We’ve known for a while now that Sherlock is producing a special episode that is set to air on the BBC in the UK and PBS in the States ahead of the show’s Season 4 premiere. Now, we finally have a date for the Sherlock special, along with a timeline for when Season 4 will premiere. But first things first. The BBC’s Sherlock special, “The Abominable Bride,” will hit the schedule in the US and the UK on Friday, January 1, 2016.
The fact that both UK and US audiences are getting the Sherlock special on the same day is a huge deal. Frequently, audiences in the States get premiere dates occurring way later than their friends across the pond. This, for instance, happens every season with Downton Abbey, as US audiences haven’t been privy to any of the latest batch of eps, yet. The premiere of “The Abominable Bride” will mark the very first time that an episode of Sherlock airs on the same day in both countries. Here in the States, “The Abominable Bride” will air on PBS, where it will air at 9 p.m. EST. The network reports an encore for the special episode will also hit the schedule on Sunday, January 10 at 10 p.m. ET.
But that’s not all. If you are familiar with Fathom Events at all, the movie theater event company is setting up special screenings of Sherlock: The Abominable Bride, which will be shown in certain theaters on January 5 and 6, 2016. So, if you want to catch the lengthy episode in a theatrical setting, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to do so. Tickets for the event don’t go on sale for another couple of weeks (Friday, November 6), but you can get an email reminder set up here.
Here’s the trailer, if you haven’t gotten a look at “The Abominable Bride,” yet:
Now, I know a lot of people have been really excited about “The Abominable Bride,” a throwback special set in the 1800s featuring the same characters as Sherlock, just in a different time period. However, fans have also been waiting for a very long time for new episodes of Sherlock set in contemporary times. We finally have some movement on that front. Executive producer Sue Vertrue recently confirmed that Season 4 will be in production next spring.
So, despite the fact that both series leads Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman have busy schedules—not to mention the schedules of Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss and the extended cast—it looks like we will be getting Sherlock Season 4 sooner rather than later. That’s good news for everyone who watches the show.
Catch Sherlock: The Abominable Bride on Friday, January 1 at 9 p.m. ET, only on PBS. And find out what has yet to premiere this fall, here.
