Honestly, if you missed the Sherwood 2019 TV series when it first dropped, nobody can really blame you. It was a strange time for the internet. YouTube was trying desperately to be Netflix, throwing millions at original programming like Cobra Kai and Step Up: High Water. Then, they decided to take the legend of Robin Hood and shove it into a flooded, dystopian London in the year 2112.
It’s a trip.
Most people hear "Robin Hood" and think of tights or Kevin Costner’s questionable accent. This wasn't that. This was a 10-episode animated saga where Robin is a teenage girl named Robin Loxley, a brilliant hacker trying to survive in a city where the rich live high above the clouds and the poor literally tread water. It’s gritty. It’s colorful. And it’s arguably one of the most underrated pieces of sci-fi animation from the late 2010s.
The weird history of the Sherwood 2019 TV series
The show didn't just appear out of thin air. It was produced by Baby Cow Productions—the same folks behind Philomena and The Mighty Boosh—which gives it a bit of a British pedigree that you can feel in the dialogue. It premiered on YouTube Premium back when that service was still called YouTube Red (mostly).
Here is the thing about the Sherwood 2019 TV series: it had a stellar voice cast that most people completely ignored. You had Anya Chalotra, right before she became a household name as Yennefer in The Witcher, voicing Robin. Then you had Joseph Fiennes as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Yes, the same Joseph Fiennes from The Handmaid’s Tale.
The budget was clearly there. The world-building was dense. But the marketing? Non-existent.
YouTube was in the middle of a massive identity crisis. They couldn't decide if they wanted to be a tech platform or a Hollywood studio. Because of that, Sherwood kind of drifted into the abyss of the "recommended" sidebar, despite being a legitimately well-crafted cyberpunk retelling of a classic myth. It’s a shame because the show tackled class warfare and climate change in a way that felt surprisingly urgent for a "kid's show."
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What actually happens in 2112 London?
The setting is the star of the show. Forget the forest. In the Sherwood 2019 TV series, the "Forest" is a submerged London. The aesthetics are heavily influenced by Blade Runner but with more grime and neon graffiti.
Robin Loxley isn't shooting wooden arrows at tax collectors. She’s using high-tech gauntlets and hacking into the "Upper City" to redistribute resources. It’s classic Robin Hood, just with more circuit boards. The Sheriff of Nottingham isn't a bumbling villain either; he’s a cold, calculated enforcer of a corporate-state hierarchy.
What’s interesting is how they handled the Merry Men.
They weren't just a band of thieves. They were a ragtag group of outcasts with different skill sets. You had Tucking (the Friar Tuck stand-in) and Much, but they felt like actual people with backstories rather than tropes. The show spent a lot of time on the ethics of their rebellion. Is it okay to steal if the system itself is the thief? It’s a heavy question for a show that was technically aimed at the 12-to-16-year-old demographic.
Why did it fail to get a Season 2?
Money. It almost always comes down to money.
By the time the Sherwood 2019 TV series finished its first season, YouTube was already pulling the plug on scripted originals. They realized they couldn't compete with Disney+ and Netflix by spending $5 million an episode on niche animation. They pivoted back to what they knew: unscripted content, creators, and "The Sidemen."
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It’s frustrating.
The first season ended on a massive cliffhanger that left fans (the few that were there) screaming for more. We never got to see the full fallout of Robin’s war against the Sheriff. We never got to see the "Upper City" truly reckoned with. The show exists now as a sort of digital ghost—a 10-episode capsule of what could have been a multi-season epic.
The technical side of the Sherwood 2019 TV series
If you’re a fan of animation, you’ve got to appreciate the work that went into this. The character designs were handled by Justin Wright, and the movement had this fluid, almost parkour-like energy to it.
It wasn't that stiff, "Flash-style" animation you see in a lot of budget web series.
- The color palette used heavy oranges and teals.
- The sound design featured a heavy electronic score.
- The voice acting was recorded with a level of grit usually reserved for prestige drama.
The writers didn't talk down to the audience. They assumed you knew how a dystopian society worked. They assumed you could follow a complex plot involving corporate espionage and artificial intelligence.
How to watch it now (and why you should)
You can still find the Sherwood 2019 TV series on YouTube. Actually, it’s one of the few "Premium" shows that eventually became free to watch with ads in many regions.
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If you are a fan of Arcane or Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, you will likely dig the vibe here. It’s not quite on that level of visual mastery—let's be real—but the heart is the same. It’s about the little guy standing up to a machine that wants to crush them.
You should watch it if you're tired of the same old "chosen one" narratives. Robin Loxley isn't a chosen one; she’s just a girl who is tired of seeing her friends starve while the people at the top drink clean water. It’s a perspective that feels even more relevant today than it did in 2019.
Check out the first episode, "The Workshop." It sets the tone perfectly. If you aren't hooked by the time Robin makes her first escape from the drones, then maybe cyberpunk isn't your thing. But for everyone else, it's a hidden gem that deserves a second life.
Real talk on the show's legacy
The Sherwood 2019 TV series didn't change the world. It didn't win ten Emmys. It didn't launch a massive franchise with toys and lunchboxes.
But it did prove that the Robin Hood legend is indestructible. You can strip away the bows, the arrows, the horses, and the literal forest, and the story still works. At its core, it’s a story about fairness.
The fact that YouTube let it die is a bummer, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying what’s there. Sometimes the best shows are the ones that only get one chance to shine. They don't have time to get bloated or boring. They just hit hard and leave you wanting more.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans and Newcomers
If you want to dive deeper into the world of Sherwood, don't just stop at the videos. Here is how you can actually engage with the series and its creators:
- Watch the YouTube Originals "Behind the Scenes" footage: There is a surprising amount of production material still hosted on the official Sherwood channel. It shows the motion capture and the early sketches for the flooded London.
- Follow the voice cast: Anya Chalotra and Joseph Fiennes have both spoken about their roles in various interviews. Tracking down their press tours from 2019 gives a lot of context on how they approached these "classic" characters in a sci-fi setting.
- Support the animation studio: Look up Baby Cow Productions and the other artists involved. Many of them moved on to massive projects at Netflix and Riot Games.
- Share the series: The only way these "lost" shows get a cult following is through word of mouth. If you like it, tell someone. Mention it in sci-fi forums. The Sherwood 2019 TV series might be over, but the fandom doesn't have to be.