Tragedy Coming to Sherlock Season 4 Says Co-Creator Mark Gatiss

"Expect Tragedy" in Sherlock Season 4
“Expect Tragedy” in Sherlock Season 4

Fans of the hit BBC show Sherlock probably shouldn’t be surprised by co-creator of the series Mark Gatiss’ warning to, “expect tragedy.” The 4th series (as they call it over there) is not due out until 2016 but speculation has already begun for what will happen.

There are potential spoilers ahead so read at your own risk!


In an interview with Radio Times, Gatiss (who also plays Mycroft Holmes) said, “You can always expect tragedy as well as adventure, that’s just how it goes.” While many fans will speculate that this is regarding Mary Watson, Gatiss refused to confirm or deny this. He instead said, “Just because it’s in the stories doesn’t mean it’ll happen in the series because there’s an awful lot of changes and an awful lot of places to go and things to do,” he continued: “It should be clear by now that while, of course, Doyle is our absolute god, we have gone quite a long way away as well — we’ve introduced Sherlock and Mycroft’s parents [for instance], I don’t think they’ve ever been seen in any adaptation — so there are lots of surprises to come.”

Mary’s death would be consistent with what the original Sherlock Holmes books did however. Martin Freeman (John Watson) seemed to back this theory when he said, “While we play fast and loose with the original stories, we generally follow the trajectory of what Conan Doyle did. … So [John] gets married, and then Mary dies — so at some point presumably she’ll die.” In Sherlock, Mary Watson is played by Freeman’s real partner Amanda Abbington.

So what will be the tragedy? Will there be tragedy? Will this season be the final season of Sherlock or will it continue on with its on again-off again releases in the coming years.  I personally hope we see these shows continue to be released in the coming years on an irregular basis as they really do capture the heart and core of what Sherlock Holmes is about. And as a fan of the books, this makes me happy. What are your predictions?

Sherlock’s 4th season will be coming to small screens in 2016 with a one-off being filmed in January 2015. This could be released at the end of 2015… but anything really could happen. According to Gatiss, this one-off should clear up the supposed return of Moriarty at the end of Season 3.  This would open the door to an entire new story arc for Season 4.

With all of that information, know that Sherlock is still probably a year out before anything is seen. Know also that it will be most likely shown in the UK before reaching the USA. With filming beginning for at least the one-off being in January, expect some pictures to start trickling out next year as well! Oh, and filming for Season 4 will happen later in 2015.

Finally, the question must be asked… is Moriarty alive?

Make it a GREAT day!

  • Mr. DAPs