Benedict Cumberbatch reveals something about Sherlock Series 4 that could be bad news for fans of the show.
For some time, the topic of the BBC’s long-awaited Sherlock Series 4 has been connected to rumors of the show’s impending coda. It’s certainly an understandable narrative, seeing as Benedict Cumberbatch has rocketed to global superstardom since the show launched in 2010, only spitting out sporadic series outings due to his busy schedule. However, the latest rumor might be the most potent, coming straight from the horse’s mouth.
In an interview with British GQ, the titular detective of Sherlock himself, Benedict Cumberbatch, made some provocative comments that might be a harsh harbinger regarding the show’s future. At best, it implies that it could be an extremely long time after the recently-wrapped Series 4 until we see him reprise the role. At worst, it might be an indicator that he's outgrown the role. However, what is clear is that Series 4 will be a bellwether moment for the show. According to Cumberbatch:
“It might be the end of an era. It feels like the end of an era, to be honest. It goes to a place where it will be pretty hard to follow on immediately.”
Sherlock is certainly no stranger to the art of artful cliffhanger endings poetic enough to serve as the show's finale. Even with the 2012 Series 2 finale “The Reichenbach Fall” – a radical reimagining of author Arthur Conan Doyle’s original story in which he famously “killed off” Sherlock Holmes – the episode ended in a place of closure that was ambiguous enough to serve as a premature series finale; something that felt especially ominous, since Cumberbatch’s film career was taking off at the time with prospective prestige roles in Star Trek Into Darkness, 12 Years a Slave and The Fifth Estate looming. Of course, he returned for Series 3, albeit two years later. Likewise, Cumberbatch isn’t quite putting a definitive stamp of finality after Series 4, stating:
“We never say never on the show. I’d love to revisit it, I’d love to keep revisiting it, I stand by that, but in the immediate future we all have things that we want to crack on with and we’ve made something very complete as it is, so I think we’ll just wait and see. The idea of never playing him again is really galling.”
It does seem encouraging that there’s still a palpable level of passion present in Cumberbatch’s words. Indeed, despite the actor’s growing fame and awards circuit accolades, Sherlock still seems to be an artistically rewarding experience, especially with this past New Year’s hybrid retro-Victorian-era murder mystery “The Abominable Bride” recently garnering Cumberbatch a Golden Globe win. However, it is all but certain that a prospective Series 5 will necessarily arrive far, FAR down the road, should it even happen at all, due not only to Cumberbatch’s project-stacked stardom, but the busy schedule of co-star Martin Freeman, as well.
Sherlock Series 4 is expected to broadcast on the BBC in the U.K. and PBS in the U.S. sometime in 2017.