Never fear. Season 4 of "Sherlock" HAS NOT been cancelled.

Water cooler chat referring to the cancellation of Season 4 of "Sherlock" has dissipated, and the claims have been debunked. The fourth season of "Sherlock" will begin recording during the spring of 2016, ahead of the 2017 broadcast date. Also, the Victorian-era Christmas special, which promises to spooky, is just four months away.

Earlier this week, a satirical publication titled The Stately Harold published an article that quoted Mark Gatiss stating, "I have some bad news regarding 'Sherlock'. I know that we promised you a fourth season time and time again, but at this point in time, this is not a prioritization that BBC can make in the near future. The team has worked hard to try to coordinate this, but unfortunately the studio has decided that it is best to let the project go. The entire cast is incredibly sorry that we won't be able to fulfill our promises, but we hope that you will enjoy that Christmas special that will still air this year. That is the last you will see of 'Sherlock' in its current form."

That report was quickly discredited. In fact, Moffat has continually made statements that state the contrary. On several occasions, Moffat has indicated that the upcoming season will be "great fun," yet it will be dark and there's going to be "more of an emotional upheaval. Hopefully enjoyable and fun all the things 'Sherlock' must always be. It will be tough at times."

In regards to the upcoming Christmas episode, co-creator Moffat told Entertainment Weekly that the decision to place the episode in Victorian London was to better capture the spooky aspect of the storyline. The one-time episode will be the show's only visit to the era, "unless we go mad and decide on setting it in the 1940s and have them fight Hitler. Nothing is inconceivable if you have no taste," Moffat told IGN.

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