Martin Freeman Has Bad News for ‘Sherlock’ Fans: Detective Drama Is ‘Not Fun Anymore’

“It’s not a thing to be enjoyed, it’s a thing of: ‘You better f—ing do this, otherwise, you’re a c—,” the Dr. Watson actor says of high fan expectations

Sherlock Season 4
PBS

Rabid “Sherlock” fans chomping at the bit for Season 5 could be in for a major disappointment. But they’re also partly to blame, according to one of the show’s stars.

Martin Freeman, who plays Dr. Watson on the British crime drama, described the series as “not fun anymore,” in an interview with The Telegraph, adding that there has been little talk about a fifth season.

That is largely due to the poor reception Season 4 received last year and its failure to live up to fans very high expectations, he said.

“I think after series four [it] felt like a pause. I think we felt we’d done it for a bit now. And part of it, speaking for myself is [due to] the reception of it,” Freeman (above right with co-star Benedict Cumberbatch) said in the interview published Friday.

“To be absolutely honest, it [was] kind of impossible,” he continued. “‘Sherlock’ became the animal that it became immediately. Whereas even with [the U.K. version of] ‘The Office,’ it was a slow burn. But ‘Sherlock’ was frankly notably high quality from the outset. And when you start [that high] it’s pretty hard to maintain that.

“Being in that show, it is a mini-Beatles thing,” Martin went on to say. “People’s expectations, some of it’s not fun anymore. It’s not a thing to be enjoyed, it’s a thing of: ‘You better f—ing do this, otherwise, you’re a c—.’ That’s not fun anymore.”

The modern adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic crime novels (which airs on the BBC in the U.K. and PBS in the U.S.) premiered in 2010 and has catapulted its two lead actors into the international spotlight.

Cumberbatch was best known for his theater work before playing trouble genius Holmes — he is now one of the biggest names in Hollywood, part of the Marvel franchise playing Dr. Strange and an Oscar nominee thanks to “The Imitation Game.”

Freeman had prominent roles in “Love Actually” and “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” before becoming Dr. Watson, and has since starred in a slew of movies, including “The Hobbit” trilogy, “Captain America: Civil War” and “Black Panther.”

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