Ring in the New Year with ‘Sherlock’: Fourth season to kick off on January 1

By Stephanie Topacio Long October 26, 2016

sherlock — BBC

New Year’s may normally be a time to reflect and create resolutions, but once again, Sherlock fans have bigger things to focus on come January 1 — namely the return of the series. The season 4 premiere date has finally been announced, and it turns out the first new episode, The Six Thatchers, will air on New Year’s Day in both the U.S. and U.K.

Season 4 will pick up with detective Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his friend Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) trying to crack yet another case. The premiere episode seems to be based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s story The Adventure of the Six Napoleons, which starts out with a number of busts around London being shattered but leads to a murder investigation. We’ll see a new spin in the first of the season’s three episodes.

The premiere announcement came with a new photo, but not surprisingly, it is cryptic. The teaser image simply shows a violin with a broken string alongside the show’s title and the premiere date.

Sherlock will return in The Six Thatchers on January 1, 2017. #Sherlock pic.twitter.com/s6RJdaOZdI

— Sherlock (@Sherlock221B) October 26, 2016

New Year’s Day has worked well for Sherlock viewership in the past. Seasons 2 and 3 both premiered on January 1 (in 2012 and 2014, respectively) in the U.K., while 2016’s Victorian-themed special The Abominable Bride debuted both stateside and across the Atlantic on that date this year. There’s no reason to believe the upcoming premiere won’t have similar success.

Season 4 is sure to be an exciting one. We’ve seen that Moriarty may be returning, and we expect ghosts to play into the plot. On top of that, fans have been warned that the series could possibly be ending (though exactly when is anyone’s guess), so we know we have to savor it just in case.

Sherlock season 4 returns on January 1 on PBS Masterpiece.

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Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…

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