Netflix’s The Irregulars is a mystery adventure that wants to be a coming-of-age drama, a detective show, and a horror story all at once. It mostly succeeds on the first two counts and fails on the third. The series, created by Tom Bidwell, follows a gang of troubled street teens in Victorian London who are manipulated into solving crimes for the sinister Dr. Watson and his business partner, the elusive Sherlock Holmes. It aired in 2021, ran for eight episodes, and was canceled after one season.
The premise is simple and promising. A group of teenagers called the Irregulars, led by Spike, Bea, Billy, Jessie, Leopold and Alice, work for Dr. Watson to solve increasingly supernatural crimes. The catch is that the crimes take on a horrifying supernatural edge, and a dark power emerges that threatens not just London but the entire world. The teens, who are all played by relative newcomers, must come together to save the city.
Trailer, via Netflix.
The Baker Street Irregulars
The Irregulars are the real engine of the show. They are not sidekicks, and the series knows it. Each character gets a distinct arc. Spike is the leader, a street-smart boy who understands the value of money and loyalty. Bea is the quiet strategist, a girl who sees patterns where others see chaos. Billy is the entertainer, a boy whose jokes are the only way he can process the things he witnesses. Jessie is the outsider, a girl who was raised in a workhouse and knows the cost of a life without safety. Leopold is the outsider with a secret, a boy who carries a burden no one else in the gang understands. Alice is the anchor, a girl whose innocence makes the horror land harder.
The show gives each character a moment to shine. The relationships between them feel genuine, and the scenes where they argue, joke, and plan together carry the series more than any of the supernatural plot machinery does. The actors, all relatively unknown at the time the show was made, give performances that are confident and natural. They sell the idea that these are real people in a dangerous situation, not just props in a fantasy world.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
Henry Lloyd-Hughes plays Sherlock Holmes as a man of mystery and menace. He is not the genius detective of the stories; he is a shadowy figure with a plan and a purpose. His scenes are subtle, and they work. Royce Pierreson plays Dr. Watson as the antagonist in a way that is different from the books. He is not the loyal friend; he is the manipulator. The show sets up a relationship where the Irregulars are pawns, and the two older men are the ones pulling the strings.
The show never makes clear what either man wants from the gang. That ambiguity works in some episodes and fails in others. When the show leans into it, the tension between the Irregulars and their employers is the best part of the series. When the show pulls its punches, the plot loses steam.
The Supernatural Edge
The supernatural element is where the show stumbles. The crimes the teens solve start as strange and get worse, but the show never commits to what the supernatural is or what the dark power is. The threats are described in vague terms, and the show relies on mood rather than logic. The result is a series that promises horror but delivers atmosphere instead.
The supernatural is the one note that never lands. The show spends considerable time building dread, but the payoff never comes. The monsters, when they appear, are underexposed and underexplained. The show would have been better served by choosing a specific direction — a ghost story, a vampire story, a werewolf story — and sticking to it. Instead, it tries to be everything and ends up being nothing.
The Cancellation
The show was canceled after one season. That is a shame, because the first season had a strong start and a weak finish. The show was announced in December 2019, with Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Royce Pierreson, Clarke Peters, Thaddea Graham, Darci Shaw, Jojo Macari, McKell David and Harrison Osterfield joining the cast. In September 2020, Aidan McArdle joined as Inspector Lestrade and Olivia Grant as Patricia Coleman-Jones. Sheila Atim was also credited in December 2020 with an unknown role.
The cancellation came in May 2021. The show ended its run on 26 March 2021, its last episode airing that day. The series premiered on 26 March 2021, the same day it ended. That compressed timeline means the show had to race to a conclusion, and the pacing shows it. The final episodes rush through the climax and the resolution, leaving the viewer with more questions than answers.
The Verdict
The Irregulars is a show with a good idea and a weak execution. The teen actors are excellent, the premise is compelling, and the show knows how to build tension. But the supernatural elements are underdeveloped, the plot loses focus in the final stretch, and the cancellation means the story was never given a proper ending.
The show is worth watching for the performances and the character work. It is not worth watching for the scares or the payoff. It is a show that is better as a pilot than as a completed series, and that is a shame.
Key Facts
- Network: Netflix
- Created by: Tom Bidwell
- Premiere: 26 March 2021
- Last episode: 26 March 2021
- Episodes: 8
- Seasons: 1
- Score: 6.1/10
The show is available on Netflix, and it is worth a watch for anyone who wants to see young actors doing serious work. But the series never quite earns its supernatural setup, and the ending leaves the viewer wanting more than it delivers. The Irregulars is a promising show that never reached its full potential. It is a show that is best remembered for its characters, not its scares.
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