'Sherlock' Returning for Season 4 and a Special, But No Details Yet

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Benedict Cumberbatch films "Sherlock" in London in April 2013.

Image: Simon James/FilmMagic

By Sandra Gonzalez2014-07-02 15:44:07 UTC

Sherlock fans knew this news was coming, but that doesn't make it any less brilliant: The show is returning for a three-episode Season 4 and a special, too.

"Of course, it's far too early to say what's coming, but we're reasonably confident that the very next thing to happen to Sherlock and John, is the very last thing you'd expect," co-creator and executive producer Steven Moffat said in a statement.

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The filming for the special is set to begin in January 2015, while the new season will enter production later that year, the BBC announced Wednesday on Twitter.

Martin Freeman, who plays Dr. John Watson on the show, spilled the unofficial beans about the special earlier this week to the Telegraph, and at the time, said it was set to air around Christmas.

Sue Vertue of Hartswood Films, which produces the show, acknowledged there was some difficulty in setting the shooting dates; stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Freeman are in high demand, but she added "there was unanimous goodwill to make it work." Cumberbatch is currently filming the crime movie Black Mass with Johnny Depp, and Freeman just wrapped up a run on FX's Fargo.

While few details were given on the upcoming Season 4, last season ended with Moriarty's face popping up on every TV screen in London. Co-creator and executive producer Mark Gatiss said the new episodes will take Sherlock and Watson "into deeper and darker water than ever before."

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Topics: Entertainment, Sherlock, sherlock holmes, Television