The new Young Sherlock series on Prime Video is streaming now, and it is doing something no other Sherlock Holmes show has done before. It completely removes Dr. John Watson from the story. Viewers who started watching the Guy Ritchie-directed series noticed quickly that Sherlock’s famous partner is nowhere to be found. Instead, the show gives Sherlock a different kind of partner—his future arch-enemy, James Moriarty.
Showrunner Matthew Parkhill finally explained why Watson is absent and why fans should not expect him to show up anytime soon. The answer connects directly to Sherlock’s age, the original books, and a very clever storytelling decision.
The Real Reason Watson Is Missing From Young Sherlock
Matthew Parkhill sat down with ScreenRant just as the series debuted, and he made it clear that Watson’s absence is not an accident. It is a very intentional choice based on when Sherlock and Watson are supposed to meet in the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories .
According to the first Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet published in 1887, Sherlock Holmes was 27 years old when he met Dr. John Watson. The meeting happened in a laboratory at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London in 1881. That is a fixed point in Sherlock Holmes history that fans know well .
In Young Sherlock, the detective is just 19 years old. Showrunner Matthew Parkhill explained that putting Watson into the story now would create a major problem for the timeline. Speaking to ScreenRant, Parkhill was asked directly about Watson appearing in a possible second season. His answer was playful but very clear.
Matthew Parkhill: “I’m not going to take the bait. Definitely not going to take the bait on that… What happens to Sherlock and [James] Moriarty if Watson comes into the picture? They suddenly got a love triangle, right? So I don’t know. We’ll see.”
That “love triangle” comment reveals the real structure of the show. Young Sherlock is built around the friendship between Sherlock and Moriarty. If Watson showed up now, it would ruin the dynamic that the entire first season works so hard to create.
Sherlock and Moriarty: The Relationship That Replaces Watson
Instead of giving Sherlock a loyal doctor friend, Young Sherlock introduces James Moriarty as his first real companion. Hero Fiennes Tiffin, who plays the young detective, explained this choice in detail at IGN Fan Fest 2026 .
The show presents Moriarty not as a villain, but as a brilliant and charming young man who becomes Sherlock’s closest friend at university. Viewers watch them solve their first cases together, completely unaware that this friendship will one day turn into the most famous rivalry in literature.
Hero Fiennes Tiffin described the dynamic using a very specific comparison.
Hero Fiennes Tiffin: “Sherlock always needs a counterpart. It is usually Watson. And in our story, having it be Moriarty, you realize they learn so much from each other. Enemies who used to be friends, that’s just a fascinating thing to explore. So it is fun watching, knowing that this plane is going to crash and burn… Butch and Sundance was a reference that our showrunner used a lot.”
The showrunner and cast worked hard to make Sherlock and Moriarty feel like a perfect team. Tiffin revealed that he and Dónal Finn (Moriarty) practiced scenes together to create small moments of synchronicity. They sip drinks at the same time. They stand up together. They finish each other’s sentences. These tiny details show viewers that these two are meant to be partners, even though everyone knows how their story ends .
Guy Ritchie and the “Not a Prequel” Rule
Another important reason Watson is not in Young Sherlock comes from director and executive producer Guy Ritchie. He and Parkhill had a very early conversation about what this show should be.
Matthew Parkhill made one thing absolutely clear to ScreenRant.
Matthew Parkhill: “It’s not a prequel. And it was a conversation Guy and I had very, very early on. Guy was already involved when I came onboard. And one of our first conversations was this has to be … He doesn’t grow up to be Robert Downey Jr. We just wanted to make something that lived in its own world, lived in its own space.”
This is a crucial point. Young Sherlock is not trying to connect to any other Sherlock Holmes movie or show. It is its own thing. Guy Ritchie previously directed two Sherlock Holmes movies starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law as Watson. Those films are beloved by fans. But Young Sherlock exists completely separate from them .
Because the show is not a prequel to anything, the creators felt free to make bold changes. Giving Sherlock a young Moriarty as a best friend is the biggest change of all. Adding Watson now would feel like the show was trying to correct itself or connect to the familiar stories. Parkhill and Ritchie do not want that.
What About the Young Sherlock Books?
Some viewers may wonder if the show is following the Young Sherlock Holmes book series by Andrew Lane. Those books do feature a young John Watson. In Lane’s novels, Sherlock meets Watson earlier than in the original stories .
But the Amazon Prime series is not a direct adaptation of those books. The show takes inspiration from the idea of a young Sherlock but creates its own path. The cast list confirms this. Colin Firth plays Sir Bucephalus Hodge. Joseph Fiennes (Hero’s real-life uncle) plays Sherlock’s father. Zine Tseng plays Princess Gulun Shou-an. Dónal Finn is James Moriarty. There is no Watson on that list .
The show chooses to explore Sherlock’s family and his first real friendship instead of rushing to introduce the character everyone expects.
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Could Watson Ever Appear in Future Seasons?
Matthew Parkhill did not completely close the door on Watson forever. His answer to ScreenRant included the phrase “We’ll see” at the end . But any Watson appearance would have to happen very carefully.
If Young Sherlock continues for multiple seasons, Sherlock will eventually get older. The show could theoretically bring Watson in when Sherlock reaches his mid-20s. But that would require the series to run for several years and cover a lot of timeline ground.
The bigger obstacle is the Moriarty friendship. Parkhill admitted that he does not want to rush the rupture between Sherlock and Moriarty. He called their relationship “beautiful” and said watching it fall apart will “break my heart” . That suggests the show wants to spend plenty of time with these two as friends before Moriarty turns into the criminal mastermind.
If Watson entered the picture during that time, it would create exactly what Parkhill called a “love triangle” of friendships. Sherlock would have to choose between his brilliant, dangerous friend Moriarty and his steady, moral friend Watson. That could be interesting drama, but it would completely change the show’s identity.
For now, the answer is clear. Young Sherlock is streaming now on Prime Video with all eight episodes available. It tells a complete story about a 19-year-old Sherlock Holmes, his complicated family, and his intense friendship with a young James Moriarty. Dr. John Watson is not part of that story, and based on everything the showrunner has said, he probably never will be.
The show is getting strong reviews and audiences are responding to the fresh take. Sometimes the best way to honor a classic character is to stop doing what everyone expects.
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