New Season of 'Sherlock' Rings in 2017

New Season of 'Sherlock' Rings in 2017

It's been a long time coming, but the fourth season of Sherlock is finally here. Or, rather, it will be here on January 1, when the season's first episode airs in the United States on PBS.

The season's first episode, titled "The Six Thatchers," has Holmes dealing with a dead but somehow still very troublesome Moriarty. Perhaps even more baffling to Holmes is the arrival of Rosamund, John and Mary Watson's baby daughter.

The fourth season, unfortunately, consists only of three 90-minute episodes which will air weekly beginning the first of the year. That means we'll be clamoring for a fifth season before the first month of 2017 is over.

When and if that fifth season happens is still very much an open question, however. Stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, as well as creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, have said that they're open to doing another season, but working around the successful actors' busy schedule is a huge challenge. If season 5 happens, the gap between it and season 4 might make the three-year wait for the fourth season feel like the blink of an eye.