'Sherlock' Season 4 Spoilers Abound, Air & Release Date Set for 2016

By Mark Rollins
Sherlock and Holmes

The BBC's amazing show Sherlock will return in 2016, and the modern-day retelling of Sherlock Holmes and Watson will definitely draw the fans into its compelling storytelling and tried-and-true characters. There have been a lot of spoilers about what will occur in Season 4.

The first main one is that Moriarty will not be returning. Considering that Season 3 ends with hijacked airwaves and video feeds of James Moriarty saying that he is alive, the show seems to want to tell its viewers that the famed Sherlock Holmes villain is, in fact, still dead. Of course, Sherlock has "died" in Season 2, only to return.

Even though Moriarty will not return, it appears that Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's brother, will return. There is also news that Holmes third brother, Sherrinford, might make an appearance. The creator of Sherlock, Mark Gatiss, has joked that he wanted Tom Hiddleston (Loki from the Thor and Avengers films) to play Sherrinford.

Season 4 is planned on being "darker". This could be related to a "shocker" that might result in a death of one of the show's main characters. Considering the show's supporting cast is as endearing as the performances that Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman deliver, it will undoubtedly affect Sherlock's viewers in a devastating way.

In Season 3, John Watson and Mary Morstan were married, and Mary was pregnant by season's end. It should be interesting to see John and Mary as parents, especially in the light of the situations that they and possible godfather Sherlock will undoubtedly find themselves in.

Speaking of relationships, there has been much speculation on whether or not Sherlock will form a relationship with Molly, fan-favorite character not inspired by the source material. It is very clear that Sherlock does like her, but might not be able to love her because he is Sherlock.

Season 4 will have a return of Janine, Sherlock's temporary love interest. There could also be a return of Irene Adler, the woman who gave Holmes a run for his money back in Season 2.

Whatever the case, it will be very difficult to top its last season, and it will also be difficult to keep any more spoilers for Season 4 under wraps. Fans will hopefully not be disappointed when Season 4 appears in 2016, and hopefully it will be worth the wait. It may be more difficult to do future seasons as Benedict Cumberbatch's career is soaring ever higher after his appearance in Star Trek: Into Darkness and his coming appearance as the lead character in Marvel's Doctor Strange. No doubt that Martin Freeman has more plans now that the Hobbit trilogy will be closing this Christmas.