Reports about the release date for 'Sherlock' Season 4 have not been definitive, but it seems as though the producers are sticking to the pattern of releasing a new season every two years. Even though the next episodic installment will air in 2016, a Christmas special episode will be broadcast in 2015.

Beyond that, spoilers for the upcoming season of 'Sherlock' have recently taken a "tragic" turn as Mark Gatiss, the series co-creator, revealed some disheartening news in an interview.

When speaking with RadioTimes, Gatniss said, "You can always expect tragedy as well as adventure; that's just how it goes."

While Gatniss did not mention who would be getting the short end of the stick in Season 4 of 'Sherlock', some fans of the BBC series went ahead and crosschecked with the original stories on which it's based.

Stepping into Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock stories, readers can remember that John Watson's wife, Mary, was killed. Again, while something like this has potential to appear in the BBC adaptation, it has not yet been confirmed.

On that note, Gatniss seems to realize that BBC's 'Sherlock' has, and will, deviate from Doyle's stories. While this idea cannot, and is not, disputed by Gatniss himself, he certainly has a lot of respect for the legendary author.

In the interview, he said, "It should be clear by now that while, of course, Doyle is our absolute God, we have gone quite a long way away [from the stories] as well."

Adding, "We've introduced Sherlock and Mycroft's parents - I don't think they've ever been seen in any adaptation - so there are lots of surprises to come."

Setting that aside, and bringing in some statements from a previous interview with the other co-creator, Steve Moffat, some interesting parallels surface.

In an interview, Moffat said, "We have a plan to top it. And I do think our plan is devastating. We've practically reduced our cast to tears telling them the plan ... we're probably more excited that we've ever been about Sherlock."

Clearly fans of BBC's 'Sherlock' should prepare themselves for some serious heartbreak as Season 4 premieres sometime in 2016. However, even though there's bound to be some tragic deaths and plot developments, the series is sure to remain exciting and continue to maintain its raving fanship.