Sherlock season 5 could be delayed to make room for Dracula miniseries

Sherlock creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are working on another project, a Dracula miniseries. Will that get in the way of Sherlock’s future?

We all know Dracula to be a blood-sucker. But he can also be a time-sucker as well. As eager as TV and vampire enthusiasts are to see Dracula, the latest creation from the duo behind Sherlock, that might also mean future episodes Sherlock may take a hit during all of this.

The BBC announced on Wednesday they found their star of Dracula, Claes Bang, and production would begin in 2019. With Hartswood Films behind this project (the same production studio behind Sherlock) it looks like they may have their hands tied for a while. And this means the wait for season 5 of Sherlock may be even longer than we expected.

Mark Gatiss, the co-creator of both shows, previously confirmed that further production of Sherlock would have to be put on the backburner, as he’d like to dedicate his time to working on Dracula instead. Speaking to RadioTimes, Moffat explained:

"We’re not going to do Sherlock whilst we’re doing Dracula. So it’s not going to happen in the immediate future. Never say never, but no – we don’t have an idea [right now]."

Both Gatiss and co-creator Steven Moffat agreed that you can never say never when it comes to new episodes. But at the same time, fans will likely have to wait a while. As Moffat said in the same RadioTimes story, season 5 could come “way in the future.”

But just how long will that be? It looks like season 5 could break the record for the longest hiatus fans have had to wait thus far.

For the first three seasons, there had been a two-year gap between each of them. Season one in 2010, season 2 in 2012, and season 3 in 2014. Unfortunately, season 4 broke the mold, airing in 2017. The one-off special, “The Abominable Bride”, was released in 2016, though, so the circumstances were a bit different.

Given that trajectory, we could have seen a fifth season come 2019 or 2020. But given Dracula will take up most of Hartswood’s time, it’s possible season five may not arrive until 2021.

Then again, that doesn’t even take into account the actors’ schedules in the future. The last few years have been a whirlwind for star Benedict Cumberbatch, who starred in a plethora of movies and shows, from Avengers: Infinity War and Patrick Melrose, down to The Grinch. His Watson, Martin Freeman, has also had a particularly busy few years with Black Panther, The Hobbit trilogy, and other projects.

At this rate, the closest we may see the two even slightly appear as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson is if Marvel lets them star in a movie together. There’s no reason Everett Ross couldn’t appear in Doctor Strange 2. And it’s the least Marvel could do while we have to wait through this hiatus.

Despite all that, one person close to the cast and crew let on that we shouldn’t give up hope about a fifth season just yet. Earlier this year, Speedy’s Cafe owner Chris Georgiou said he heard they’ll be coming back for a fifth season. This is all grain-of-salt information, though, as he didn’t clarify who he heard it from or when the season will start production.

What’s certain is that the decision needs to be made if Sherlock will be on for a fifth season, or if it’s done for sure. Season 4 might not have been a winner in everyone’s book, but the most devoted fans are still there for the series. And there’s definitely time for the show to redeem itself yet.

Unfortunately, as evident with Dracula, scheduling and other projects get in the way. And considering this could be a 10-year endeavor with only five seasons, you have to admit the show’s closing in on its expiration date.

Hopefully, a decision about the fate of Sherlock will be made soon. In the meantime, there’s so much more out there in the expanded world of Sherlock Holmes. We’ve finally got the third installation of the Robert Downey Jr. movie coming, and there are books galore of new tales from the beloved detective (seriously). Patience is the key. But know that the game is always afoot.