Here’s why Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Isn’t Returning with Another Season ( Photo Credit – Facebook )
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It has been seven years since we last saw Benedict Cumberbatch in the costume of the brilliant eccentric detective in Sherlock. The show aired only 13 episodes during its four-season run but won several accolades and became a fan favorite for its stellar writing, direction, and performances.
While the audience has been waiting for a new season of the show since 2017, the makers neither officially confirmed nor cancelled it, leaving the series’ fate ambiguous. Well, the show’s co-creator has finally revealed the reason why Sherlock is not returning with a fifth season.
Sherlock Co-Creator Steven Moffat Reveals The Series Cannot Be Revived Because of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman
Steven Moffat, who created the BBC mystery crime drama along with Mark Gatiss, has revealed that Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman’s busy schedules are to blame for Sherlock’s not getting a revival. The two actors play the lead roles in the series, as the titular detective and his companion, Dr. John Watson, respectively.
In a recent interview, Moffat said that he would love to work on the show again, but the two ‘big stars’ need to be onboard. “It’s not a format that will wear out. Sherlock Holmes will never wear out. I’d love to do it again. I would absolutely love to again. I’m easy, but you need to get the two big stars. That’s the problem,” said the creator.
The other creator, Gatiss, also echoed similar thoughts in an interview in April this year, revealing that he would love to make a film based on Sherlock if the lead actors agree to be a part of it. “We’d like to make a film but trying to get everyone together is very difficult. You’d have to ask Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman,” he stated.
The Two Actors Earlier Said They Would Return to the Show if the Script and Circumstances are Right
While Cumberbatch and Freeman’s packed schedule might be the reason behind Sherlock’s absence from the screen, the two actors said earlier that they are willing to reprise their roles under the right circumstances. In November 2021, Cumberbatch told Esquire, “I really like that character… it’s just, the circumstances need to be right, and I think maybe it’s too soon now to see it have another life.”
“I think, wonderful as it is, it’s had its moment for now. But that’s not to say it wouldn’t have another iteration in the future,” the 47-year-old actor added. A year later, Freeman, 52, also expressed similar feelings about returning as Dr. Watson, and said, “I think it’s natural for things to end…but I’m also a sucker for a good idea and a good script. If something comes up that persuades us all – it would have to be us all – then my door would always be open.”
