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After the new year, the event that has been on the minds of fans for nearly two years has finally arrived. The official premiere of the third season on the English TV series "Sherlock" was aired at 9 pm local UK time on Jan. 1, 2014 exclusively on BBC1.
The BBC had earlier released a mini-episode "Sherlock" trailer on Christmas Day entitled "Many Happy Returns" as a way to get fans ready for the season three premiere. Although only seven minutes long, the mini-episode bridged the gap between seasons two and three while also providing enough drama to get fans excited and talking about the many question that the season left unanswered.
The Chinese web-streaming video company Youku, which announced that the Christmas day trailer had been viewed 1.8 million times to date, will also be broadcasting the season three premiere on Jan. 2, synchronized to air at the same time as the original BBC1 premier episode in the UK. Chinese fans have taken to the Internet to express their excitement and anticipation of learning, at long last, how the story will go on after the events of the last season.
The biggest surprise of the last season was Sherlock's apparent death. Martin Freeman, who plays Sherlock's business partner, roommate and friend, Dr. John Watson in the series said, "In fact, it should be no surprise to anyone that has been following the show that Sherlock is not dead." Indeed, the first episode of season three, entitled "The Empty Hearse", is based on the original Conan Doyle story "The Adventures of an Empty House" where Sherlock faked his own death only to revive himself later. The real question, according to Freeman, is not his return but rather how Watson will react to the sudden return of his dear friend after two years
Another important side story for the new season is how the death of Sherlock's nemesis, Moriarty, will affect Sherlock. Showrunners have stated that life for Sherlock after Moriarty clearly won't be easier and most likely more challenging. According producer Steven Moffat, season three will see a new villain, one who will be every bit as evil as Moriarity; the type of villain that will make you shudder. Earlier, that villain was revealed to be Charles Augustus Magnussen, to be played by Lars Mikkelsen.
The third season will again be split into three 90-minute episodes to be aired over the next several weeks.
