Sherlock’s third season gets a 2014 premiere date

Cumberbitches, rejoice! The long awaited third series of SHERLOCK movies will be hitting the airwaves in just a few months. PBS announced that the new films (“The Empty Hearse”, “The Sign of Three”, and “His Last Vow”) will premiere in the post DOWNTON ABBEY slot at 10pm EST beginning January 19, 2014. This will put the premiere almost exactly two years after the second series.

Since the cliffhanger ending from the second series finale “The Reichenbach Fall”, stars Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch have exploded with celebrity, especially Cumberbatch. Freeman hit it big with his turn in Peter Jackson‘s THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY and a supporting role in Edgar Wright‘s THE WORLD’S END. Cumberbatch has been a highly in demand star and took the iconic role of Khan in J.J. Abrams‘ STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS. Both actors will appear together (sort of) in this December’s THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG.

The three 90 minute films will likely help PBS get their highest ratings in a long time and could be going up against episodes of THE WALKING DEAD. This will also likely be the smallest gap between the BBC premiere of the third series and the US airing, something that had previously been spaced far enough apart that fans likely sought the episodes via illegal methods online. No UK dates have been announced yet, but expect them to be in late December or close to the January 19th date here.

I have been getting my Holmes fix since series two by watching CBS’ ELEMENTARY. It is a good take on the character and Jonny Lee Miller is quite good, but nothing holds a candle to SHERLOCK.