‘Sherlock’ season 4 debate: Will ‘The Abominable Bride’ lead to other specials?
We feel like there is only one word that can be used to describe “Sherlock: The Abominable Bride,” and that is “success.” While it is certainly not a consensus that everyone loved the special on New Year’s Day, it brought the BBC its highest ratings by far of the holiday season in 8.4 million viewers. Also, it caused a frenzy on social media, with everyone chiming in with their own theories on what certain elements of the special were meant to be interpreted as.
So with this, we don’t believe it is too early to ask the same question all over again: Is it possible that there are some more specials coming in the future? Should this be something that the network and creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss consider? Let’s look at this from a few different vantage points.
The case for more specials – For one, there could be less of a wait time. Let’s say that you do a special a year versus three episodes every two years; while you are missing that extra episode, at least you are getting “Sherlock” more consistently. Also, this may allow for some greater flexibility for stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, since you can film these two whenever they work schedule-wise. You want to always leave your audience wanting more, and this is certainly a way to do that. You don’t have to necessarily tie one episode to the one that came before it, either.
The case against it – The special was great fun, but the traditional season is what we signed up for. You get three episodes that are close to each other, and having that little bit of continuity is nice. It’s worth waiting for, and they will still receive the same sort of great ratings that the special did. We can imagine someone especially wanting a traditional season if they assume that from here on out all other specials were to remain as experimental as “The Abominable Bride”; given the limited availability of all parties involved, you may want to make the most of their time.
What’s your take on the debate? Do you want more specials, or would you rather nix them out if it means you can get a full season a few months earlier? Share below, and head over here if you didn’t see our review of “The Abominable Bride”! Also, sign up over here to score some other TV scoop on everything we cover, sent right to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: BBC One.)