As Sherlock fans wait and see if there will ever be a fifth season of the hit BBC series, they can always start another rewatch of the first four. Since the show launched back in 2010, it’s become available on a variety of home media formats, making it easily accessible. Viewers have been able to watch it on numerous digital storefronts such as Apple and Amazon, plus there are physical copies of each season for sale. Now, Sherlock has found a new streaming home, and the best news for fans is that they don’t even have to pay a penny to watch the entire series in full.
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Sherlock is currently available on Hoopla, the free streaming service available to anyone with a library card. As of this writing, Sherlock is also on multiple subscription-based streaming services such as Hulu, BritBox, and PBS Masterpiece, but Hoopla is arguably the best place for people to stream the show since they literally don’t have to pay any money to access it. If you don’t have a library card, it’s free to get one at your local library. Then, all of the shows, movies, and ebooks available on Hoopla are yours.
Sherlock is hitting Hoopla just as more doubt was cast on the possibility of a fifth season. In late June, series co-creator Mark Gatiss said that “it’s important to acknowledge when a time is a time” and admitted the difficulty in getting the band back together after so many years. Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch has indicated he wouldn’t return unless the Season 5 story marked an improvement in quality over what came before.
Between 2010-2017, Sherlock ran for four seasons, each consisting of three episodes that ran for 90 minutes each. There was also the one-off special episode “The Abominable Bride,” which was released back in 2016. In the past, Gatiss and his collaborator Steven Moffat have expressed interest in some sort of revival (including discussions about a feature film), though nothing’s come to fruition — primarily due to the availability of stars Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.
The earlier seasons of Sherlock received widespread acclaim, with much praise being given to the performances and the show’s keen ability to update the source material in a modern setting. Unfortunately, the fourth season earned a more mixed reception and has the show’s lowest critics score on Rotten Tomatoes (54%). That could partially explain why fans remain interested in a continuation, ideally allowing Sherlock to ride off on a higher note. However, it also adds credence to Cumberbatch’s condition for a return. It would be a shame if Sherlock Season 5 underwhelmed further and spoiled the program’s legacy.
Even though it seems unlikely Sherlock will be back with new episodes, the series is still well worth checking out. Cumberbatch and Freeman have terrific chemistry as the dynamic duo of Holmes and Watson, and it’s very entertaining to see Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous stories reimagined in a fresh context. There have been plenty of Sherlock Holmes adaptations over the years (including the film series starring Robert Downey Jr.), but Sherlock ranks as one of the best thanks to its cast and setting. With it now streaming for free, there’s never been a better time to revisit it, or check it out for the first time.
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