The first trailer of "Sherlock" Season 4 on BBC was featured at San Diego Comic-Con 2016.
The new "Sherlock" video presented many returning characters, as well as a new big baddie.
CNet noted that the video, which lasted one and a half minutes, showed several characters, namely a scruffier Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and the new villain (Toby Jones).
There were short glimpses of Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman), Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey), Mary Morstan/Mrs. Watson (Amanda Abbington), Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade (Ruper Graves), Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs) and Mycroft Holmes (Mark Gattis).
Mrs. Hudson was seen calling Mycroft a reptile, which could mean that he may turn his back on his brother.
There were several action scenes and the characters seem to be embroiled in a new type of threat unlike ever before. The "Sherlock" video captions stated that all of their knowledge will be tested and everyone they know will be in danger.
The new "Sherlock" season will apparently provide a good mix of drama and action, as well as delve more into individual characters.
Fans noticed that Sherlock was not featured with his new Bloodhound partner. There were scenes of several creepy nurses marching, fiery explosions, masked men with high-powered weapons, Toby Jones laughing and Sherlock looking surprised.
The appearance of Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) asking whether he was missed, hinted that the main villain may actually be alive and return to cause more trouble for Sherlock. In the Sherlock Christmas special, the detective figured that Moriarty was actually dead.
However, the villain may still have left some huge threat for the group to settle even after he shot himself in the face.
ScreenRant noted that the main theme in "Sherlock" Season 4 is apparently "It's not a game any more," giving reference to the past battle between Sherlock and Moriarty as the great game.
During the SDCC "Sherlock" panel, fans could only get a few hints on the story of the upcoming season, which will consist of only three episodes.
The new "Sherlock" trailer seemed to indicate that the plot will further move away from the basic idea of solving individual cases, to emphasize on Sherlock's character development.
There will still be great cases available, as showrunners Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffatt get a number of ideas from Arthur Conan Doyle's wide source material.
"Sherlock" Season 4 is set to launch sometime in 2017 on BBC. More updates and details are expected soon.