Sherlock Holmes is having a bit of a comeback this year. Whether it’s an economic bellwether or a sign of the times, Hollywood has been all about finding new and creative ways to reinvent the classic character. In the same vein as Enola Holmes, which sees Sherlock Holmes somewhat encumbered with a plucky and inquisitive young relation (there, his sister), Sherlock & Daughter saddles the iconic detective with a clever young woman who tries his patience (here, his alleged daughter). Hailing from Irish filmmaker Brendan Foley, the new CW series feels very much like a show that would have been at home on the network during its heyday, nestled between Reign and The Vampire Diaries. While there is no tawdry romance in the first four episodes, Sherlock & Daughter seems to be breadcrumbing a potential enemies-to-lovers-style romance for its young lead that could prove to be its most compelling hook with viewers looking for mindless, albeit entertaining, television.
Ironically, the reference to The Vampire Diaries universe is not for naught, as Sherlock & Daughter’s titular lead, Blu Hunt, had a memorable role on The Originals. Hunt is a dynamic performer who has endlessly abundant charm, but she is underserved by a script that tries too hard to make her “not like other girls.” I’m reluctant to call Amelia Rojas a “Mary Sue,” as there are decades of negative connotations surrounding that moniker, but Amelia is good at everything — from aping the same clever deductive reasoning of her supposed father to being immune to having lasting consequences for her actions. Furthermore, she’s American, which just seems so oddly out of place for Sherlock Holmes’ alleged heir. But these are all elements of characters that are tried and true for The CW — so, why break what isn’t broken?
The series leans heavily on the visual and auditory hallmarks of series like Sherlock and films like Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, opting for shortcuts to quickly ingratiate itself with viewers versus forging its own unique touchstones. Sherlock is shown as having very clear mental recreations of crime scenes and the keen ability to construct locations without being present, while many of Amelia’s solo ventures are earmarked with clever text asides for the audience’s benefit. Sherlock & Daughter is far from the first Sherlock-inspired project this year to capitalize on the same eccentric auditory landscape that Hans Zimmer crafted for Ritchie’s films, but it continues to be odd that cimbaloms, Experibass, and plucky banjos have become so emblematic of “the game’s afoot” aesthetic.
‘Sherlock & Daughter’ Needs David Thewlis More Than He Needs It

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This CW series is far from David Thewlis’ first Sherlock Holmes project — after all, he appeared as Grail in Enola Holmes 2 — and he certainly isn’t a stranger to historical dramas. Recently, he impressed as the infamous Fagan in Hulu’s impressive reimagining of The Artful Dodger (which was renewed for a second season), and before that, his resume was flush with period pieces ranging from Charles Dickens adaptations to Wonder Woman. Thewlis is, perhaps, one of the best character actors of his generation. He vanishes within every role he takes on, and Sherlock is no different.
While the script often underserves Hunt, Sherlock & Daughter seems written towards Thewlis’ strengths. Throughout the first four episodes, he is given ample opportunity to showcase both a cerebral and a physical performance that captures who Sherlock Holmes is. While Sherlock rails against the mere possibility of Amelia being his daughter, Thewlis taps into the dichotomy of the situation with subtle expressions that reveal the true nature of Sherlock’s feelings about her, and those quiet emotions make the journey he takes even sweeter. There’s a reason why the “Lone Wolf and Cub” trope is so popular, and Sherlock & Daughter taps into that in a way that has the potential of becoming something special — if it can escape the “made for a younger audience” pastiche that isn’t doing it any favors.

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By design, Sherlock & Daughter’s Holmes is a bit more unmoored than we typically see him. While it’s not uncommon for an adaptation’s version of Dr. Watson to grapple with the untimely “death” of Sherlock following Reichenbach Falls, rarely do we get Sherlock dealing with the loss of Watson for reasons outside his surly personality. Sherlock and Amelia’s plotline is set against the backdrop of Watson and Mrs. Hudson’s absence, as the two have been entangled in some mysterious plot that Sherlock is trying to get to the bottom of. It will be curious to see how the series handles Sherlock and Watson, as Amelia ultimately feels like a placeholder for their dynamic.
Watson may not be present in the first four episodes of Sherlock & Daughter, but Sherlock’s most iconic foe makes an appearance, and Moriarty (brilliantly played by Dougray Scott) is exactly what the doctor ordered. Curiously, Sherlock and Moriarty seem less like mortal enemies and more like two men mildly inconvenienced by the other’s existence. Like Holmes, Moriarty has his own descendant (Joe Klocek), which fuels a secondary plotline running through the series. The idea of both Holmes and Moriarty having children is somewhat preposterous, but in an era where IP is being recycled and recycled, a younger generation isn’t necessarily a bad idea — if the concept were good enough.
‘Sherlock & Daughter’ Fundamentally Misunderstands the Iconic Holmes

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Thewlis may be phenomenal as Sherlock Holmes, but Sherlock & Daughter’s plotline undercuts who he is as a character. Fear not — this isn’t some SuperWhoLock-era conspiracy about Holmes’ sexuality, but rather a brief analysis of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s own descriptions of Holmes’ interpersonal relationships. Characters like Irene Adler may have taken on new lives in subsequent adaptations, where a romance between the two is explored, but within the canon of “A Scandal in Bohemia,” Holmes shows no romantic interest in Adler or women in general. It’s not uncommon for Victorian-era fiction to avoid romantic subplots, as the era was largely marked by an image of rigidity, but the fact that Doyle sidestepped even toeing the line seems to be a pointed statement towards Holmes’ disinterest in relationships of any kind. Holmes is very much crafted as an “upstanding member of society,” and, specifically, one who would be far too practical and pragmatic to take a woman to bed, knowing what might happen. The case of Amelia’s alleged paternity may prove to be a red herring, but the mere fact that Holmes is humoring the possibility seems to be a disservice to who Holmes is.
While Sherlock & Daughter could veer too closely to self-insert fanfiction written in the wake of Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes — with Foley as the scribe behind four episodes of the series, while the rest were penned by Shelly Goldstein, James Duff, and Micah Wardog Wright — Amelia fails to feel like a well-rounded female character. She’s designed with a lot of promise in mind, particularly with her backstory as an Indigenous woman, but that potential feels ill-fated from the start. Given how the story is laid out within the first four episodes, it is unlikely that the series will give any real depth or weight to what happened to Amelia’s mother, as well as the larger historical implications of her heritage and how she exists within the context of Victorian England.
The series may be ill-conceived, but there are a lot of elements to it that may capture its intended audience, which seems a bit more fun-loving than those of us looking for faithful adaptations of Doyle’s characters. The mystery is quite compelling, and, at times, there are aspects of the series that are reminiscent of the short-lived and brilliant Dead Still. The cast gives excellent performances and elevates an otherwise passable series. Perhaps with time, the series will find its footing, and deliver something truly excellent, but from the first four episodes, Sherlock & Daughter is just simply alright.
Sherlock & Daughter premieres April 16 on The CW.