'Sherlock' Season 5 Renewal Update: Even A 2020 Premiere Is Unlikely

By Janna Dela Cruz, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, February 06, 2018

The fate of the hit BBC series "Sherlock" has been on limbo, but it looks like the adventures of the world's greatest detective are not set to see an end just yet. The bad news is that it might be a really long time before Benedict Cumberbatch suits up as Sherlock again.

In an interview with Radio Times, series co-creator Steve Moffat said that while "nobody has ever closed the door" on "Sherlock," they have yet to make concrete plans for the show's return.

The showrunner said, "We haven't got an immediate plan, but I would remain surprised, given the collective enthusiasm we have for it, if we didn't do it again. When, I don't know. I think maybe the time for a longer gap is upon us, I don't know. A longer gap? They're always long gaps!"

Long gaps are not anything new for fans of "Sherlock." In fact, they had to wait three years for the most recent season of the show to hit the small screen.

A lot of the delay and scheduling issues have to do with Cumberbatch and co-star Martin Freeman's packed schedules now that they have become huge movie stars since they started the show. Even Moffat and his "Sherlock" co-creator Mark Gatiss are busy working on their new series "Dracula."

That being said, even a 2020 premiere for "Sherlock" season 5 seems very unlikely at the moment. Looking at that three-year gap between season 3 and 4, the fact that there is no major development for the fifth run at this point in time indicates that the waiting game might be greater than that.

Moffat and Gatiss usually take a couple of years to put together one season of "Sherlock" featuring there episodes. That includes the production and post-production.

Thankfully, the test of patience will not be as torturous as it was in the past season. The finale of the fourth season had an air of finality to it — questions were answered, and no loose threads were left dangling.

So this time, fans will not be haunted by mysteries for the years to come as they wait for "Sherlock" season 5.