SINCE IT began in 2010, Sherlock, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’s cinematic, modernday adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective stories, has gained a cult following across the world—on Tumblr, memes devoted to Benedict Cumberbatch’s unpredictable, quicksilver Sherlock (above right) and Martin Freeman’s weary sidekick Dr. John Watson (above left) can feel unavoidable. But its stars’ popularity could be its undoing: Season 4, about to air in the U.K. and U.S., was almost impossible to make because both actors are so in demand in Hollywood. Could this be Sherlock’s last case? I led the interrogation:
STUDY AS YOU GO: Make the most of it—the fourth season of Sherlock could be its last.
NICK BRIGGS/DRAMA REPUBLIC/BBC; TODD ANTONY/HARTSWOOD FILMS/BBC; JONAS KING; CARRIE SOLOMON
You’ve teased that this season will be a “story about to reach its climax.” Is this really the end, or just another one of your famous red herrings?