinking, but the bond between them remains intact.
The season closes with Sherlock still a “work in progress,” a young man shaped by trauma, betrayal, and moral choices that will eventually lead him to become the world’s greatest detective. Moriarty, meanwhile, has begun the transformation into the brilliant and dangerous adversary Sherlock will one day face.
Their friendship remains strong for now, but the seeds of their future rivalry have been planted.
What will Young Sherlock Season 2 be about?
The series is based on Andy Lane’s first book, Death Cloud, so the second might be based on Red Leech, which follows Sherlock as he is sent to stay with relatives in rural Hampshire when he begins to notice strange activity around a nearby army training camp as a mysterious illness spreads through the regiment. But this is just speculation.
Who is behind Young Sherlock?
Guy Ritchie directs the first two episodes and executive produces. The series is created for television and executive produced by showrunner Matthew Parkhill with executive producers Dhana Rivera Gilbert, Marc Resteghini, Simon Maxwell, Ivan Atkinson, Simon Kelton, Colin Wilson, and co-executive producers Harriet Creelman and Steve Thompson. Motive Pictures led physical production for Young Sherlock.
Young Sherlock, Season 1, Now streaming, Prime Video
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