While season 4 is just coming up, one of the showrunners has implied that it would not be the end of the series!
Sherlock has amassed an incredible number of fans since its creation, of course thanks to a fabulous cast (Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are the centerpieces), but also thanks to the involvement of the two showrunners of the series, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. And the latter would have hinted in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that season 4 is not planned as the last ! Some difficulties arise for the film crew who struggle to bring everyone together, resulting in differences of several years between seasons, but this may not be fatal to the series.
Warning, BIG spoiler of episode 1 of season 4 below!
Steven Moffat explained to Entertainment Weekly why Mary's death had to be done in the first episode of the season: "We had a big debate on this issue. We wondered if we should kill her in episode 1 or more traditionally in episode 3, at the end of the season. We finally decided that it would be a shame to have to wait two years to show how much Sherlock and Watson blame each other. We wanted to keep the momentum of the show and show that the following week, with episode 2."
We must admit that we rather agree with his motivations and that this gives a first reason to heal our little broken hearts by a first episode at the tragic end. But what must also be noted from this statement is that they do not intend to stop at the end of this fourth season ! On the other hand, it seems quite possible that season 5, if it materializes, will wait at least two years, maybe even more.
The second episode of season 4 of Sherlock, called The Lying Detective, will air tomorrow on the BBC! Enjoy it, there are only 8 days left before the end of the season (and yes, already…) !
