16 Times Sherlock Drove Us All Crazy
By Lacy Baugher
Sherlock and John in “His Last Vow” (Photo: Courtesy of (C)Robert Viglasky/Hartswood Films for MASTERPIECE)
When We Have to Wait Two Years Between Seasons
Despite all the complaining and nitpicking in this list, it should go without saying: Sherlock is generally a great show. It’s smart and clever. It’s got an outstanding cast. Watching it is a joy, most of the time. (Even though some elements of it can make you absolutely nuts.) But the worst thing about Sherlock is something that’s entirely out of the show’s control. The fact that it takes two-year breaks between seasons is awful.
These extended hiatuses are exhausting. Fans are generally not the most patient of people and this kind of gap is pretty much excruciating. The bulk of fans have embraced the pain, coming up with in-jokes, memes, trending topics and other fun ways to pass the time. (A personal favorite is anything involving that “It’s been 84 years” GIF from Titanic.) But it’s still rough going. With two years to fill, fans also have plenty of time to endlessly debate the same points ad nauseum, come up with wild conspiracy theories, and generally inflate their expectations for the next season well past the point that any show could possibly fulfill. And more casual viewers probably forget what happened on the regular between seasons. (Though, given some of the more messy and/or controversial plot elements, this may be a blessing in disguise? Who can say.)
However, the worst part of the lengthy gaps between seasons is just that no one ever wants to wait very long for anything they love. And we spend a lot of time waiting for this show. Is it worth it? Yes, of course. Does it make us all want to claw our own hair out? Obviously. So make it count, show.
Related Story: The Definitive Ranking of Every Sherlock Episode (So Far)
Season 4 of Sherlock begins January 1 in both the U.S. and the U.K. With three new episodes heading our way, there’s not doubt that there will be several more items to add to this list. But hopefully, the irritating aspects of the new season – whatever they turn out to be – will be vastly overshadowed by our collective joy at having Sherlock, John and company back on our screens again.