Benedict Cumberbatch Is Signed On To Sherlock Through At Least Season 4

Benedict Cumberbatch has some great news for Sherlock fans. The leading man talked about the BBC1 hit drama, which airs on PBS in the U.S., on Tuesday, noting that not only has the series signed on for Season 3, a fourth season is apparently happening, as well.

Cumberbatch spoke with Radio Times on Tuesday, noting that both he and his co-star Martin Freeman, who plays Watson on the show, are signed on for a total of six more episodes. Since Sherlock only creates three lengthy episodes a season, six episodes would mean two seasons are in the cards.

"We've agreed to two more series but I could get into trouble for saying that. All I know at the moment is I'm doing these three and another three."

The “these three” the actor is discussing are the Season 3 episodes that are already in the works. Initially, these episodes were supposed to appear this spring, but schedules for many of the actors have pushed back the production date. Only yesterday, some new directors were added for Season 3, and it was announced the show will get a winter premiere date in the U.K. with a U.S. airing some months later. That’s a long time to wait for Season 3, but at least it looks like the next batch of episodes won’t be the end of the series. In fact, Cumberbatch says he would like to continue into the foreseeable future, provided everyone’s schedule allows for it.

"It just depends on Martin and I's availability, how long we can keep it going. It depends on Steven's ability. I'd love to keep it going."

So, there you have it Sherlock fans. The hit series is sticking around, hopefully for a long, long while.

Jessica Rawden
Managing Editor

Jessica Rawden is Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. She’s been kicking out news stories since 2007 and joined the full-time staff in 2014. She oversees news content, hiring and training for the site, and her areas of expertise include theme parks, rom-coms, Hallmark (particularly Christmas movie season), reality TV, celebrity interviews and primetime. She loves a good animated movie. Jessica has a Masters in Library Science degree from Indiana University, and used to be found behind a reference desk most definitely not shushing people. She now uses those skills in researching and tracking down information in very different ways.