‘Sherlock’ season 4: Is it possible premiere date could be in 2017?

Just over 24 hours ago, it was finally confirmed by the BBC that the “Sherlock” special “The Abominable Bride” will air on New Year’s Day. Not only that, but it is going to air on the same day both in the United Kingdom and America for the same time. It’s possible!

We’re not going to focus too much on that particular special in this article, mostly because we’ve already discussed the trailer and so much more already. Instead, we’re going to take a look ahead at the fourth season proper of the show, which has already been ordered and will feature Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in the present. The special is not technically canon, but should be a whole lot of fun.

If you have not heard already, the fourth season is going to start filming in the spring, which means that more than likely, the cast will be wrapped up at some point in the summer. Technically, the show could be ready to air in the fall, and given that there are only three episodes, the BBC could figure out a place to air them … provided that they don’t have an overly long lineup with “Strictly Come Dancing” already on the air.

It is with “Strictly” in mind that we honestly would not be too shocked to see “Sherlock” eventually wait until early 2017 to air. Season 3 started on New Year’s Day just as the upcoming special is, and that seems to be a great spot for the BBC. Our hope is that regardless of when the network airs it, PBS will be able to get it on a similar time frame than the special. You cannot give viewers this, only to then take it away in the future. Imagine the protests!

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