‘Sherlock’ Season 5 Air Date, Casts, Production: Are the Show’s Fans to Blame for the Installment’s Delay?

“Sherlock” Season 5 is most likely not going to happen anytime soon given that the stars and showrunners of the crime-solving drama are tied down with their own respective projects. Writer and actor Mark Gatiss said that it’s likely going to take at least four years before any discussion about reviving the series gets brought up again.

Even Martin Freeman, the actor playing Dr. Watson, isn’t too keen on getting involved in the production of “Sherlock” Season 5, citing toxic behavior by the show’s massive following. According to Freeman, it isn’t quite fun to be doing “Sherlock” anymore as it has evolved into something made for pleasing the audience rather than creatively exploring other avenues that the show has yet to touch upon.

“Being in that show, it is a mini-Beatles thing,” Freeman explained. “People’s expectations, some of it’s not fun anymore. It’s not a thing to be enjoyed, it’s a thing of: ‘You better f***ing do this, otherwise, you’re a c***.’ That’s not fun anymore.” Indeed, fans have been quite vocal about where they want the show to go and it puts tremendous pressure in terms of writing and producing “Sherlock” Season 5.

This ultimately led to the ongoing delay audiences are seeing now. What’s more, this high expectation and toxic fan behavior seem to have been spreading in the entertainment sphere for years after social media blew up. And “Sherlock” Season 5 is but one of the many victims of this proliferating phenomenon.

Of course, such behavior isn’t actually new to the entertainment industry as it has existed long before social media took the world by storm. However, because technology has now connected the world more closely than ever before, it gives this small but loud and toxic group an outlet to voice their opinions. However, this factor is but one of the many reasons why “Sherlock” Season 5 won’t be getting back to television anytime soon.

It’s a shame that the possibility of a fifth installment has now been reduced to a bleak state. But perhaps this is a good thing for the crime-solving drama. There have been multiple cases of beloved franchises gradually reducing in quality as the years went by. And by pushing a “Sherlock” Season 5, this might actually be detrimental to the show's legacy of superb acting and immersive storytelling.