Highly acclaimed Masterpiece Sherlock returns to Eight for third season – Jan. 19

Highly anticipated Season 3 of Sherlock premieres on Eight, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman

PHOENIX — (Oct. 31, 2013) Eight, Arizona PBS will debut long-awaited Masterpiece Sherlock: Season 3, starring Benedict Cumberbatch (The Fifth Estate, Star Trek Into Darkness) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, The Office UK) as the legendary British sleuth and his famous sidekick John Watson, Jan. 19 at 9 p.m. Season 3 will feature three new episodes of the contemporary reinvention of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle classic, created by Steven Moffat – in two-hour blocks including additional Sherlock-themed material.
“The genius Sherlock team has done it again,” says Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca
Eaton. “These new episodes are as wildly imaginative and brilliantly produced as all the others. These people are GOOD!”

Emmy® and Golden Globe®-nominated and winner of a Peabody Award, Sherlock has been a television sensation since the first season aired in 2010, with critics calling it “triumphant”

(Hollywood Reporter), “crackling with imagination” (San Francisco Chronicle), and “seduction

through deduction” (Los Angeles Times). As in previous seasons, titles for the three episodes are pegged to a classic Sherlock Holmes title by Arthur Conan Doyle—delightfully, wittily, and briskly updated, of course, including:

• “The Empty Hearse” – Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014 at 9 p.m. on Eight
• “The Sign of Three” – Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014 at 9 p.m. on Eight
• “His Last Vow” – Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 at 9 p.m. on Eight

“Sherlock continues to grip fans because of the inspired acting and the ingenious writing that allows viewers to play the role of detectives as the stories unfold. Some viewers even discover details while re-watching episodes that include clues foreshadowing significant events in future episodes,” says Nancy Southgate, Eight, Arizona PBS associate general manager of content. “Season 3 promises the same suspense and thrill they’ve grown to love but with new twists.”

Eight will broadcast Seasons 1 and 2 of Sherlock on Jan. 12 and 19 from 1-5:30 p.m., allowing viewers to catch up leading to the Season 3 premiere.

The highly acclaimed Sherlock: Season 3 will also follow Eight’s anticipated premiere of Season 4 of Downton Abbey, which takes place Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. The pairing of hits Downton Abbey and Sherlock also sets the stage for the March 30 return of praised dramas Call the Midwife and Masterpiece Classic’s Mr. Selfridge.

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