“Young Sherlock” is a new series on Amazon Prime created by Matthew Parkhill, reinventing Sherlock Holmes’ young adulthood. The pilot, entitled “The Case of the Missing Scrolls,” created a strong opening for the show, featuring impressive relationship and character development paired with sharp filming.

With Hero Fiennes Tiffin playing Holmes and Dónal Finn as James Moriarty, the mystery television series had the star power to succeed. Tiffin portrays Holmes’ intelligence masterfully, while adding youth and naivety to the character. For viewers who learned to love Holmes in previous adaptations, watching his adolescence as depicted in “Young Sherlock,” they may also want to befriend him.

Though readers first encountered Holmes in Arthur Conan Doyle’s short stories, the sheer volume of adaptations means fans may not always associate him first with his literary debut. However, Parkhill still made “Young Sherlock” feel like a book adaptation with an added subtlety and a more intentional, sepia-toned palette characteristic of many novel adaptations.

For fans of the 2010 show, “Sherlock,” the biggest point of differentiation in the plot of “Young Sherlock” is the dynamic between the detective and Moriarty, one of his most significant rivals in other adaptations.

In the first episode of “Young Sherlock,” viewers have the opportunity to see Sherlock’s first interaction with Moriarty, and their introduction is a ‘meet-cute’ of sorts — playful, yet unsettling. Moriarty takes an interest in Holmes, encouraging him to act in morally questionable ways, such as bending rules or stealing. Rather than offering a straightforward friendship, their interactions leave the viewer uncertain of Moriarty’s intentions, suggesting a relationship that may become more complex as the series continues and also foreshadowing his infamous enemy arc. The relationship between the two on screen simultaneously leaves nothing lacking and every possibility to explore.

While the first episode is a lighter watch than other adaptations of Holmes’ stories, such as the PBC 2010 version which often dealt with issues like smuggling and trafficking, this tonal shift is not without its drawbacks. At times, the show’s lighter approach risks undercutting its own tension, making certain conflicts feel less urgent than they might in darker adaptations.

Still, there is a thread of something more sinister that develops towards the end of the episode. In addition to an opening flashback of his sister, the episode features recurring, unsettling appearances of a mysterious woman accompanied by eerie music. These moments suggest that elements of Holmes’ past continue to linger and may be explored more fully in later episodes.

There are obvious allusions to class and rank in the pilot, set in 1870s Oxford and featuring Holmes as a servant. Yet the episode does not feel heavy or dark, remaining lighthearted and engaging, consequently leaving the viewer wanting more. This is largely due to the directing, which avoids lingering on heavier themes, instead maintaining quick scenes, and the presence of the younger, less jaded characters embodied in Holmes and Moriarty.

The costumes — while not historically accurate — are aesthetically pleasing, which, to the average audience, suffices. Furthermore, every shot feels carefully curated and completely immersive. The cinematography is captivating, keeping even audiences with short attention spans engaged.

Together, these aspects ensure there is no wasted time in the episode. The episode successfully avoids the typical pilot trap of focusing too much on character introduction over exploring a captivating plot. Even so, every scene meaningfully develops the show’s characters. After watching only the first episode, the viewer is already intimately familiar with and understands the characters that will be central to the rest of the show.

“Young Sherlock,” in its pilot, appears best suited for an audience member who enjoys a foray into seriousness without feeling burdened by dark themes. The series leads with mystery instead of darkness, offering a version of the detective story that feels not only fresh but hopeful.