Martin Freeman Is Happy That Sherlock’s Taking A Break

It’s a question the cast and crew of Sherlock must be sick of answering: when is the hit BBC detective drama coming back? The show, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the super sleuth and Martin Freeman as his best pal John Watson, reached a sort of ending point with season 4, leading the creators to claim that it was on indefinite hiatus. That hasn’t stopped fans from demanding more concrete info on if and when it will return, though.

Unfortunately, however, they still haven’t gotten that. Co-creator Mark Gatiss did say recently that it’d be at least two more years before him and Steven Moffat even turn their attention back towards the show – given how busy they are with their new project, Dracula – but it would seem that not everyone is so eager to get back into things. Case in point: Martin Freeman.

Speaking with CinemaBlend recently to promote his role in Marvel’s Black Panther – which is now out and absolutely tearing up the box office – the actor explained that he’s actually happy about Sherlock being on hiatus, saying:

But speaking for myself, I’d quite like to take a break from that for a while. Just that sort of…clamor. Which is lovely, cause people like your show, but it can feel quite pressured actually. Know what I mean? You’ve got obviously to surprise them, but if you surprise them too much they’ll hate you for it. It’s a tricky one. It’s a hard one, because there is so much expectation on that show, more than anything I’ve ever done. I’m happy to give it a rest for a while certainly.

While Freeman’s comments here are sure to disappoint fans, what he says is perfectly understandable. The pressure that comes along with making such a beloved show is no doubt tough to deal with and being the big star that he is, the actor’s surely got his pick of projects at the moment.

So, if he needs a breather from Sherlock for a little bit, then he can easily take one and not have to worry about not finding work. That being said, seeing as he isn’t too eager to dive back into things does indicate that we may be waiting a while before season 5 gets underway.

Thankfully for Sherlock fans, though, there is another TV show coming from Gatiss and Moffatt. The aforementioned Dracula is now being written and will probably be here at some point in 2019. Sure, it might not be as exciting as another season of the detective drama, but at the very least, we can take solace in the fact that neither Freeman, nor any other members of the cast and crew, have ruled out a return to Sherlock yet. Leading us to believe that it will one day be back – we may just need to wait a while.