Series 5 Rumors, Speculation, and Wish Lists

[J.P.]

Yeah. Damn phone calls. And the other thing too.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I've gotten so spoiled by emails!  I can write them whenever is convenient for me.  I can take my time thinking how to word them.  And if I get a reply, I can read it whenever is convenient for me.  And so forth.

Unfortunately, several people that I'd like to stay in touch with seem to be stuck in the 20th century.  Even though they own computers, they persist in phoning or (heaven forbid!) writing letters.  One friend in Japan writes, meaning that in order to reply I have to make a trip into town, to the post office, to buy whatever type of stamp is currently needed.  She did say in her recent Christmas card that her computer was in the shop, so I guess I'll forgive her this time!

 

[Arcadia]

I'd rather communicate via email too, but it's so easy for people to simply not reply to them. And so hard to address complicated or lengthy issues ... I've noticed most people just seem to read the first sentence and ignore the rest.

The good new is, I got my phone calls done. But it will take me days to de-stress.  

[Carol the Dabbler]

1 hour ago, Arcadia said:

I've noticed most people just seem to read the first sentence and ignore the rest.

I need one of your head-banging emoties here!  Isn't that infuriating?  I try to keep my business emails as brief as possible while still covering the ground, but as you say, anything beyond one simple declarative sentence tends to be ignored by some people.  Are they really that busy?  Or merely too impatient to pay attention for an entire minute?

1 hour ago, Arcadia said:

I got my phone calls done. But it will take me days to de-stress.

As our California yoga teacher used to say, take a deep breath -- and relaaaaaxxx....

 

 

[Arcadia]

6 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

I need one of your head-banging emoties here!  Isn't that infuriating?  I try to keep my business emails as brief as possible while still covering the ground, but as you say, anything beyond one simple declarative sentence tends to be ignored by some people.  Are they really that busy?  Or merely too impatient to pay attention for an entire minute?

Good question!!!!!!! Yes, I find it very annoying. Maybe you're right, it's something to do with attention span ... but I've long been under the impression that most Americans simply can't read or write very well, based chiefly on reading their emails. Aaaghh.

That's one reason it's so refreshing to come here to the forum ... everyone's so literate!  

Oh, and here's a couple of head-banging emoties for you. Be my guest.  

 

And if things get really dire:

[Artemis]

42 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

That's one reason it's so refreshing to come here to the forum ... everyone's so literate!  

*Aggressive nodding*.

 

[Arcadia]

10 minutes ago, Artemis said:

*Aggressive nodding*.

 

Yup. That was the thing that astonished me the most when I first came here; people here were from all over the world, yet we had no trouble (well, almost none  ) communicating! Yet I can barely get a coherent response to my "anyone up for an outing?" emails.  

[Carol the Dabbler]

Well, I assume people come here because they want to communicate -- they presumably enjoy communicating.  Whereas other people perhaps don't?

1 hour ago, Arcadia said:

I've long been under the impression that most Americans simply can't read or write very well, based chiefly on reading their emails.

Yeah, good point.  Though I think some of it is simply the current style -- all the texting abbreviations, for example, that tend to carry over into other writing.

 

 

[Arcadia]

Maybe, but what I'm seeing is misused words, misspelled words, and complete misinterpretations of the meanings of words. Not to mention lousy grammar but in an email that's sort of expected.  

I've often wondered if it's partly to do with the diversity in this area; we really are a polyglot. But even people who have lived here all their lives seem to struggle to read well, so..... who knows? We manage in the end, I guess.

[Kat]

I read online that season 5 could be in 2023 depending on how the pandemic goes.

[Carol the Dabbler]

4 hours ago, Kat said:

I read online that season 5 could be in 2023 depending on how the pandemic goes.

Good heavens, an on-topic post!  

Could be, sure.  Unfortunately I don't think anyone "official" has mentioned a possible year, so at this point the talk seems to be all guesses.  Keep your fingers crossed, though!

 

[Kat]

https://stanfordartsreview.com/2020/12/26/sorry-sherlock-fans-but-sherlock-season-5-wont-be-returning-in-2021-heres-why/  It's not official, but reliable.

[Carol the Dabbler]

33 minutes ago, Kat said:

https://stanfordartsreview.com/2020/12/26/sorry-sherlock-fans-but-sherlock-season-5-wont-be-returning-in-2021-heres-why/  It's not official, but reliable.

Quote

It’s very sorry to say to Sherlock fans that the fifth season won’t be coming in the year 2021. According to the production, there will be no chance of Sherlock Season 5 releasing in the upcoming year.

No surprise there!  Except for Series 1, they've all debuted in January.  So even if they happen to be in secret pre-production right now, with filming scheduled for this summer, we're not likely to see any new episodes till January 2022 at the earliest -- and I'd be surprised if it's that soon, considering that there hasn't been the slightest peep from anyone actually involved.

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

But I'd like to respond on the off topic ones!!

Yes to people reading only first sentences of the email. And trust me, that is not only American thing!

I like to solve issues, delegate or having follow up discussion after meeting. So I make effort of putting them in points, as direct as possible, into an email where all parties could respond accordingly. While there are one or two that are as detailed, most yes, just read the first two sentences and ask about something that are already explained in the same email. Then someone else could reply it, but it goes back and forth that it becomes chaotic and all the points are scattered everywhere! Gahhh

 

Not during working, but those shorten abbreviations or informal languages drives me nuts too. They are getting worse and worse, to the point that it makes little sense and just infuriating to read.

Wait.. is this it? I have officially become a grumpy older human being who walks around and curse at everyone and shakes my fist to the sky??? WELL IT'S ABOUT TIME!

[Carol the Dabbler]

10 minutes ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

Wait.. is this it? I have officially become a grumpy older human being who walks around and curse at everyone and shakes my fist to the sky???

Welcome to the club!  

10 minutes ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

those shorten abbreviations or informal languages drives me nuts too. They are getting worse and worse, to the point that it makes little sense and just infuriating to read.

There were a a group of us emailing each other, and one fellow (perfectly decent, nice, intelligent, even a college graduate) kept using texting abbreviations, which drove the rest of us nuts.  I finally did a reply-all to one of his emails, saying that I was able to answer his question because I had finally cracked his code -- which got a round of amused responses from the rest of the group.  As I recall, he started writing in English after that.

17 minutes ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

most yes, just read the first two sentences and ask about something that are already explained in the same email.

Grump!  And then there are the ones who not only read just the first sentence, but manage to misinterpret it.

 

[SherlockandKey]

Futurama finally got renewed, so there's every chance.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Fingers crossed!

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

I just had a look online for any actual Series 5 news, but it's still just a bunch of conjectures -- except for  one article [here] dated February 22 of this year, which includes this :

Sherlock season 5 is expected as released on 17 November 2022 [a Thursday], if their calendars align soon after they complete their other significant projects.

Another aspect that might push back the release date is the BBC’s schedule since they do not want Sherlock to compete with their other shows. Sherlock may return on 17 November 2022 with the original cast and co-creators if we’re lucky.

Since there are still absolutely no other specifics currently announced online, I have no idea where they got that date, and unfortunately, I doubt that it's correct.

 

[J.P.]

Would they start to shoot it without saying? They would need to start soon, if not doing it already, to be done in Nov.
Also - are they going to work with Una's ghost?
It's some stupid fake news imo. Someone out there wants attention.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I assume it's either made up or based on faulty logic.  As you say, they'd need to start real filming soon, and there's no hint of anything.

Of course if they want to sneak under the fan radar, so they don't have to deal with a live audience -- well, it's possible they'd swear everyone to secrecy.

 

[Hikari]

Ben is a current Oscar nominee for Power of the Dog and it's highly doubtful that, even if he had an enthusiastic desire to return to the small screen as Sherlock for a Series 5--a desire which it must be said has not been displayed by any of the principal cast or crew--his availability for shooting has got to be nil right now.  That ostensible air date is only 6 months, give or take in the future.  Without even a shooting script or verifiable commitments from any of the actors, I have to call this sheer fantasy.  Even though this article was purported published only last month, it has the feel of something recycled from an earlier time.  If Ben wins Best Actor, which is a plausible outcome, even though no amount of wild horses will ever drag me to see this film, I think it must be accepted that both principal actors and the Sherlock producing team have all firmly moved on to the next stage of their lives.  "Sherlock" had its heyday and it was, for a brief and shining few years, one of the best things ever produced for television.  I think it's firmly in the rear view for all parties concerned, except for its bereft and obsessive fans who can't let the dream die.

Cumberbatch and Mofftiss have all made suitable noises at various times about reconvening for more episodes at some vague point in the future, perhaps when Holmes and Watson are 'in their 50s', as were the pair in the Granada TV series.  Hope may spring eternal; in the meantime there's still money to be made in syndication deals & merch.  I'm not sure that the headliner pair is keen to either reprise their signature roles or work together that closely again, but I may yet be surprised.  At this point in time, my personal opinion is that we have got all the "Sherlock" we are going to get, unless a holiday special might be arranged, in the vein of "The Abominable Bride".  That would be more likely than a return to shooting three features back to back to back.  It's not uncommon for British TV shows, even great hits, to have long gaps in their production schedules (eg. "The Vicar of Dibley", who had a 20-year-run altogether, but factoring in the hiatuses of years at a time only ended up averaging one episode a year), but there was something very au courant about this iteration of Sherlock that I don't think will be repeated.  Any more Sherlock episodes or stand-alones would take on the air of a tribute to our late, great Mrs. Hudson, so maybe they can squeeze out one more show in honor of Una.  

I said in an earlier comment that I wouldn't mind seeing Benedict 'move to Sussex' and take on the two Watson-free cases of the canon, "The Lion's Mane" and "The Blanched Soldier."  Both cases are a bit too small on their own to make an entire feature length but they could be combined into one 90-minute holiday special.  It'd be hilarious if Sherlock could run into his neighbor, Janine . . .and maybe Molly and her boyfriend du jour and Lestrade could all come on down for a week-end, even if Dr. Watson is a no-show.  They could explain John's absence by saying that after Rosie went to boarding school full-time and he was a bit of an empty-nester, he decided to join Doctors Without Borders to scratch that itch for international adventure.  If he were posted to Kabul or Kyiv or somewhere, he'd have to send his regrets over not joining the old gang.  It's a nice idea.  It's not going to happen like that, but it would if I were in charge of the writers' room.

[Carol the Dabbler]

59 minutes ago, Hikari said:

They could explain John's absence ...

Is John's assumed absence your personal preference, or am I missing something?

[Hikari]

2 minutes ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

Is John's assumed absence your personal preference, or am I missing something?

Not my personal preference . . . my preference would be to have the whole gang back together, including Mrs. Hudson. 

Using my powers of deduction, I rate the *likelihood* that all our actors will be 1. available at the same time, and 2. desirous of reuniting for further Sherlock episodes to be very minimal, at best.  There are so many moving parts to this production, it was like moving heaven and Earth to get everyone back together for four consecutive series back when the show was hot.  It's now 5 years since Season 4 aired.  

The fandom, here and elsewhere is continually discussing 'when' Season 5 can be expected.  I think it's very much a case of 'IF, ever,' any more Sherlock episodes are forthcoming.  While the team hasn't said absolutely that it will never happen, neither have they provided any positive affirmation that it will happen, either.  5 years in show business is a very long time.  The handling of the last season was furthermore so controversial that it seemed to me that Moffat and Co. were *literally* torching the ship so as to get out of doing any more.  

This is just my opinion of course but I think it's actually quite pointless to keep on hoping for a Series 5 or anything like regularity in new programs.  We will be lucky to get a one-off that most likely will not have all of the living cast members reconvening.  Maybe, if the price is right and the scheduling gods are with everyone.  It would be simpler to do a Sherlock-only story in terms of moving parts.  I really don't think Cumberbatch and Freeman are on such great terms any more, but professionalism might reign, for the right amount of money.  Ben and Martin, to a lesser extent, are probably getting out of the reach economically in terms of what they can command, of a TV show with a relatively modest budget.

I've got no insider intel; I'm just trying to be realistic.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

2 hours ago, Hikari said:

I really don't think Cumberbatch and Freeman are on such great terms any more

I don't think they ever were the best buddies that some fan sites and tabloids made them out to be.  As for the more recent reports that they don't get along at all now -- in cases where there was a paper trail, the "feud" turned out to be a case of misquoting and taking out of context.  So I don't put much credence in either of those scenarios.

2 hours ago, Hikari said:

I've got no insider intel; I'm just trying to be realistic.

Me neither, but I don't feel that being realistic necessarily means being pessimistic.  I'd like to see more Sherlock, but I don't know when or how or even whether it might happen, and I'm OK with that.

 

[SherlockandKey]

Given what I know about this supposed feud, I'd say it's unlikely that Sherlock remains cancelled simply because Freeman and Cumberbatch aren't on speaking terms.