PBS announced today its slate of Winter/Spring 2014 programs, including the long-awaited return of Masterpiece Sherlock , Season 3 starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the legendary British sleuth and Martin Freeman as his partner Watson, on Sunday, January 19 at 10 p.m. ET.

Sherlock follows Season 4 of Downton Abbey, which debuts with eight new episodes January 5 on Masterpiece. This marks the first time that the U.S. airdate has been announced prior to the UK date, but the January start indicates that there will likely be a much shorter window between the two than in previous seasons. It's unlikely that the show will debut before December in the UK, just from a marketing perspective.Production on Sherlock Season 3 was delayed and split into three chunks due to the increasingly demanding schedules of the two stars. Between Cumberbatch's Star Trek commitment, Freeman landing the leading role of Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, and co-creator Steven Moffat's Doctor Who duties, production on Sherlock became a bit of a jigsaw puzzle. Fans will be pleased to finally see the show return.