Bad news, Benedict Cumberbatch lovers. All four seasons of the BBC’s hit detective show Sherlock are due to leave Netflix next month. The modern reimagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s genius sleuth was one of the biggest British exports of last decade, running from 2010 to when it was placed on indefinite hiatus in 2017. Fans have been able to relive all 13 feature-length episodes of the series on Netflix since then, but unfortunately, that’s now about to end.
What’s On Netflix has discovered that Sherlock is set to be removed from Netflix’s library on May 15th. This applies to the US and Canada, as well as many other international territories such as Israel, France, Hong Kong and Singapore. Those in the show’s native nation are lucky, though, as there’s no indication that it’s leaving Netflix in the UK.
It’s clear what’s happened here. Seeing as season 4 debuted on the streaming platform in May 2017, it appears that Netflix had a four-year license to host the crime drama before the BBC took it back. As for where it could appear next following its exit, HBO Max seems like a good bet. The Warner Bros. service has already nabbed other major BBC productions like Doctor Who, so that would be a natural fit for it. However, no announcement has been made as yet.
Alternatively, it’s possible that Netflix will try to reclaim Sherlock at a later date. They have gone all in on the Sherlock Holmes franchise recently, after all. Not only was Millie Bobby Brown’s Enola Holmes released to much fanfare last fall, but The Irregulars – a dark YA reimagining of Sherlockian mythology – just landed on the service last month, with another season on the way.
As for when new episodes could arrive, the cast and crew remain hugely busy, but no one’s ruling it out. Cumberbatch recently revealed that he thinks a one-off movie might be more likely than a fifth season, but in the meantime, make sure to rewatch Sherlock before it checks out of Netflix next month.
