Sherlock Season 3 Trailer Teases A Return And A New Threat

Following some new images for the upcoming third season of Sherlock comes an actual trailer for Series 3, which teases the title character’s grand return. As you’ll note, this trailer comes from BBC One and promotes the U.K. debut of Sherlock, which is set to arrive on New Year’s Day. Those of us living stateside will have to wait until January 19 for the series to debut on PBS Masterpiece.

As the trailer indicates, Sherlock has returned. That’s hardly a major spoiler, considering he’s the star of the show, but as Watson notes, he’s doesn’t care how Sherlock faked his death, he wants to know why. Meanwhile, it’s revealed to Sherlock that Watson is no longer on Baker Street. Yes, it seems a lot has changed in the two years that have passed between Seasons 2 and 3. Sherlock has some catching up to do, and it also looks like he wants to get to know London all over again. Oh, and did we mention there’s a terrorist threat? It would seem that’s the reason he’s returning. London is in danger and it might be Sherlock Holmes who gets to the bottom of the mystery.

Finally, who’s the one person who thought they didn’t matter at all to Sherlock who actually mattered the most? A lot of faces flashed while Sherlock was saying that. The Mirror speculates that it’s morgue worker Molly Hooper. What do you think? UK fans may find out on New Year’s Day, while the rest of us — or those of us who don’t go digging for spoilers between premiere dates — will have to wait.

But UK viewers won’t have to wait much longer for their first taste of new Sherlock, as Hypable says BBC One is set to premiere a Sherlock mini-episode online on Christmas Day. The site reports that the mini-episode is titled “Many Happy Returns” and will be available via BBC’s Red Button service and online starting December 25. The vague synopsis for this bonus installment is that Sherlock has been gone for 2 years, “But someone isn’t quite convinced that he’s dead…” Will it be Watson? It’s possible, especially if he’s no longer on Baker Street. This mini-episode might offer a bit of catch-up to explain where he’s gone. We’ll find out in a matter of weeks. And hopefully it’s accessible to viewers in the U.S.

Here are a couple of those new stills: