What if Sherlock and Moriarty were BFFs? 'Young Sherlock' explores how a friendship unravels

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LONDON — Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty are notorious literary foes, but in “Young Sherlock” the duo make the unlikeliest of friends.The Prime Video series premiering Wednesday reimagines the fictional detective’s early years as he investigates a murder case that originates at Oxford, where he first meets his eventual antagonist.

Their relationship is the basis of the first season, and in the hands of actors Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Dónal Finn, it’s particularly electric.“I was always interested in the Moriarty character because he’s a hugely iconic villain,” says showrunner Matthew Parkhill.Guy Ritchie, who directs and is an executive producer on the series, tapped him to expand on an idea for a show that revealed Sherlock’s evolution into the detective we know and love.“He’s mentioned in four books, but he’s only ever in one,” Parkhill adds, speaking from London’s Rosewood Hotel during a press day in late February.

“Why are these guys such great enemies? If a great friendship turns sour, it can become a great rivalry.But the story is basically going to be how this incredible friendship unravels.”ABC’s ‘R.J.

Decker’ stars Scott Speedman as the titular detective reminiscent of Jim Rockford, whereas Prime Video’s ‘Young Sherlock’ gives Arthur Conan Doyle’s sleuth an origin story.Tiffin, who previously worked with Ritchie in 2024’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” auditioned to play Sherlock while on vacation in Thailand.Parkhill responded to the “sense of innocence and wonder” Tiffin brought to the long-established character, who is 19 during the events of this season.

After being cast, he did a series of chemistry reads with several actors up for Moriarty.Finn had been one of the last tapes Parkhill had watched, but the showrunner was immediately captivated by his “magnetism and intensity and charm.”“...