‘Sherlock’s Secretary’: New ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Series Officially in the Works at USA Network!!

Sherlock Holmes is currently sitting in a great place on-screen. While a third installment in the Guy Ritchie-helmed series of films based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s novels and starring Robert Downey Jr. has yet to come to pass, the stylish action director did return to the detective’s world this year with Prime Video‘s Young Sherlock, starring Hero Fiennes Tiffin as a raw, more unpolished version of Holmes in his younger years. The mystery series was met with rave reviews as it exploded on the streamer, swiftly being renewed for a second season with some fresh faces. Sherlock & Daughter also premiered to high marks last year, with David Thewlis tapped to take up the mantle and a sophomore outing also reportedly on the way, while, in terms of features, the Millie Bobby Brown-led Enola Holmes 3 once again shone a light on Sherlock’s sister last month.

Although the stories of Holmes may be fiction, USA Network is now about to tackle a very true, extraordinary tale relating to the legendary sleuth. Deadline exclusively reported that the new mystery procedural Sherlock’s Secretary is in the works at the network, following a London woman given the unique task of responding to all the letters meant for the world’s greatest detective. A familiar face from the beloved “blue-sky era” is also back to bring the project to life. Andy Berman, best known for writing for and producing the light crime comedy drama Psych, returns to USA for the first time in over a decade to back the series, which comes from Fox Entertainment Studios.

Sherlock’s Secretary was picked up as a sort of fresh spin on the literary franchise based on the true story of bank employees at 221B Baker Street who respond in Holmes’ name. In the series, one woman, after years of answering messages to the great detective, starts following in his footsteps and actually taking on the mysteries sent to him herself. It sets up for a cozy procedural format as this amateur sleuth slowly becomes the closest thing to a real-life Sherlock Holmes. Veteran unscripted producer Bruce Nash got the ball rolling on the series after first learning of the story, and, in an official statement, he credited Berman for further developing the idea into a detective show capable of living in the same world as Holmes.

“When I learned there was an actual person whose job was answering letters sent to Sherlock Holmes, I knew there was a television series hiding inside that story. Andy immediately saw a fresh way into the Sherlock universe, and I couldn’t be more excited to see it find a home at USA.”

‘Sherlock’s Secretary’ Is Right Up Berman’s Alley

For USA Network, a character-focused detective series like Sherlock’s Secretary might be the perfect throwback. In the blue sky era, it lived by the mantra of “Characters Welcome,” leading to a string of more comedic and optimistic crime hits like Burn Notice, White Collar, Monk, and, of course, Psych. Even though that era has ended and Berman has moved on, the producer has been behind similar programming at other networks in recent years, like the legal dramedy So Help Me Todd at CBS and, more recently, ABC‘s crown jewel procedural, High Potential. He’s set to both write the pilot and serve as showrunner for Sherlock’s Secretary, and he’ll have a font of real experience to draw from in consultant Gug Kyriacou, who actually served as Sherlock’s secretary while working at Abbey National Bank.