‘Sherlock’ Season 5 Air Date, Spoilers: Earliest Possible Premiere Could be in 2022 if Show Gets Renewed

A new year has arrived but any piece of new information about “Sherlock” season 5 is still elusive. But is there a possibility that the series could return in 2022?

The first four series of “Sherlock” was released with three episodes each and over the course of seven years since 2010. So a hiatus that spans for a couple of years is not new for the franchise. But the difference with the break prior to “Sherlock” season 5 is the fact that show creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are currently working on the Claes Bang-starring miniseries “Dracula” for BBC and Netflix.

There has not been any news that would indicate the unlikelihood of “Sherlock” season 5’s release. Though the showrunners and cast remain enthusiastic about continuing the series, it is important to note, ultimately, there are no official updates yet about its production as well.

However, fans can speculate about the show’s future based on the most recent statements from the cast and showrunners when asked about “Sherlock” season 5. Generally, they all welcome the idea of working together again in the coming years. But they all agree that it is not happening anytime soon.

So why the 2022 premiere date speculation? Earlier in 2018, Gatiss told Radio Times, “We’re doing Dracula, which is going to take two years at least.” So assuming that, after “Dracula,” BBC would call for “Sherlock” season 5’s production and the regular cast is still on board, the Benedict Cumberbatch- and Martin Freeman-starring series might come back around that time.

Again, this is just a mere estimation for “Sherlock” season 5 based on prior statements and the show’s timeline of previous release dates. But there are a lot more factors to consider such as Cumberbatch’s and Freeman’s schedules. This has been quite an issue as Moffat told the Telegraph in 2014, “Well, apparently Benedict and Martin are quite popular in the movies these days so it's quite difficult to schedule around them. And obviously Mark and I have our other commitments too, but it's just a matter of scheduling. We're all keen to continue."