For as iterated as Sherlock Holmes has been since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first introduced the character in 1887’s novel A Study in Scarlet, Prime Video entered a bit of uncharted on-screen territory with Young Sherlock.

The series, which is based on the Young Sherlock Holmes novels by Andrew Lane, reimagines the prolific detective as a 19-year-old Oxford student (played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin) who gets swept up in his first mystery, which just so happens to involve his father.

“Part of what was really interesting to us is that there’d never been a real origin story of Sherlock,” executive producer Marc Resteghini said in a conversation for Deadline Studio at Prime Experience. “Even with the movie that Amblin had done in the ’80s [1985’s Young Sherlock Holmes directed by Barry Levinson], he was kind of fully formed by the time the movie started. So we saw this as a real opportunity to look at Sherlock before he’s the detective that we all know. How does he get there?”

Resteghini was joined by Fiennes Tiffin and his co-stars Dónal Finn and Zine Tseng in the conversation. Watch the video below, and scroll down for photos from the event.

The lack of proper canon opened up a whole world of possibilities for creator-showrunner Matthew Parkhill and creators/executive producers Guy Ritchie and Peter Harness. Then, it was on Fiennes Tiffin to execute as the bright-eyed, quick-witted teenage version of Holmes.

The actor tells Deadline he’s always been a fan of the original works, as well as previous performances from Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr. as an adult Sherlock. In fact, his biggest challenges were not directly related to understanding the character but rather getting into a flow with his co-stars and Ritchie, who also directed all eight episodes.

“I have worked with Guy Ritchie, our director, before, so I was aware that he isn’t afraid of changing things on the day — not just on the day, in the scene with very, very short notice, as we’re all aware now,” he laughed.

Ritchie is known for his eclectic directorial style, which is on full display in Young Sherlock. The show weaves an earnest and sometimes heart-wrenching story about a father and son into a wacky, quirky whodunit. Resteghini calls the tone a “fresh and exciting” way to approach material that’s been revisited countless times over the decades.

Marc Resteghini, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Dónal Finn, and Zine Tseng

Anthony Avellano for Deadline

Hero Fiennes Tiffin

Anthony Avellano for Deadline

Dónal Finn

Anthony Avellano for Deadline

Zine Tseng

Anthony Avellano for Deadline

Marc Resteghini

Anthony Avellano for Deadline

“It really walks a balance between being really funny and witty and sharp, and then also takes you to some pretty dark and emotional places in the middle of the season, before kind of coming back out the other side and being a little bit lighthearted again,” he said. “So I think if as audiences stick through the eight episodes, they’re rewarded with a lot of different notes along the way.”

The story also introduces Sherlock to his eventual nemesis James Moriarty (Donál Finn), giving viewers a window into their early relationship… before they hated each other.

“I think developing that relationship between Sherlock and Moriarty was one of the more thrilling things for us both to explore as actors. If you’re familiar with the lore… then you’re pretty certain at where it all ends up, but how it goes wrong is still a mystery,” Finn said. “I just think they have different ways of seeing the world, and I think it’s the journey of both of those people, and how their morality starts to part, which allows us to categorize them into nemeses.”

The very infamous pair are joined in this series by Zine Tseng’s Princess Gulun Shou’an, who proves a useful ally as they try to uncover a globe-trotting conspiracy. Tseng said she strived to “be their challenge.”

“I have to be strong enough to be their challenge. That was the major thing that I was telling myself how to get inside of the character,” she said.

For more Deadline Studio at Prime Experience content, click here.