If there’s one thing we know for certain about the future of Sherlock, it’s that it’s messy. Despite the massive global following the mystery series has received since its 2010 debut, its fourth season – and especially its finale – was plagued by fan, critic, and even some of the performers’ disapproval.
However, there are still a great deal of people who hope that a fifth season happens. Star Benedict Cumberbatch has said he wouldn’t mind reprising the role, but not to “hold your breath.” And creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have already boldly expressed their interest in continuing the show, though they’ve cited their involvement in Dracula as their number one priority.
The latter is probably the main reason the BBC has yet to comment on the possibility of another installment, though there are a lot of things to consider.
Among the most important details is that while he may be interested, it’s not like Cumberbatch has a lot of extra time on his hands. The Doctor Strange star has film and TV roles already extending well past 2019, including The Time Traveler’s Wife, another Steven Moffat-led show.
But even if a new season were pushed through, it wouldn’t have a lot of support in front of the camera. That is, if the creators and writers go the same route they did their last go around.
Amanda Abbington, who’s played John Watson’s wife Mary across the last two seasons, has been perhaps the most vocal of the crew in criticizing the fan-service approach that Sherlock‘s last batch of episodes took.
“I love [co-creator] Steven Moffat, but I think they started to pander to the fans, involving a lot of the fandom stuff. I thought, ‘You should just stick to the stories, because they’re much more interesting’.”
However, she’s not the only one. Martin Freeman, the man behind Dr. Watson, has also said that the fandom’s interference in the creative process has made the show less fun to produce – especially when it comes to the lacking depiction of Holmes’ and Watson’s sexuality.
But what say you? Would you like to see Sherlock return for one last season? Or maybe even more? Let us know in the comments section below.