It seems Prime Video has recently found another hit to bolster its standing as a streaming platform. The successes of Fallout, The Boys, and Invincible can now be joined by the new Young Sherlock, the series produced by Guy Ritchie that explores a younger version of the character created for literature by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and which Ritchie adapted for the screen starring Robert Downey Jr.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Prime Video has just given the green light to the production of a second season of the series, which in its first four weeks on air (it premiered on 4 March) has managed to place itself in the top 10 of the platform's best premieres in its history.
The streaming service states that at least 45 million viewers gave "Young Sherlock" a watch this month and that around 60% of its audience came from outside the United States, mainly from the UK, Germany, and India. In terms of domestic viewership, it is estimated that a total of some 648 million minutes of the series were streamed, which also places it among the top spots in the platform's all-time rankings.
"Young Sherlock has that unique magic: millions of fans around the world aren't just watching a detective story, they're falling in love with the origins of an icon," said Peter Friedlander, head of global television at Amazon MGM Studios. "Guy Ritchie and Matthew Parkhill have struck the right balance to make Sherlock's early years feel fresh, dangerous and utterly addictive, and have presented a fascinating take on James Moriarty that sets the stage for what's to come. We can't wait to see where they take it in the second season."
Guy Ritchie, who directed the first two episodes of the series, will return to direct the first episode of the second season, which will almost certainly see Hero Fiennes Tiffin reprise his role as a young Sherlock Holmes and Dónal Finn as James Moriarty, alongside Zine Tseng, Joseph Fiennes, Natascha McElhone, Max Irons, and Colin Firth.