‘Sherlock’ Season 5 Air Date, Casts, Writers: How Long Is the Show's Hiatus?

The conversation about “Sherlock” Season 5 being produced is still making the rounds on the web and fans still hold a glimmer of hope for the return of the crime-solving drama. A report coming from Otaku Art claims that the next installment is indeed going to happen, although the site didn’t mention when it will actually air.

The piece recalls a lot of quotes from various cast and crew members involved in the show and is quite optimistic about the possibility of “Sherlock” Season 5. Unfortunately, optimism will not get production rolling.

It has already been well established that “Sherlock” Season 5 will not be returning anytime soon due to the schedules of the stars and the writers being occupied with their own respective projects. Benedict Cumberbatch – the actor playing Sherlock – is tied with Disney at the moment and still has three more MCU movies to shoot before his contract expires.

Martin Freeman – the actor playing Dr. Watson – is also involved with Disney and has two more MCU projects to finish before his agreement with Disney concludes. Moreover, co-creator Steven Moffatt has also signed with HBO and agreed to write an adaptation of “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” All these crammed-up schedules ensure that “Sherlock” Season 5 will not be airing this year or even in 2019.

Co-creator, writer and actor Mark Gatiss said that it will take at least four years before any discussion of a “Sherlock” Season 5 possibility will be brought up again. And given Freeman and Cumberbatch’s movie line-up, that presumption will likely stand.

What’s more, Gatiss also said that he’s contented with how the crime-solving drama ended, which implies that “Sherlock” Season 5 may not be happening altogether. However, Steven Moffatt did say that they aren’t completely ruling out the possibility of a fifth installment.

There’s also the fact that the show has a notorious reputation of having long spaces between seasonal releases. Given that the final episode of the previous installment aired in January 2017, it’s only been over a year since “Sherlock” graced television screens. So fans waiting for “Sherlock” Season 5 shouldn’t get their hopes up and should expect the crime-solving series to be in hiatus for quite a while. If it comes back at all.