Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) is alive. That much was obvious in the second season finale of “Sherlock,” nearly two years ago. Somehow, Sherlock faked his death and tricked Moriarty’s (Andrew Scott) men to protect John Watson (Martin Freeman) and the other people that Sherlock cared about.
The problem is that they think Sherlock is dead. And who is to say how happy they will be when they learn the truth about his demise?
Borrowing a trick from his “Doctor Who” run, Steven Moffat and his “Sherlock” co-creator Mark Gatiss have created a new seven minute prequel to “Sherlock” Season 3 that primarily focuses on Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade (Rupert Graves) as he reluctantly listens to one man’s crazy theory about Sherlock’s survival and what he’s been up to.
Except the man clearly isn’t crazy. And despite cleverly keeping Sherlock off screen to hide the lack of Cumberbatch, both main characters appear in this prequel. Just not necessarily in the way that you would expect.
“Sherlock” Season 3 will premiere on BBC One on January 1, with an American premiere on PBS to follow on January 19.