Sherlock Returns to Major US Streaming Service

The best-known Sherlock Holmes to many folks these days was played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the BBC series. It ran 2010-2017 and consisted of 13 episodes (including the historical special The Abominable Bride). There’s even a comic adaptation!

However, the series hasn’t been easy to find lately. Of course, there are always the physical discs to purchase (or maybe check out from your library). But the show left Netflix back in 2021. It’s been available on BritBox since then, but that’s more of a specialty audience who already knows they like that kind of thing.

Exciting news recently dropped. Starting Tuesday, March 26, Hulu will be airing the show!

Of course, that’s leading to speculation that perhaps we’ll see the much-desired season 5. I doubt it. It’s very difficult to arrange the schedules of such in-demand stars these days. Benedict Cumberbatch keeps starring in Oscar-winning movies, when he’s not a key member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Dr. Strange, while Martin Freeman (Dr. John Watson) is making award-nominated TV shows (Breeders, The Responder).

Plus, co-creator Stephen Moffat is off writing a new Doctor Who episode, while co-creator Mark Gatiss just finished up a run on stage giving “the best performance of his career” in The Motive and the Cue.

That’s not to mention how weird things got in fandom (understatement). Between those convinced that there was a secret hidden episode that showed Sherlock and John declaring their love for each other, and those who thought the last season of the show went way too far into James Bond territory (what with the action scenes and secret mastermind island lair) — well, who knows who’d want to watch more?

(I did find it amusing that Gatiss, in response to the latter criticism, actually wrote a poem defending the hero’s action history.)

I would watch, though. Particularly if they just settled down for a bit and solved mysteries. The brilliant Sherlock & Co. podcast (really an audio drama) is demonstrating that there’s an active audience for modernized versions of the cases.

And those famous sets, with the wallpaper, are still in storage…

Regardless, check it out if you want to show Hulu there’s still an audience!