Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch has outlined his conditions for reprising his role of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. In a wide-spanning interview with Variety that also covered his impending return as Doctor Strange in the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars, the topic of a possible Sherlock revival was brought up. After teasing that it would take “a lot of money” to get him onboard for another season of the TV show, the Oscar-nominated actor stressed the importance of telling a quality story. “It would take it to be better than it ever was,” Cumberbatch said.
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“You leave them or yourselves wanting more,” he added. “Thereโs always that itch to scratch, but I think it would have to be the superlative version of what weโve already achieved.”
Alongside Martin Freeman (who played Dr. John Watson), Cumberbatch headlined four seasons of Sherlock, as well as the special episode “The Abominable Bride.” Season 4 premiered back in 2017, and the series has been on ice since then. Last year, Sherlock co-creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat expressed interest in returning โ be it for a fifth season or a reunion movie โ but both have admitted Freeman and Cumberbatch’s availability is the biggest hurdle. “Iโm easy, but you need to get the two big stars. Thatโs the problem,” Moffat said.
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More recently, in December 2024, Moffat made it clear that there are “no hard plans” in place for a Sherlock revival, despite him having an idea for a continuation in mind. If Sherlock were to return, Moffat would want to explore Holmes and Watson “just a little bit older,” bringing the show’s takes on the characters closer to their “famously middle-aged” literary counterparts.
When Sherlock kicked off in 2010, the show received widespread praise. The first three seasons were acclaimed, with many enjoying the dynamic between Cumberbatch and Freeman and the series’ ability to effortlessly update the iconic property in a contemporary setting. However, after Season 3, Sherlock began to lose some steam with critics; “The Abominable Bride” received lukewarm reviews, and Season 4 actually has a “rotten” score on Rotten Tomatoes. This speaks to Cumberbatch’s belief that a Sherlock revival would be worthwhile only if delivers an engaging narrative that rivals the show’s previous heights. It would be a shame if Cumberbatch and Freeman were to make a highly anticipated return, only for it to fall flat and do further damage to the series’ reputation.
Moffat’s aforementioned concept of depicting an older Holmes and Watson has potential. If nothing else, it would at least switch up the formula, catching up with the characters at a different point in their lives. It would be interesting to see how time has changed the companions, giving Cumberbatch and Freeman rich material to explore as they approach familiar roles from a different angle. Of course, even if Moffat and Gatiss are able to write a compelling script, that still wouldn’t fix the issue of the lead actors’ busy schedules. Both continue to have full plates, but it would be great if they were able to find the time to knock out another batch of Sherlock episodes.