Now that 2014 is ending, the only thing that "Sherlock" fans can think about is the end of the upcoming year, when BBC will air a single-episode Christmas special of the sleuth series, followed by the premiere of Season 4 in early 2016.

Enthusiasts dig through every rumor, teaser and tip from cast, crew and creators of the series that appears on the internet to learn what could draw them closer to the three-episode run of the upcoming season.

Benedict Cumberbatch, who owns the role of Sherlock Holmes, keeps busy. Between 2014 and 2016, he'll appear as Richard III in "The Hollow Crown," Bill Bulger in "Black Mass," Lewis in "Magik," Sergeant Sterling in "The Yellow Birds," Col. Percival Fawcett in "The Lost City of Z," Shere Khan in "Jungle Book: Origins," Harry Larkyns in "Flying Horse" and Dr. Stephen Strange in "Doctor Strange." He also recently reprised his role as Smaug in "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," which Martin Freeman (Dr. John Watson) also appears as Bilbo Baggins. Also, earlier this year, he appeared in the "The Imitation Game" as Alan Turing. His work as Turing has even sparked Oscar buzz.

Cumberbatch's busy schedule has been to blame for delays, but Freeman has been no less busy with his work on "Fargo," "The Eichmann Show," "The Taliban Shuffle" and "The Funny Cow."

No matter, fans are clamoring for the return of their favorite BBC series, so it can relieve them of the anxiety caused by Season 3's cliffhanger. 2015's single episode special will deal with the Moriarty cliffhanger and more. When asked if Moriarty will give audiences one more crime spree, series co-creator Mark Gatiss told Radio Times, "Well, it's very hard to put a lid on Andrew Scott ..."

Matiss also shared a few more details with Radio Times about attire and modern adaptation.

"It should be clear by now that while, of course, Doyle is our absolute god, we have gone quite a long way away as well," Gatiss told Radio Times. "We've introduced Sherlock and Mycroft's parents [for instance]. I don't think they've ever been seen in any adaptation -- so there are lots of surprises to come."

Also, series co-creator Steven Moffat clued in Entertainment Weekly about what's to come, stating, "We have a plan to top [Season 3]. And I do think our plan is devastating. We've practically reduced our cast to tears telling them the plan," he said. "We're probably more excited that we've ever been about Sherlock."

"We're going to try to take it somewhere we've never been before -- and I don't mean outer space," he stated. "It will be a challenging place to go. We always start with a re-introduction that builds toward a darker climax -- we might just be going darker. We got a very, very good set of ideas."

For certain, the death of Watson's wife will appear in the future of the series, as the BBC's version of her character has already outlived Sir Authur Conan Doyle's written character.

"While we play fast and loose with the original stories, we generally follow the trajectory of what Conan Doyle did," Freeman told the Telegraph earlier this year. "So [John] gets married, and then Mary dies -- so at some point presumably she'll die."

Some facts for the upcoming season: The show will be darker; Irene Adler may not return; Season 4 will outperform Season 3; Moriartity can't be alive; Mary Watson will welcome a baby; Molly and Sherlock might hook up (although Cumberbatch has insinuated that Sherlock might be gay); the premiere dates aren't set in stone; Holmes's third brother may appear, and they're already planning the next three seasons of the series.