Amazon Prime Video has quietly racked up an impressive lineup of originals over the past several years, but tops among those has to be Reacher, the Alan Ritchson vehicle that has attracted notice for its hulking action scenes, its memorable one-liners and its over-the-top storylines. It’s a fun show, and I love it, but I have to say sorry to the Reacher family because I think another new-to-Amazon series has topped it.
New Series Young Sherlock Hit Amazon Video This Month
Those with an Amazon Prime subscription have likely seen some sort of promotion for Young Sherlock, the cheeky new action-adventure series from Guy Ritchie and Peter Harness. If you haven’t seen any promotional footage, it’s a British TV series and a brand new take on Sherlock Holmes, set during his younger years. This version, played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin, has a mother, played by The Truman Show’s Natascha McElhone.
Most intriguingly, and the reason I am so obsessed with Young Sherlock both in concept and execution, is his relationship with a young James Moriarty, played by Irish actor Dónal Finn. Finn previously appeared in Amazon’s other adaption Wheel of Time, but I didn’t know him before throwing on this latest series, and I’m so happy this is the role I got to see him in.
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The two young men are fabulous, constantly verbally sparring and spurring one another on. Deduction after deduction plays out between the two men, and watching them unravel knots and put puzzle pieces together is decidedly fun. More fun than Reacher? Your bandwidth may vary depending on your personal taste, but I’m a sucker for Sherlock Holmes adaptations, and I’ve never seen a version of Sherlock where he and Moriarty could begin as friends and land at foe hopefully at a later-to-be-determined date. (Though the finale is already leading to some hints about what the future will hold.)
Reacher and Young Sherlock may not seem to have too much in common at first glance. One has a younger protagonist, the other has a grizzled and hulking forty-something at the head. One show is American, the other is British. One show is set in the past and one show is set in the present. The differences are many.
Yet, the reason I keep comparing the two shows is that they make me feel the same way. I love watching Reacher for its quippy, deadpanned one-liners. I love watching Young Sherlock for the way Sherlock and James take the piss out of each other. I love watching Reacher for its innovative action scenes; in fact, though, Guy Ritchie and co. have a tendency to put together some unusual and memorable action sequences as well. The shows are unalike and yet they put the same pep in my step.
I’m hopeful we’ll have both on the schedule in the future. I wouldn’t mind having Reacher one season and a new season of Young Sherlock the next. And don’t forget, we’ve been waiting for the Neagley spinoff for a while, as well. There’s good stuff to come on the Amazon Prime Video front, and I’m hoping Young Sherlock will ultimately land a renewal alongside Reacher Season 4. It's just too fun to go away this soon.
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