3 Minutes
A criminal mastermind in tweed. Picture a man who lectures on criminal psychology by day and runs an underground empire by night. That paradox is the engine behind Moriarty, a fresh crime drama being developed by Fremantle alongside Kris Thykier’s Archery Pictures.
Written by Chris Cornwell and Oliver Lansley, the series reframes Arthur Conan Doyle’s infamous antagonist as a Professor of Criminal Psychology at Durham University who conceals a second life as the architect of the North of England’s most sophisticated crimes. Conflict arrives when a rival syndicate threatens that empire, forcing Moriarty into an uneasy bargain: embed himself with the police as a consultant and wield the law as a weapon to dismantle his foe while keeping his true identity secret.
Thrown into the mix is Detective Imogen Burrows, a stoic Yorkshire investigator whose steady instincts slowly chip away at Moriarty’s careful masquerade. The writers set up a tense partnership: equal parts collaboration and cat-and-mouse, with the detective’s growing suspicion proving as dangerous to Moriarty’s plans as any rival gang.
Behind the cameras, Fremantle will handle global sales while Archery Pictures co-produces. Producer Kris Thykier describes the project as a character-led spin on the Holmes mythos that emphasizes the mechanics of villainy as much as the spectacle of crime. Rebecca Dundon at Fremantle points to the show’s franchise potential, promising a propulsive, contemporary procedural with an unconventional protagonist at its heart.
Expect a tonal mix: cerebral analysis one moment, taut thriller the next. The creative team aims to upend expectations about crime shows by delivering moral ambiguity and psychological complexity in equal measure. Will viewers root for a charming criminal who uses the system to outwit others? That moral tug-of-war is precisely the point.
Fremantle’s partnership with Archery is part of a broader slate of collaborations that underline the company’s appetite for prestige, auteur-driven projects and serial storytelling. Moriarty looks designed to sit at the crossroads of mainstream appeal and character-driven drama — a series that could reshape how we think about villainy on television.
If you like your procedurals with a brain and a bite, keep an eye on this one.
Source: hollywoodreporter
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