Federation sold "Sherlock & Daughter" to new major territories

Federation International, the distribution arm of Federation Studios, has announced a wave of international sales for the crime thriller series “Sherlock & Daughter” (8 × 1 hour). The series is produced by Starlings Television Distribution through its affiliate Albion Television, in association with The CW and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Nominated for Best Global Fiction Series at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Television Festival, this fresh take on the iconic detective character originally created by Arthur Conan Doyle—now played by Emmy-nominated actor David Thewlis—has resonated with both critics and audiences in the US and Australia. In the US, the show ranked as the #1 series on The CW Network and the #2 on The CW’s streaming platform. Within just 48 hours of its debut on HBO Max US, it soared to #4 on the platform and has remained in the top 10 ever since. In Australia, SBS reported a 150% increase in total audience share across the first four episodes.

Federation International holds global distribution rights for the series, excluding Germany and German-speaking Europe, where rights are managed by Palatin Media. “Sherlock & Daughter” is a CW Original in association with Warner Bros. Discovery. It is produced by Starlings Television Distribution via Albion Television, and co-produced by StoryFirst, with financing support from Krempelwood and MBM3.

The company has closed multiple deals for “Sherlock & Daughter” in key territories, including Sky Italia, Bell Media in Canada, RTS in Switzerland, Nova in Greece, Disney in the Balkans, Tivibu in Turkey, and TV3 Group in the Baltics. Discussions are ongoing in Germany and other German-speaking regions. Presales for the series included Warner Bros. Discovery in the U.K. and Ireland, YLE in Finland, NRK in Norway, SVT in Sweden, DR in Denmark, RÚV in Iceland, and Amedia in the CIS region.

“Sherlock & Daughter” follows the legendary detective as he takes on a mysterious and dangerous case that leaves even him at a loss—until he encounters Amelia Rojas, a young woman reeling from the murder of her mother. As the two join forces to solve the case, Amelia seeks to prove that she is, in fact, the daughter of Sherlock Holmes.

Directed by Bryn Higgins, the series stars David Thewlis (“Fargo”) as Sherlock Holmes, Blu Hunt as Amelia Rojas, and Dougray Scott—an International Emmy and BAFTA Award-winner—as Moriarty. The show is created, written, and executive produced by Brendan Foley, with James Duff (“The Closer”) serving as showrunner.