Summary
Young Sherlock, an upcoming TV show by Guy Ritchie, has a tricky Watson challenge to overcome. Amazon recently revealed that Guy Ritchie, who directedSherlock Holmes(2009) andSherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, will return to the world created by Arthur Conan Doyle in aYoung Sherlockseries. Despite Ritchie’s previous Sherlock experience, the upcoming series is not tied to the Robert Downey Jr.-led movies.Young Sherlockstars Hero Fiennes Tiffin, who worked with Ritchie onThe Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
Sherlock Holmes 3’s statusremains uncertain, butthere are several Sherlock projects currently in active development for television. In addition to Amazon’sYoung Sherlock, a modern-dayWatsonseries is in the works at CBS. There is also aSherlock and Daughterseries in development at The CW, plus a thirdEnola Holmesmovie from Netflix. With most of theupcoming Sherlock shows and moviesexploring different characters and settings, it’s unclear how much of Sherlock’s established lore will be explored inYoung Sherlock. Whether Watson will appear on the show is a particularly interesting question.
Sherlock Holmes Shouldn’t Meet John Watson In Young Sherlock
Sherlock was 27 when he met Watson in A Study in Scarlet
Guy Ritchie’sYoung Sherlockseries, which is inspired by Andy Lane’s criticallyYoung SherlockHolmesbooks, will follow a 19-year-old version of the character. In other words, Sherlock should not meet John Watson inYoung Sherlockunless the series drastically changes the character’s canon. Naturally, there have been countless Sherlock Holmes adaptations over the years, and not all of them follow the exact chronology established in theArthur Conan Doyle Sherlock books. Still,based on how Sherlock and Watson first met in the original stories, John shouldn’t be inYoung Sherlock.
(…) Watson may be too big of a character to be left out of a new Sherlock show.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson’s first encounter is described in 1887’sA Study in Scarlet, Conan Doyle’s first Sherlock novel.Sherlock was 27 years old inA Study in Scarlet, which was set in 1881. Dr. Watson’s age when he first met Sherlock is unclear, but it can be assumed that he was around the same age as Holmes. As such, at least based on the original books, Watson should not show up inYoung Sherlock. The series would have to introduce a new cast of supporting characters, either from theYoung SherlockHolmesnovels or brand-new names.
Watson May Be Too Big Of A Character To Be Left Out Of Young Sherlock
Most Sherlock adaptations have featured Watson
On the one hand, there should be no reason for John Watson to appear in a story where Sherlock Holmes is 19 years old. On the other hand, Watson may be too big of a character to be left out of a new Sherlock show.Dr. Watson has appeared in most Sherlock adaptations, from movies to TV shows. The most recent Sherlock adaptations have also featured John Watson in a significant capacity, especially theSherlock Holmesmovies, BBC’sSherlock, and CBS’sElementary. The relationship between Holmes and Watson was at the center of these three massively popular adaptations.
2025
Sherlock and Daughter
Movie
TBD
InRobert Downey Jr’sSherlock Holmesmovies, Watson’s marriage is what sets the events of the first film in motion. Both 2009’sSherlock Holmesand its sequel,A Game of Shadows, explore how Sherlock may not be ready for a life where John is not by his side all the time. TheSherlockseries reimagines John and Sherlock’s first cases as a modern-day story, with the pilot adaptingA Study in Scarletinto “A Study in Pink.” Lastly,Elementaryintroduces a genre-bended version of Watson – Lucy Liu’s Joan Watson – who is hired to be Sherlock’s sober companion.
How Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock Can Use John Watson
Should Young Sherlock break canon to bring Watson?
There are two ways in which John Watson could appear in Guy Ritchie’sYoung Sherlock. The show could follow a teenage version of Watson in a storyline that is completely separated from whatever Sherlock is doing. In other words, the series would be more of an ensemble following multiple storylines, some of which would include Watson. However, considering the name of the show, it’s difficult to imagine thatYoung Sherlockwill focus on too many other characters.Another option is thatYoung Sherlockbreaks canon and has John and Sherlock meet much earlierthan they do inA Study in Scarlet.
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It would not be the first case that an adaptation breaks canon to bring in a popular character before they were supposed to appear. DC’sGotham, for example, saw the origin stories of several Batman villains when Bruce Wayne was still a kid. Prequels are always tricky when it comes to what storylines can be covered, especially for a character whose mythos is as extensive as Sherlock Holmes. Hopefully, if Watson eventually appears inYoung Sherlock, there will be a good enough story to justify his introduction. Still,Young Sherlockcan work just fine without John.
Young Sherlock
Cast
Young Sherlock is a series that chronicles the early life of Sherlock Holmes, with Jude Law portraying the famed detective in his formative years. Set in 19th century London, the show delves into Holmes’s budding investigative skills and delves into his complex relationships with family and friends. The series explores how his early experiences shaped the detective he would ultimately become.
