Elementary season 6: Is a Natalie Dormer – Moriarty return planned?

The idea of Natalie Dormer returning to Elementary continues to feel like the one that got away — but could it actually happen in season 6?

The one thing that is certain is that it’s now or never to get the Game of Thrones alum back. This could serve as the show’s final season, and there may not be an opportunity beyond this. We’ve gotten so frustrated over time that we’ve almost gotten into the idea of recasting the Moriarty role — no doubt Dormer’s a phenomenal actress, and that’s been a part of the problem. The show got someone who ended up seeing their film career explode after the fact, and she’s rarely ever available as a result of that. Even with Margaery Tyrell (spoiler alert) killed off of the HBO epic, she still has other projects. That makes finding a spot for her a challenge.

There are no guarantees that Dormer will be turning up for another go; we can at least tell you now that the powers that be on the show are certainly trying. Speaking per TVLine at the TCA Summer Press Tour this week, series boss Rob Doherty said the following about the plans that are in place:

“With respect to Sherlock, we’re working hard to see an old flame come back to the show … She may or may not lead a league of assassins — or once led a league of assassins.”

Moriarty on the show doubled as Sherlock’s former love Irene Adler, which is why this story was both so beautiful and so tragic. The writers did a great job with it, which is probably why it’s hard to think about it being so many years since the last appearance of the character. While we’ve heard her voice since the second season, that was the last time Dormer actually turned in an appearance.

(We should note that Natalie remains very gracious about the role, and when asked about it over the years she’s said repeatedly that she loves doing it and would love to come back. Personally, we don’t see the failures to make it happen a direct result of her not wanting to be on the show; she just books other projects far in advance, and sometimes TV scheduling is last-minute by comparison.)

If this happens, we’ll be the first person doing cartwheels down the street. Elementary needs to resolve this story before the show ends, and maybe they can find a way to tell a complicated arc that leads to Moriarty even if you only get Dormer in the flesh for a few installments at most. It’s a delicate game, but any airtime for her is great news to us.

What do you want to see happen in the event that Dormer returns to Elementary — provided of course that this actually does happen? Share in the comments, and head over to this link to get some additional news on the series! (Photo: CBS.)