Before Young Sherlock, Donal Finn Starred In Fantasy Series That Was Canceled Too Soon

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes has been in the public domain for decades, but, incredibly, films and television shows built around the brilliant sleuth have yet to become old hat. I discovered Holmes and his loyal confidant, Dr. John Watson, through the old Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce movies and was inspired to start reading Doyle's tales after seeing Barry Levinson's "Young Sherlock Holmes." Over the years, I've enjoyed multiple iterations of Holmes and Watson. I loved the modernized BBC version with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman and had fun with Guy Ritchie's action-packed 2009 riff powered by Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law (the sequel, not so much).

I've also found much to like about Ritchie and Matthew Parkhill's "Young Sherlock" (currently airing on Prime Video), even though it's turned the buddy-sleuth dynamic on its ear by pairing the 19-year-old Holmes with his future arch-nemesis James Moriarty. Thus far, they're getting away with a Watson-less narrative. Obviously, it helps that Hero Fiennes Tiffin (son of Martha Fiennes, and, therefore, Ralph Fiennes' nephew) is perfectly cast as our dashing Oxford-attending protagonist, but he's often outshone by Dónal Finn, who's devilishly charismatic as Moriarty.

Stardom beckons for Finn, which is something fans of Rafe Judkins series adaptation of Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time" novels have been shouting from the top of the Dragonwall mountains since the young actor joined the cast in season 2. Finn replaced Barney Harris as Mat Cauthon, a troublemaking farm boy who may be a reincarnation of a legendary dragon. When "The Wheel of Time" was canceled after season 3, fans were crushed to see his journey come to an abrupt end.

The first installment of Jordan's "The Wheel of Time," titled "The Eye of the World," was published in 1990. Fantasy readers quickly fell in love with Jordan's saga, which was dense with lore, incident, and vibrant characters. He finished 11 novels before his death in 2007, but left detailed notes for the final three books in the series (which were completed by Brandon Sanderson. Jordan's saga has been called the American "Lord of the Rings," and is so popular that it inspired JordanCon, a yearly fan convention in Atlanta, Georgia.

Despite its passionate fan base, a live-action adaptation of "The Wheel of Time" was always considered too niche and, thus, prohibitively expensive. So when Amazon MGM Studios gave Rafe Judkins' series the greenlight, many feared the company would keep it on a short leash, particularly since they were spending a fortune on "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power." Most agreed that the talented cast, headed up by Rosamund Pike (also a producer on the show), was refreshingly devoid of big names, with Finn in particular being a revelation.

The only downside to Judkins' "The Wheel of Time," aside from it only lasting three seasons, is that budget constraints keep it from matching the richness of Jordan's books. Many felt that the first season stumbled to get its hooks in because it felt too TV. By the second season, however, viewers adjusted to the show's visual limitations and fully bought into the writing and performances.

If you've never read the books, you should skip this solid, good-faith adaptation and let Jordan be your guide. As for Finn, he's waiting to charm your pants off in "Young Sherlock" on Prime Video.