After spending more than a century in the shadow of Sherlock Holmes, Professor Moriarty is finally stepping into the spotlight. Fremantle and Archery Pictures have announced a new television series that will reimagine the legendary criminal mastermind created by Arthur Conan Doyle, placing him at the center of the story for the first time.
Written by Chris Cornwell and Oliver Lansley, the project will move away from the traditional detective perspective and instead explore the life of one of literature’s most notorious villains.
A criminal mastermind hiding in plain sight
In this new adaptation, Moriarty is portrayed as a respected professor of criminal psychology at Durham University. Beneath his academic reputation, however, lies a secret life as the architect behind some of the most sophisticated crimes in Northern England.
His carefully constructed double life begins to unravel when a rival criminal organization threatens his hidden empire. To eliminate the threat without exposing himself, Moriarty is forced to work alongside law enforcement as a police consultant.
Joining him is Detective Imogen Burrows, a determined investigator from Yorkshire. Together, the two form an unlikely partnership that will become increasingly complicated as the story unfolds.
A fresh take on the Sherlock Holmes universe
According to the producers, the series will combine the suspense of a crime thriller with a deeper exploration of the psychology of a criminal genius. Rather than focusing solely on investigations, the show aims to examine the motivations, strategies and inner conflicts that define one of fiction’s most enduring antagonists.
No casting announcements have been made so far, and an official release date has yet to be revealed. However, the project is already generating interest as a new expansion of the Sherlock Holmes universe, offering audiences a rare opportunity to see events through Moriarty’s perspective.
Photo Credits: Mingyang LIU
