If there is one thing "Sherlock" co-creator Steven Moffat can say about the much-awaited season 4 of the series, it's that it won't be produced until next year. 

A new report claims that the wait will be longer than ever for the return of the TV series adaptation of the celebrated Sir Arthur Conan Doyle masterwork because production has been postponed to spring 2016.

This means that Sherlock Holmes and John Watson's sleuthing escapades won't commence until late next year, which is, needless to say, bad news for fans ardently awaiting the return of the world's greatest detective. Good thing though, "Sherlock" followers have been taught to withstand profuse waiting. It takes so much time for the series to return for a new season, and fans have learned BBC's ways.

As for the premise season 4 is going for, aspiring detectives and Benedict Cumberbatch fans may very well prime themselves for a major change in atmosphere. 

"The missing element in a lot of Sherlock Holmes adaptations is allowing it to be funny," Moffat told Entertainment Weekly. "There's a lot of humor in Sherlock Holmes, and it's ignored in a lot of adaptations."

This gives the impression that his take on the masterpiece will entail this component. 

The fourth season,, Moffat revealed, will be all about consequences, which he believes will make it a lot different from the  show's previous seasons, bringing him back to the suggested injection of humor. 

"Chickens come to roost. It's dark in some ways-obviously it's great fun and a Sherlock Holmes romp and all that-but there's a sense of... things... coming back to bite you. It's not a safe, sensible way to live. It's hilarious and exhilarating some days, but some days it's going to be bloody frightening," he explained. 

There is still no premiere date for "Sherlock" season 4 although it is believed to return in late 2016 or early 2017. Fans can get some sleuthing fix from a "Sherlock" Christmas special, which is set in the Victorian era, scheduled to air by the end of the year.