Sherlock Season 4 Finally on Its Way

It's now been more than two years since the final episode of Sherlock's third season aired, and it was beginning to look as if the next season of the hugely popular BBC series was never going to happen. But good news surfaced this week: production on the new season has begun, and the series is back on track.

Filming of Sherlock's fourth season had been delayed indefinitely because of the complicated schedules of stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Since the end of Sherlock's last season, Cumberbatch has appeared in The Imitation Game and Black Mass, and he's worked on various projects, including Warner Bros. Jungle Book and Doctor Strange. Freeman has worked on The Hobbit, Captain America: Civil War and Tina Fey's Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, along with several TV projects.

The next season of Sherlock will follow the format of previous seasons, with just three feature-length episodes. Details are sparse, but we know that Watson and Mary are expecting a baby and "ghosts" will be an important part of the episodes' story arc. The first episode of the season will be directed by Rachel Talalay, who has directed episodes of Doctor Who and The Flash.

The BBC has not yet announced an air date for the new season, but speculation puts the date somewhere near the beginning of 2017.