Fans of the British television crime series "Sherlock" may not need to wait two years for the fourth season to air, as is usually the case with the previous three.
According to an article on Radio Times, the production and staff are looking to bring all the main actors together by 2015 to start shooting for season four, with the goal to start airing by the end of the same year.
An anonymous source quoted on the feature said: "It will not be this year -- but 2015 is very much the hope and expectation."
The first three seasons all took about two years before the next one was aired, making fans expect that season 4 will be on the same rate to show in 2016. But, in the public screening of the season three finale, producer Sue Vertue said that the team is working on the dates and looking to get the episodes completed as quickly as they can. So, yes, it may be very safe to say that one year is a reasonable wait.
Of course, no Sherlock run is without a pre-season one-episode special--and because the previous specials have generated so much positive feedback from critics and fans, it is likely that we'll get treated to one before the first episode of S4 gets shown. In an interview on Alan Carr's talk show "Chatty Man," Martin Freeman, who plays John Watson, said this possibility is very much almost a fact.
"Mark Gatiss may beat me up, but there's an idea for this one-off special that's such a good idea, and as I was listening to it I thought 'we've just got to do this.' And I don't know when we are going to be able to do it, unfortunately. It's a really mouth-watering idea, but I really don't know when we are going to get to do it," Freeman said, in an article on Cult Box.
Whether the exact date will be revealed sooner or later, what is certain is that we can all expect a series of shockers and new revelations for the next season. For one, because "His Last Vow," ended in a cliffhanger, with fans speculating that Moriarty may still be alive, we can expect that Sherlock's biggest nemesis could be making a very historic return.
Sherlock himself, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, may also be involved in several love-linked situations. Will he be finally hooking up with Molly? Remember the two shared a big kiss in season three that led social media to a frenzy. Or will he be seeing more of Irene Adler (Lara Pulver) or Mary's friend Janine? John and Mary's family life will also likely be given more attention, given that Mary was in the third trimester when the season closed, and viewers may also be treated to the presence of a new family member: Sherlock's other brother Sherrinford Holmes.
To this writing, whatever happens next on "Sherlock" and when it will air exactly seem to be up in the air. But, one thing's for sure, season four will not be the last of the series. In an interview with The Guardian, producer Steve Moffatt has said the team is already plotting storylines for future seasons.