Prime Video's New Sherlock Holmes Series Topples Robert Downey Jr.'s Movies With A Rotten Tomatoes Record

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Prime Video's new series Young Sherlock is enough to discombobulate a Rotten Tomatoes record for Guy Ritchie.

It's been nearly 15 years since Ritchie was involved with the Sherlock Holmes franchise after directing two movies starring Robert Downey Jr. as the iconic detective and Jude Law as Dr. John Watson. Although the filmmaker took that time in between to focus on other movies like the live-action Aladdin and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, he finally returns to the popular IP with Prime Video's Young Sherlock, directing two episodes and acting as an executive producer.

Young Sherlock Moriarty Shou'an and Sherlock

Following its premiere on March 4, Young Sherlock has settled on an audience score of 86%. It's enough to beat both Downey Jr. movies to become Ritchie's highest-rated Sherlock Holmes project based on viewers' ratings. Both movies had a tied audience score of 77%. The series has already defeated the movies with the highest-rated critics' score, with 84%.

Reviews of Young Sherlock were very positive ahead of its release. Critics praised the series for being an energetic and fast-paced telling of the iconic detective's origin story, while the chemistry between Hero Fiennes Tiffin (Sherlock) and Dónal Finn (James Moriarty) was declared dynamic. That's because the show portrays the nemesis as college friends in their early days.

Every Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes Project

Rotten Tomatoes' Critics Score

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

Sherlock Holmes (2009)	70%	77%
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)	60%	77%
Young Sherlock (2026)	84%	86%

However, a few negative reviews criticized the new TV series for lacking the typical essence of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. It's worth noting that the series itself is based on a novel series by Andrew Lane, making it a pastiche of the renowned author's famous series.

Young Sherlock is one of the many adaptations in recent years to bring the well-known detective to the screen. While most have showcased him during his prime as a masterclass investigator, the Prime Video series follows him in his younger years at Oxford University. Sherlock finds himself in deep trouble when he is accused of murder, and it fuels him to try to clear his name by uncovering a global conspiracy.

Despite Doyle's popular novels, many shows and movies have taken new directions with the story. One popular iteration was Benedict Cumberbatch's BBC series, which undertook a modern setting rather than the typical late 1800s. The series turned out to be one of the best TV adaptations, with several individual seasons having higher Rotten Tomatoes scores than Young Sherlock. Unfortunately, the last season wasn't as well-received as the first three, resulting in a 54% critics' score and a 46% audience score.

As for Ritchie, the series marks his long-awaited return to the franchise despite many talks of a Sherlock Holmes 3. The last update came from Downey's wife, Susan Downey, who expressed that there is still interest in doing a third movie. However, as of writing, there has yet to be any filming progress, let alone any release date.

Although the hopes of a third installment keep fading, especially with Downey Jr. focused on the next two Avengers movies, Young Sherlock has allowed Ritchie to return to the franchise in some way. Despite the Prime Video series being a prequel, it's not canon to the director's movies.

Nevertheless, it seems that critics and audiences agree that Young Sherlock is worth watching, and it may just be a matter of time before season 2 is announced.

All eight episodes of Young Sherlock are streaming on Prime Video.