'Sherlock' Season 4 Release Date News: When Will Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman Return?

Undoubtedly the worst part about being a fan of Sherlock, the brilliant BBC version of the classic mystery stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the long wait in between seasons. Season 3 of the hit show aired in January 2014, and two years later, it seems we might know when we can expect season 4.

President of PBS (the channel that airs Sherlock in the U.S.), Paula Kerger, casually dropped the news at a recent press event. "We do have the next Sherlock announced, coming up about a year from now. As you know, Benedict [Cumberbatch] has gotten to be somewhat popular since we began our work with him and he very much wants to continue with Sherlock."

She continued, "As you know, they are produced almost like films and we're hoping the next one will be about a year from now."

If history is to repeat itself, fans can probably look forward to a New Year's Day release date. Both seasons 2 and 3 aired on that date in 2012 and 2014, respectively.

The latest episode to air, "The Abominable Bride," which was supposed to be a one-off Christmas special, ended up being aired on Jan. 1 (2016) as well.

Shooting for season 4 is set to begin in April. Creators of the show, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss (Gatiss also stars in the show as Sherlock's brother, Mycroft), are famously ultra-secretive about plot points, but have dropped a few nuggets here and there.

Moffat told Entertainment Weekly in March of last year that the season would feature "a little thing [Moffat and Gatiss] have set up that no one is talking about." He also teased that the theme of season 4 would be consequences for the characters, saying:

"Chickens come to roost. It's dark in some ways-obviously it's great fun and a Sherlock Holmes romp and all that-but there's a sense of... things... coming back to bite you. It's not a safe, sensible way to live. It's hilarious and exhilarating some days, but some days it's going to be bloody frightening."

Moffat also teases that fans will be "desperate for series 5" and that the series will be "intense" and an "emotional upheaval."

Fans can tentatively expect the new season to air Jan. 2017.