Summary
Talks about a revival of the BBC’sSherlockcontinue, but the latest update makes me feel relieved that it might never happen. Sherlock Holmes is one of the most popular and beloved literary characters, and it’s not surprising that he and his many cases have been adapted to other media for many, many years. The state ofthe rights to Sherlock Holmeshas allowed different artists to make changes and adaptations to Holmes and company, such as modernizing them, expanding the Holmes family, and introducing new characters. Among the most successful recent adaptations of the Great Detective is the BBC’sSherlock.
Created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat,Sherlockbrought the detective and other characters from Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories to modern-day London, updating many of his cases to fit the current technology and more.Sherlockaired from 2010 to 2017 for a total of four seasons, one mini-episode, and one special, and though it had a strong start, the show’s quality quickly declined following Sherlock’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) fake death in “The Reichenbach Fall”. Talks about a fifth season or a movie have happened for years, but a new update makes me feel relieved thatSherlockmight never be revived.
Sherlock: Every Book Case Referenced By The BBC Show
Sherlock brought the Great Detective to the modern world, but it took a lot of inspiration from the books. Here’s every case referenced by the show.
A Sherlock Revival Seems More And More Unlikely
Sherlock’s Future Has Been Uncertain For Too Long
Moffat and Gatiss had already plotted seasons four and five, but the latter’s future was unclear once season 4 was released.
Sherlockpremiered on the BBC in 2010 to great success, with critics praising its visual narrative, the performances of Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman (Dr. John Watson), and the overall tone of the show. After a disappointing decline in seasons 3 and 4,Sherlockended in 2017 with what’s widely regarded as the show’s worst episode, but the final scenes gave some hope for a revival at some point. In 2014, while the show was in its third season, Moffat toldThe Independentthat he and Gatiss had already plotted seasons four and five, but the latter’s future was unclear once season 4 was released.
In 2017,Gatiss said thatSherlockseason 4might be the definitive end of the series, as even though Cumberbatch and Freeman were (supposedly) signed for five seasons, it had become increasingly difficult to bring them back together due to their busy schedules. Later that year,Gatiss gave new hope for a fifth season ofSherlockbut said it would take longer than what fans expected. In 2021,Cumberbatch said thatSherlockseason 5or even a movie could happen if “the script’s right”, but emphasized that he and Freeman were too busy with other projects.
Later that year,Freeman echoed Cumberbatch’s wordsbut added that they also had to take into account if they had outstayed their welcome with the audience. The latest update onSherlock’s future came from Moffat in an interview withMetro, where he insisted that he would “do it tomorrow” and would love to do it again, but ultimately,the problem continues to be how busy Cumberbatch and Freeman are.
Sherlock Season 4 Makes Me Not Want Another Season (Or Movie)
Sherlock Hit Rock Bottom With Season 4
As much as I feelSherlockdeserves redemption for the disasters that were seasons 3 and 4, the latter was so bad and disappointing that it makes me not want a revival of any kind. As a fan of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books,Sherlockwas an exciting take on the characters and their stories, and the way the show represented Sherlock’s train of thought and deduction process was absolutely amazing. Like every otherSherlockviewer, I was emotionally destroyed by “The Reichenbach Fall” and spent countless hours reading the most creative and amazing theories onhow Sherlock survived the fall.
Sherlockgradually forgot what makes the detective such an interesting character.
My first disappointment withSherlockwas its “explanation” of how he faked his death. The series never actually explained it and left it open to the audience’s interpretation, as Anderson (bless his soul) may or may not have hallucinated Sherlock explaining how he did it.Sherlockseason 3 quickly left that behind and went straight to introducing Mary Morstan (Amanda Abbington) and giving her an unnecessary villainous twist. On top of all that,Sherlockgradually forgot what makes the detective such an interesting character, and he was completely different from season 1’s Sherlock by the time season 4 arrived.
Sherlockseason 4’s biggest crime was introducing Eurus Holmes, the “secret” and highly problematic sister of Sherlock and Mycroft. Eurus’ presence made no sense and she was the mastermind of the most nonsensical “trap” in the whole series,leavingSherlockwith the most underwhelming, confusing, and frustrating series finale.
Sherlock, Mycroft, or Eurus: Who The Most Intelligent Holmes Sibling Is
Sherlock introduced a third Holmes sibling named Eurus, who was an evil genius – but who is the smartest Holmes sibling? Let’s take a look.
IfSherlockseason 5or a movie happened, it would have to do a lot of damage control, and as much as I would love to see Cumberbatch and Freeman again as Sherlock and Watson,a revival is a lot riskier than it seems thanks to everything seasons 3 and 4 messed with. ASherlockrevival also has time against itself, as too long has passed since the disaster that was season 4, and my fellowSherlockenthusiasts might not be interested in it anymore.
BBC’s Sherlock Already Has Different Replacements
Sherlock Holmes Is Getting Many More Adaptations
There will be plenty ofSherlock Holmescontent in the near future, leaving no room (or interest) for a Sherlock revival.
Another reason whySherlockdoesn’t need a revival of any kind is that there’s already plenty of Sherlock Holmes content that can replace it. The most exciting current Sherlock Holmes-related project is theEnola Holmesmovie series, based on the book seriesThe Enola Holmes Mysteriesby Nancy Springer.Enola Holmesintroduces Sherlock and Mycroft’s youngest sister(but one much better than Eurus), who becomes a detective like her famous brother following their mother’s disappearance. The success ofEnola Holmesled to a sequel, and a third movie is in the works.
Anotherupcoming Sherlock Holmes projectthat expands the detective’s personal life is The CW’s TV seriesSherlock & Daughter, starring David Thewlis as Holmesand Blu Hunt as the young woman who believes she might be his daughter.The CBS will bring a TV series centered on John Watson(and simply titledWatson), which is described as a medical procedural series. Morris Chestnut will play Watson, and it will focus on his work after the death of his famous best friend, as well as on his ongoing battle with Moriarty.
Last but not least isYoung Sherlock. The series will have Guy Ritchie as director and will be released on Prime Video, but despite Ritchie’s involvement, it’s unrelated to hisSherlock Holmesmovies starring Robert Downey Jr.Young Sherlockis based on the young adult novels of the same name by Andrew Lane, and will follow the detective in the 1860s and 1870s as he solves various mysteries. There will be plenty ofSherlock Holmescontent in the near future, leaving no room (or interest) for aSherlockrevival if it finally makes it out of development hell.
Source:The Independent,Metro.
Sherlock
In this incarnation of Sherlock from creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman assume the roles of Sherlock and Watson as they establish their partnership and begin solving strange mysteries throughout the U.K. and beyond. Set in a more 2010’s modern setting, Sherlock’s eccentric and complex nature is accentuated as he solves seemingly supernatural crimes with unparalleled intellect while struggling to connect with others on a human level. Meanwhile, Watson blogs the stories summarizing their cases while building a strained but caring friendship with his new partner.
