The BBC may not have announced the official season 4 release date for Sherlock but PBS has hinted at a time frame for when fans can expect the new season. Paula Kreger, President and CEO of PBS, revealed at the 2016 TCA winter press that season 4 will be arriving next year.
“We do have the next Sherlock announced, that is coming up about a year from now,” said Kerger to Zap2it.
Ultimately, the release date will depend on Benedict Cumberbatch’s schedule.
“As you know, Benedict has gotten to be somewhat popular since we began our work with him,” Kreger told Zap2it, “and he very much wants to continue with Sherlock . As you know, they are produced almost like films, and we’re hoping the next one will be about a year from now.”
Earlier this year, a one-episode special aired that took viewers back to the Victorian era. While the 90-minute special, The Abominable Bride, was a stand-alone episode, it did serve to bridge the gap between season 3 and season 4.
In the season 3 finale, Sherlock’s nemesis Moriarty seemingly returned even though the character shot himself in the head in a previous season. Fans do not have to wait a year to learn whether or not Moriarty is dead, as Sherlock addressed this in the special episode. "Of course Moriarty is dead," said Sherlock. "And I know exactly what he's going to do next."
If the special episode serves as framework to Moriarty’s mysterious reappearance, then it would imply that the villain created a network of protégés to carry out his work after his death.
“All I can say is, this is a major, life-changing series for the regulars," said co-creator Mark Gatiss, who plays Sherlock’s brother on the show, to Entertainment Weekly. "The repercussions of Moriarty’s apparent return are far-reaching. It’s very big stuff.”
Filming for the new season is slated to begin this spring, reports Collider .
