‘Sherlock’ Season 4 Premieres Earlier Than Expected, Scheduled for New Year’s Day 2017; Benedict Cumberbatch Addresses Cancellation Rumors

‘Sherlock’ season 4 is expected to return to BBC One earlier than expected, specifically on New Year’s Day in 2017. Although rumors of a show cancellation has been going around, star Benedict Cumberbatch finally denied these rumors.

According to TV Line, the fourth season of the British-American crime television series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic detective is scheduled to premiere on January 1, 2017 in the U.S. and the U.K. It is reportedly scheduled to return to the small screen much earlier than expected. The incoming season will feature the return of the criminal mastermind Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) as well as introduce Toby Jones as the latest antagonist.

It was also reported by Deadline that season 4 will kick off with the first episode, entitled “The Six Thatchers”, with the reunion of Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as his friend and sidekick Dr. John Watson.

Directed by ‘The Flash’ and ‘Doctor Who’ helmer Rachel Talalay, the synopsis for episode 1 reads, “Sherlock will return to screens with three brand-new episodes promising laughter, tears, shocks, surprises and extraordinary cases… Series four begins with the nation’s favourite detective, the mercurial Sherlock Holmes, back once more on British soil, as Doctor Watson and his wife, Mary, prepare for their biggest ever challenge - becoming parents for the first time.”

The Emmy award-winning series already began production last April, with BBC One/Masterpiece teasing that the incoming season promises “laughter, tears, shocks, surprises and extraordinary cases.”

Co-creators, writers, and executive producers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss teased, “This is the story we’ve been telling from the beginning. A story about to reach its climax.” They added, “Sherlock series four — here we go again! Whatever else we do, wherever we all go, all roads lead back to Baker Street — and it always feels like coming home. Ghosts of the past are rising in the lives of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson bringing adventure, romance and terror in their wake.”

Cumberbatch also expressed his excitement over returning to the series saying that he was “genuinely thrilled” to be working on the series again with all his cast mates as well as crew. He said, “I can’t wait for everyone to see season four. But you will have to wait… though not for long. … And it will be worth it.”

It was speculated that the three-part season 4 will be the final season of the series. Cumberbatch made headlines when he told GQ that it “might be the end of an era.” However, he addressed these rumors in another interview saying, “Listen I know where this [rumour] came from. This came from an arts desk or any kind of news outlet going, "Oh we really need a story", so they sort of shipped out this quote which said that I said, "This is the last one", which is not what I said.”

He continued, “I said, "for the time being". And you'll see when you watch [the new series], that there's a good reason why I said that. We won't be doing one immediately after this one airs. That's all I meant. We never ever say never on that show. We love doing it.”

Cumberbatch added, “There might come a time [when the show ends], or there might come a time when there's a big gap. That's a possibility.”

‘Sherlock’ season 4 is scheduled to premiere on BBC One on January 1, 2017.