BBC's popular series Sherlock made its first appearance at San Diego Comic-Con this year. Even though Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman couldn't attend, producer Sue Vertue and co-creators and executive producers Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat made the trek and provided some insight about Season 3 of Sherlock. The Season 2 finale ended on a cliffhanger, and fans were left wondering how Sherlock Holmes managed to fake his own death.

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Moffat said the information is there for audiences to figure out what's happened, and it will all be revealed in the Season 3 premiere. “It's a rational explanation, we knew how it was going happen. When you see the answer you'll see yes, we knew in advance and it had to be plotted out.” And he also pointed out, “The important thing is to remember is there are only a few ways you can fall off the roof and survive. It's not black magic.”Likewise, he confirmed Moriarty is indeed gone. “He shot himself through the brains dead. You don't come from back from that.”Moffat and Gatiss both agreed the more interesting part about Sherlock's return is not how he did it but how it affects John Watson, Mycroft, and everyone in Sherlock's life. “That moment [when Watson meets with Sherlock for the first time in episode one] is electrifying,” said Gatiss. It will be emotional and given the time it deserves. Gatiss mentioned Watson's reaction was dealt with too quickly in the books. Mycroft's response will be shown, too. Gatiss said his character will be around next season at least for that. “We wanted to explore how it affected all the regulars - his friends and extended family.”Besides returning from the dead, Sherlock will be involved in another major event next season – John Watson's wedding. A sneak peek of episode two of the next season showed Watson asking the very confused Sherlock to be his best man. The clip also showed Sherlock's toast at the reception, and it's hilarious. Half of the room gave a standing ovation, and the acting and writing in the short clip deserved it.If that's any indication of how Season 3 will go, fans are in for a treat. Everyone's excited about it. Moffat said, “I think it's really good. I think it's different. It's moved on a bit. It's slightly more human, more real. We've got scenes in there we wouldn’t have contemplated putting in previous years.” Gatiss emphasized there's still a lot of fun even though the season has a dark beginning.Vertue seemed confident Season 4 is a done deal. Beyond that? She said, “I think as long as everyone wants to keep doing it, we'll keep doing it.” Moffat confirmed their current filming model makes it easy for everyone to come back to the series in between other gigs.Season 3 of Sherlock premieres in 2014.

Amy Ratcliffe is a writer for IGN TV. You can follow her on on Twitter at

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