Will It Happen? Everything We Know

The BBC’s Sherlock was a favorite among fans, and while there has been a lot of Sherlock season 5 news and rumors for years, nothing has materialized. Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes is one of the most recognizable literary characters, and his success has been such that he and his most memorable cases have been adapted to all types of media. The BBC version, simply titled Sherlock, was created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss and brought the Great Detective (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his partner John Watson (Martin Freeman) to modern-day London.

Sherlock was praised for its stories and the performances of its main cast, especially the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock himself. The show aired from 2010 to 2017 for four seasons, one mini-episode, and a special episode, and while the first two seasons were very well-received by critics and viewers, the final seasons weren’t as successful. Still, rumors about Sherlock season 5 have been floating around for years, with Gatiss and Moffat giving fans hope from time to time. Despite that, Sherlock season 5 has remained a mystery.

The Latest Sherlock Season 5 News

Steven Moffat Addresses Season 5

Though there are no official plans to make the next season yet, the latest news finds Steven Moffat discussing Sherlock season 5. Expressing an opinion that is held by many concerning the beloved TV adaptation, Moffat said that “It seems madness not to do it,” and piggybacked on earlier comments made by producer Sue Vertue. Though he reinforced that no plans are in the works yet, he did make it clear that he and co-creator Mark Gatiss are enthusiastic about bringing Sherlock Holmes back to the small screen again.

Read Moffat’s comments here:

“I’d love to do it again. Look, it’s not a format that wears out. It’s over a hundred years old and going strong, so why aren’t we making more?

Sue only said that because she was asked

and suddenly it becomes an announcement about a film. There is no news here. We’re just fending off that question, as ever.

We would happily do it again and I hope someday that we do. It seems perverse not to. You make enough shows in your lifetime that no one gives a flying one about, so it’s nice to have one that people are passionate about. It’s almost presumptuous, almost arrogant, not to do it again. But there are no hard plans, none at all.

[We] actually do have an idea. The idea is basically go back and do it again—but slightly more specific than that… It would be nice to see them just a little bit older , because it was always very foregrounded in our version that they were younger, let alone the fact that they were updated. It’d be quite nice to see them at more of a Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke age, a bit more Rathbone and Bruce. I think that would be lovely. Now we can see the more famously middle-aged version.

There’s an audience waiting for it. It seems madness not to do it.”

Sherlock Season 5 is Not Confirmed

No Season 5 Quite Yet

the only real reason for the BBC to keep making
Sherlock
season 5 would be that Doyle’s works are in the public domain, and Sherlock Holmes is, therefore, one of the cheapest IPs

There has been no concrete movement on Sherlock season 5 since 2017, but because Sherlock Holmes belongs to the public domain, there will always be new adaptations of the character. There’s very little motivating Sherlock season 5, since the actors are busy, there’s no more story to tell, and the show has already hit a downward trend. As such, the only real reason for the BBC to keep making Sherlock season 5 would be that Doyle’s works are in the public domain, and Sherlock Holmes is, therefore, one of the cheapest IPs on which to base television materials.

Sherlock
season 4 concluded on January 17, 2017.

Sherlock Season 5 Cast Details

Will Sherlock & Watson Return?

The initial problem impeding the show back in 2017 when Sherlock season 4 concluded was Cumberbatch and Freeman’s schedules. Their careers took off during Sherlock, and both Freeman and Cumberbatch are now part of the MCU in addition to other massive projects, so it’s understandable that finding a Sherlock season 5 schedule that works for everyone has been difficult.

Gatiss, Cumberbatch, and Freeman have all expressed interest at one time or another in Sherlock season 5, but they always expressed uncertainty about it actually happening. Moffat insisted he was still open to reviving Sherlock, but reminded the audience that, at the end of the day, it all depends on Cumberbatch and Freeman’s availability.

The most logical cast for Sherlock season 5 would include:

Sherlock Season 5 Story Details

What Happens After Season 4’s Conclusive Ending?

One of the biggest questions when talking about Sherlock season 5 is what the main plot of the season could be, and the truth is that there’s little the show could do now, as the detective’s best cases have already been used. Surely, there are still some cases Sherlock season 5 could use, but a big part of the charm of the series was seeing those classic cases playing out in the modern world. Sherlock season 4 wasn’t a favorite for critics and viewers, but it did one thing right by giving the show a true ending.

Though the loose ends were tied up and the partnership of Watson and Holmes was forever cemented, season 5 of Sherlock could still put the dynamic duo through a slew of fascinating modern mysteries. The life-or-death stakes made the story interesting, but as a million cozy British mystery programs prove, stakes aren’t always necessary when it comes to mysteries. On the other hand, Sherlock season 5 could throw continuity to the wind and simply ignore the season 4 ending.