Season 5 of Sherlock is looking a little less likely, and the fans have no one to blame but themselves. At least, that's what Martin Freeman seemed to indicate in a recent interview. In the conversation, he said all talk of immediately starting production for Season 5 went out the door for him after fan reception to Season 4 was so brutal.
Not massively. Um... I think after series four [it] felt like a pause. I think we felt we'd done it for a bit now. And part of it, speaking for myself is [due to] the reception of it.
Season 4 of Sherlock was far from the most acclaimed season of the series, as fans complained a lot of what the show did great in previous outings fell by the wayside in the show's latest season. Given fan response, it isn't hard to see why Martin Freeman and the rest of the Sherlock staff aren't too eager to rush right back into production for Season 5. Freeman even went so far as to say making the series is "not fun anymore," (via EW) and laid the blame mostly on the series' rabid fanbase.
Martin Freeman didn't have much to say about Season 4 of Sherlock opposed to other seasons, other than he thinks the main problem was that expectations for the season were too high. Freeman talked about those expectations, and the "Mini-Beatles," phenomenon that Sherlock has sparked:
To be absolutely honest, it [was] kind of impossible. Sherlock became the animal that it became immediately. Whereas even with [the U.K. version of] The Office, it was a slow burn. But Sherlock was frankly notably high quality from the outset. And when you start [that high] it's pretty hard to maintain that. Being in that show, it is a mini-Beatles thing. 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.
The fact that Martin Freeman still feels this way about Sherlock over a year removed from the conclusion of Season 4 definitely says a lot about how eager he is to return for Season 5. Of course, he also has a lot of other options to pursue in Hollywood given his current celebrity, which has to help alleviate the pressure of needing to return to the hit series anytime soon. Perhaps things will change and in a couple months he'll feel differently, but it seems like Sherlock will not be returning in 2018.
Sherlock fans may not be seeing Season 5 anytime soon, but they can binge Seasons 1-4 anytime they want on Netflix. For a look at what shows are planning to make a return in 2018, head on over to our midseason premiere guide. For a look at what's coming to Netflix specifically in the near future, visit our Netflix premiere guide.
