‘Sherlock’ Season 4 Spoilers: Creator Teases Dark Plans For Upcoming Season; Reveals ‘Devastating’ Plot Made Cast Members Cry

“Sherlock” had a massive Emmy Awards night, and while celebrating the show's awards, co-creator and showrunner Steven Moffat dropped some hints about “Sherlock” Season 4. Fans shouldn’t expect the new season to be nearly as funny and lighthearted as Moffat’s acceptance speech.

“We have a plan to top [Season 3]. And I do think our plan is devastating,” Moffat said, according to Entertainment Weekly. “We’ve practically reduced our cast to tears telling them the plan … we’re probably more excited than we’ve ever been about 'Sherlock.'”

Mark Gatiss (the show's co-creator/producer/writer/actor) dropped some more hints about the darker nature of “Sherlock” Season 4. “We’re going to try to take it somewhere we’ve never been before — and I don’t mean outer space,” Gatiss told Entertainment Weekly. Granted, outer space wouldn’t be unknown territory for Gatiss and Moffat, who work on alien drama “Doctor Who” as well (which also had a great weekend in the U.S.).

Gatiss explained, “It will be challenging place to go. We always start with a re-introduction that builds toward a darker climax — we might just be going darker [from the outset]. We got a very, very good set of ideas.”

Of course, some fans are more interested in an air date than spoilers. Moffat isn’t certain of a premiere date, but as previously reported, filming has been scheduled for January despite Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman’s busy careers. “It’s like corralling everyone in a cocktail party,” Moffat said, according to Deadline. “We have to pitch (them) every year. But, we know what’s happening with ‘Sherlock’ is unusual, so we’ll keep making ‘Sherlock’ as long as it’s a good show.”

Moffat would like to keep the show going as long as possible. He hopes that the 2014 Emmy Awards bring in more viewers for Season 4 and beyond. “We’ve won outside of America and we thought that phase was dying down,” Moffat said. “As shows get older, they don’t win as often. We’re delighted that we’ve made it here and hopefully this will get more people watching the show.”

“Sherlock” Season 4 will reportedly start airing around Christmas 2015. Were you surprised by all the “Sherlock” Emmy awards? Sound off in the comments sections below!