Sorry, Martin Freeman.
At this point, we may never get a fifth season to BBC’s Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson. And, if you needed any more evidence, Freeman isn’t really bothered by that news, as he says making the show really isn’t all the fun anymore.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the Black Panther star was asked if there were any talks of a fifth Sherlock season.
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“Not massively,” he responded. “Um… I think after series four [it] felt like a pause. I think we felt we’d done it for a bit now. And part of it, speaking for myself is [due to] the reception of it.”
To be fair, the fourth season of Sherlock really wasn’t all that good and we, as fans, shouldn’t have to like something just because it exists and we’ve liked past outings, but we hear his point.
Freeman went on:
“To be absolutely honest, it [was] kind of impossible. Sherlock became the animal that it became immediately. Whereas even with [the U.K. version of] The Office, it was a slow burn. But Sherlock was frankly notably high quality from the outset. And when you start [that high] it’s pretty hard to maintain that.
Being in that show, it is a mini-Beatles thing. People’s expectations, some of it’s not fun anymore. It’s not a thing to be enjoyed, it’s a thing of: ‘You better f*cking do this, otherwise you’re a c—.’ That’s not fun anymore.”
Again, we are in no way obligated to like the fourth season of Sherlock just because it’s there, but Freeman is still entirely right — we should be hoping that we can enjoy it, not going out of our way to make threats about it.
He’s also right in the fact that the bar was set so high, so fast. Most agree that the first two seasons of Sherlock were when it was at its best, making it nearly impossible to follow up. We’ve seen good shows earn a similar reputation in the past and then crumble with the weight of fan expectations, so we shouldn’t be shocked that that’s the route Sherlock took.
No announcement on a fifth season of Sherlock has come from BBC as of yet.
Do you want to see more Sherlock? What do you hope would happen this time around? What were your thoughts on the fourth season (keep it civil)? Let us know in the comments below!
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